• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

Humvee lug nuts

jim1131

Active member
118
35
28
Location
Illinois
Im installing a set of aftermarket wheels on my humvee and need a longer lug nut but read somewhere that they should be a locking lug nut so that they dont back out., can I use a standard 9/16 18 nut without worrying about losing my wheel while driving?
 

Mullaney

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
Supporting Vendor
7,691
19,714
113
Location
Charlotte NC
Im installing a set of aftermarket wheels on my humvee and need a longer lug nut but read somewhere that they should be a locking lug nut so that they dont back out., can I use a standard 9/16 18 nut without worrying about losing my wheel while driving?
.
Maybe take a picture of what you are doing?
Lug nuts are generally not longer, but the wheel stud might be...
 

Milcommoguy

Well-known member
Supporting Vendor
1,706
2,255
113
Location
Rosamond, CA
Yes, picture would help. If I was to guess, it is a free guess, you have some alloy wheels with deep dish hub thickness?

For me, I would want to see some threads or two or three or four or more.

That's might be more that one, CAMO
 

jim1131

Active member
118
35
28
Location
Illinois
.
Maybe take a picture of what you are doing?
Lug nuts are generally not longer, but the wheel stud might be...
.
Maybe take a picture of what you are doing?
Lug nuts are generally not longer, but the wheel stud might be...
I am installing aftermarket wheels with a deep dish hub, the new lug nuts are longer and I figured out the problem. The original lug nuts are locking nuts and have been deformed due to torquing, the replacement nuts are not the correct thread. Thank you for your help
 

Mullaney

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
Supporting Vendor
7,691
19,714
113
Location
Charlotte NC
I am installing aftermarket wheels with a deep dish hub, the new lug nuts are longer and I figured out the problem. The original lug nuts are locking nuts and have been deformed due to torquing, the replacement nuts are not the correct thread. Thank you for your help
.
Hope you can lay hands on the replacement lug nuts!
 

Action

Well-known member
3,576
1,557
113
Location
East Tennessee
I am installing aftermarket wheels with a deep dish hub, the new lug nuts are longer and I figured out the problem. The original lug nuts are locking nuts and have been deformed due to torquing, the replacement nuts are not the correct thread. Thank you for your help
Hmmwv lug nuts get deformed when they are installed with an impact gun. After that, you will need an impact gun to get them off.
i install mine with a tire iron and a torque wrench. I can spin them off easy with the same tire iron, after breaking loose.
You stated you needed “longer” lug nuts. No. You need open end lug nuts.
 

Coug

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
2,953
4,298
113
Location
Olympia/WA
To add to what Action said, if they are tightened down too far the studs can also get deformed along with the lug nuts.
Easy way to check. Get a nut of the correct thread (not a locking type) and spin it on. If you can't spin it on relatively easily (and by that I mean at most using a short handled ratchet) then the studs should be replaced.
More likely the nuts will be distorted than the studs, but if there is ANY doubt about the studs being stretched then just replace them. Getting a flat tire at highway speeds is bad enough; losing the entire wheel off of the truck can be deadly, to both you and anyone around you.
 

Hammer

Well-known member
1,483
398
83
Location
Winlock, WA
Man, BOTH of my M1123s had bad studs/nuts. I needs to replace pretty much ALL of them. A lot of the threads are pretty much trashed. I didn't see this until after I got the nuts off and the paint over all the threads that made everything look ok.
Not sure I will replace with locking nuts though.
 

Action

Well-known member
3,576
1,557
113
Location
East Tennessee
Man, BOTH of my M1123s had bad studs/nuts. I needs to replace pretty much ALL of them. A lot of the threads are pretty much trashed. I didn't see this until after I got the nuts off and the paint over all the threads that made everything look ok.
Not sure I will replace with locking nuts though.
Use the OEM lug nuts. Without an impact gun...
 

Hammer

Well-known member
1,483
398
83
Location
Winlock, WA
I get why the military would want locking nuts.
But, for someone that checks these things, why should I really do it?
And don't give me this 'they are safer this way', or the 'they will fall off if you don't' talk. There is nothing special about these rims, studs, nuts that needs the locking nuts for real life. I have ran hmmwv rims and vehicles before and never had issues with loose lug nuts.
Military use, yeah, I agree. Very heavy loads, in bad situations where you don't want to compromise operations due to someone not finding a slightly loose lug nut that ends up causing a sheared stud, etc.
 

Action

Well-known member
3,576
1,557
113
Location
East Tennessee
I get why the military would want locking nuts.
But, for someone that checks these things, why should I really do it?
And don't give me this 'they are safer this way', or the 'they will fall off if you don't' talk. There is nothing special about these rims, studs, nuts that needs the locking nuts for real life. I have ran hmmwv rims and vehicles before and never had issues with loose lug nuts.
Military use, yeah, I agree. Very heavy loads, in bad situations where you don't want to compromise operations due to someone not finding a slightly loose lug nut that ends up causing a sheared stud, etc.
Are we sure they are locking nuts to begin with? Or are folks calling them “locking nuts” because they are trying to reuse nuts with distorted threads?
As I stated before, i can start NEW OEM nuts on clean studs, put a tire iron on, hold with one hand, spin with the other hand. They will go on easy. When they are snug, i use a torque wrench to get to spec in TM. I can remove them, and they spin off just as easy as they went on, once they are broken free.
i have tried to remove nuts that there was no way in hell i could get them off by hand even with a breaker bar. That is because they were installed with an impact gun. I never use an impact gun on my lug nuts.
 

Hammer

Well-known member
1,483
398
83
Location
Winlock, WA
Are we sure they are locking nuts to begin with? Or are folks calling them “locking nuts” because they are trying to reuse nuts with distorted threads?
Well, I see a lot are listed as locking. And I have to really wonder if this is just a carry over from the rim studs/nuts for putting the rim sections together.
Besides, the military uses the ultimate thread locker, PAINT. Lots and lots, layers and layers, of paint.

And yeah, my threads/nuts were all pretty much junk. I didn't care about them after I found this out, and out came the impact.
So I need to find a bit more affordable replacement stud/nut for all 8 hubs I want to replace them on.
 

Mullaney

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
Supporting Vendor
7,691
19,714
113
Location
Charlotte NC
Well, I see a lot are listed as locking. And I have to really wonder if this is just a carry over from the rim studs/nuts for putting the rim sections together.
Besides, the military uses the ultimate thread locker, PAINT. Lots and lots, layers and layers, of paint.

And yeah, my threads/nuts were all pretty much junk. I didn't care about them after I found this out, and out came the impact.
So I need to find a bit more affordable replacement stud/nut for all 8 hubs I want to replace them on.
.
You need to find yourself a Navy vehicle.
They have a Paint Chipper MOS (Boatson's Mate) on staff! :cool:

Boatson's Mate Rating_Badge_BM.jpg
 

juanprado

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
5,605
2,898
113
Location
Metairie/La (N'awlins)
Locking lug nuts are optional on civy vehichles so that a special cap fits over the lug to loosen it up used as a theft deterrent.
Locking nuts like in the traditional sense would never be used on attaching wheels to studs.
 

Milcommoguy

Well-known member
Supporting Vendor
1,706
2,255
113
Location
Rosamond, CA
Locking lug nuts are optional on civy vehichles so that a special cap fits over the lug to loosen it up used as a theft deterrent.
Locking nuts like in the traditional sense would never be used on attaching wheels to studs.
I could just hear some GI's asking... HEY Sgt. "Who's got the key to my locking nuts"

The squirrels are loose, CAMO
 

Mogman

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
6,862
9,503
113
Location
Papalote, TX
You guys are vicious, any quality lug nut that properly fits the stud and the wheel and is properly installed is OK, millions of vehicles running around with or without locking nut and it is actually fairly rare for one to come off and 99.99% of the time a wheel/stud failure occurs, one of the three above items has been ignored.
 

Mullaney

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
Supporting Vendor
7,691
19,714
113
Location
Charlotte NC
Only takes 8 out of 8 lug nuts falling off to ruin a day... Just saying... Okay, maybe 7, 6 minimal
.
It's not a bad day until your rear tire pulls out and passes you are going down the highway.
Somehow I imagine the HMMWV would start dragging axle - while a pickup truck might keep going until it falls over.
 
Top