I have always used my wheel brace to remove wheel nuts and also to tighten them by pushing downwards on the wheel brace. That is the way I was taught and have never done it any other way.
However I notice in my Hi Ace manual they have a picture and tell you to pull up on the wheel brace to loosen or tighten the nuts????
Out of curiosity I thought I would try pulling up on the lever instead of pushing down as per the Hi Ace manual, but found it was very hard on the back and not as easy.
Any idea of why they say this and what method do you use
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Vic
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I use a tommy bar or a ratchet and a socket with a short length of pipe for extra leverage.... only way I can shift wheel nuts that have been tightened with a rattle gun.
Hi Jim and GST, yes but which way do you use them, push down or pull up ????
I had a piece of pipe for my wheel brace, but bought a wheel brace from Auto One, that has a sliding pipe on it, and also two double ended sockets for 4 different size wheel nuts, works really well, cost was $20.
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Vic
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Hi Vic, I was teached when I was a mechanic that you should push away so if it slips it won't hit you in the face.
-- Edited by CK56 on Monday 18th of July 2011 03:22:35 PM
Sounds good to me Charlie, I drove trucks at one time in the Army and that is how they taught us as well. I wonder why the Toyota manual says otherwise? Anyone with a Toyo of any kind, have a look in the manual and see what yours says please.
Thanks
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Vic
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They're not as smart as you blokes and haven't worked it out the logical way. Those instructions were probably written by an administrative person, not a mechanical person. These days it's mandatory to tighten wheel nuts with the manual wheel brace after doing most of the work with the rattle gun. I've seen it in WA, Qld and SA. They can't trust that the rattle gun has tightened them without checking manually. It also ensures the rattle gun tension setting doesn't tighten the nuts so tight they can't be undone again manually. Manual is the way to go.
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Some tyre places must set those rattle guns on full tension. I defy any person who isn't into weight lifting to get some of them to move. I was always taught that the nuts need to be firmly tightened but not over done by applying tommy bars of lumps of pipe over the brace as some have advocated. It stands to reason that's why all spanners are made to a length governed by their rated size . I have yet to see a firmly tightened wheel nut come loose , I have seen studs that have snapped clean through by over doing it and those on dual wheels that have snapped when trying to turn sharply, Happens a lot on the rear set of wheels on low loaders.
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Have had to replace a few wheel studs on customers vehicles that the local tyer repairers have used rattle guns & broken the studs. Some of the newer vehicles the disc rotors are thiner than the older ones, & if you over tighten the wheel studs you run the risk of distorting the disks, & geting brake pedal pulsing or shaking steering when aplying brakes.
Had the same trouble recently DeBe when I got the vehicle back from service, I wanted to change a wheel over but it was on too tight, ended up taking it back to the service centre to get them to "unratlle" the nuts so they weren't so tight, a little while back I had a hell of job getting some wheel nuts off a caravan that had the nuts done up the same way.
No wonder wheel studs shear off. I am just glad I go onto mine before I had problems on the road in an out of the way place, I would have had no hope getting the nuts off if I'd had a flat etc, let alone sheared wheel studs.
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Vic
Hi Ace Pop Top Campervan & A'Van A'Lite Camper Trailer.....
Khalil Gibran says "We tarry forward - not backward".
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I am so glad that someone has the same problems as I have. I can "technically" change a wheel. But, I quickly get stopped in my tracks, firstly, the weight of the wheel, (no hope of lifting) and then the wheel nuts. Just have to only go to places where NRMA operates. I hope that if I am in a really desperate situation I will get super strength from somewhere. Such is life. lol
-- Edited by ChiChi1 on Tuesday 19th of July 2011 10:36:25 AM
If you are half smart you will thruogh away the supplied unit & buy your self a proper four way wheel brace, that way it will not roll off the nuts & damage them or hurt your self as you use two hands, one pulls up as the other pushes down, doubble the leverage applied to the nut.
Most of the supplied units with a car have a offset in the handle & this causes the tool roll off & thats where you get hurt as well as the rounding off of the corners of the nuts.I will not use them.
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Have one of those too JC, some cheapies do not have good welds on the join and have been know to give way.
Chi Chi, one good way to lift your wheel up enough to get it off or on when removing or refitting is to use the "Ell" shaped wheel brace to put the lever shaft under the tread of the tyre and lift it up/lower that way, can make it easier to manouvre onto the studs too as well as off.
I know the RAC holds courses in tyre changing maybe the NRMA do too, might be worth doing, or get a friend to show you how to do it.
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Vic
Hi Ace Pop Top Campervan & A'Van A'Lite Camper Trailer.....
Khalil Gibran says "We tarry forward - not backward".
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Thanks Vic. I might look into that. I would be lucky to weigh 60kilos. (no muscles either) I think the transit wheels would be at least that. Anyhow, its a problem to solve. Maybe I'll work out how ants lift many times their body weight.
If you are half smart you will thruogh away the supplied unit & buy your self a proper four way wheel brace, that way it will not roll off the nuts & damage them or hurt your self as you use two hands, one pulls up as the other pushes down, doubble the leverage applied to the nut.
Most of the supplied units with a car have a offset in the handle & this causes the tool roll off & thats where you get hurt as well as the rounding off of the corners of the nuts.I will not use them.
I've broken a 4 way wheel brace trying to undo nuts that have been "rattled'' on, yes I was applying additional leverage plus some extra persuasion ( a 4lb persuader)....desperate circumstances call for desperate measures!
I agree too with your comments re the ones supplied.
I'd have no hope of undoing any wheel nuts with the L shaped thing Toyota supply. It's just crazy. I have a cross wheel brace too. If I can't change the van wheels I can blame DeBe. He kindly did my wheel bearings for me last time in Cairns. I usually succeed, and when it comes to lifting I use my feet and my knees. The back's buggered, but the knees are good.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
I've broken a 4 way wheel brace trying to undo nuts that have been "rattled'' on, yes I was applying additional leverage plus some extra persuasion ( a 4lb persuader)....desperate circumstances call for desperate measures!
Chineese rubbish?????????? needs to be a quality brand.
Some idiots need to be educated about the use of rattle guns; Iv;e used rattle guns in the trade for years, great for undoing things but only ever use them to run up the nut to contact & finish off with a brace.
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