wheel stuck on axle

[pedalpwr]

Wife got a flat 30 miles from the nearest phone up in the forest (no cell service). She and a girlfriend and four kids managed to jack the truck up and get the lugs off, but no amout of kicking, wiggling and tugging would get it off. Then along come two mighty hunters from the woods. ( Its archery season here in Idaho) and they inform the ladies that they will have the wheel changed in no time. Trouble is they couldn't get it off either! Kicked pried, tugged, nothin. They they bashed it with a boulder till it finally loosened and got it off and changed. Thats bout where me and my buddy and father in law found them as we went to wondering where dinner was.

This is a 04 and the wheels have never been loosened from the factory and stock wheels. This should not happen! It this a freak deal or is this common with the alloy dodge wheels?

 

[DPelletier]

Unfortunately it sounds like a common occurrance. My advice? take all the wheels off (at a time of YOUR choosing) and apply never seize or a similar product to the hub/wheel center.

The reason this happens is because of corrosion between the alloy wheel and the steel hub coupled with the fact that these wheels are centered using the hub rather than the lug nuts. They make them like this because hub-centered wheels are typically stronger than stud-centered wheels.



Hope this helps,

Dave

 

[y-knot]

You must be new to the world of Hub-centric wheels. These are not new to the industry, they have been around for many years on foreign cars. The thought behind it is that the vehicles weight be carried by the hub and not the lugs. It is a novel ideal, the weight of the vehicle and it's load supported by the hub of the wheel, which is the strongest part. The lugs then are used only to secure the wheel to the vehicle. For this type of arrangement to work, there has to be a very close tolerance between the wheels center and the hub. As you have found, that tight fit makes them a devil to remove, especially after a light coat of rust has formed. The best thing to do, is remove each wheel and apply a light coat of Never-seize to the hub area as soon as you get the truck. This will help make the future removal of each wheel much easier. Doing this in the comfort of your own drive and at the time you pick, is much better then in the dead of dark and on the side of the road.

On several occasions I have found it necessary to lie on the ground and kick the tire around the edges to remove them. Hopefully after the area has been cleaned and the anti-seize applied, the job will be easier the next time.

 

[DanDee]

I agree... . here's a picture of my two month old truck with rust starting already!

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104373



DanDee

 

[pedalpwr]

Yea, that picture is familar. Tire shop in town put anti seize on the hubs this time around. Wasn't too happy about the $220 for one Michelin tire... oh baby!

 

[SRadke]

Usually putting some of the weight of the truck on the wheel with all the lugs loose will pop them off the hub... .



-Scott

 

[Bill Stockard]

Usually putting some of the weight of the truck on the wheel with all the lugs loose will pop them off the hub... .



-Scott

My brother had that happen on his F250 PSD with one of the alloy wheels on the rear. We used a 20lb. sledge on it and it wouldn't come loose. We loosened the lugs and drove it down the road checking on the wheel every few hundred yards. After a couple of miles, it finally broke loose. They have never-seize on them now!



Bill

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

I just resolved this problem on my 94 Suburban w/ American Racing wheels, which used to get driven into salt water frequently.



Of course, I soaked everything in PB Blaster and other sprays. I pushed, pulled and kicked. I put the lug nuts on loosely and drove around, starting and stopping abruptly. I drove over 4x4 lumber in my driveway. We don't have curbs in my neighborhood, so I couldn't try that. I put a tow strap around the back of the wheel and snatched the Sub 3 feet sideways with my Dodge!



I tried beating on a 2x8 against the wheel/tire from behind with a small sledge hammer. I split the 2x8. I went to a 6x6 and a big sledge, stopping when I imagined the wheel rim was getting tweaked.



Then I asked my friend the truck tire guy. He said to air up the tire very hard, and from the outside of the tire, hit the corner where the tread and sidewall join with a big sledge. He said this is foolproof. The vibrations & aftershocks this method sends thru the wheel/axle joint break the corrosion loose.



He was right! Took maybe a dozen or more whacks, but it's off!



HTH someone!



kevin

 

[rbattelle]

Then I asked my friend the truck tire guy. He said to air up the tire very hard, and from the outside of the tire, hit the corner where the tread and sidewall join with a big sledge. He said this is foolproof. The vibrations & aftershocks this method sends thru the wheel/axle joint break the corrosion loose.

You strike on the corner, as in 45° toward the frame? Or more like 90° in toward the frame?



-Ryan

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

I found myself wishing I'd asked that same question... I went for ~45*.



I suspect it's possible to damage the tire this way, but I tried every other method first. Anything else I could think of could have damaged the tire, the wheel or both.

 

[E7mack96]

Just wanna say that in the Commercial trucking world, this problem is common on trailers that don't see a tire change in years. For ones that no amount of beating with a Sledge hammer helps, I just loosen the lugs and drive it a little bit and this usually breaks up the rust jacking.

 

[sammidog]

Yep, I bought a used 05 dodge and was beginning to think I bought a flood truck. I'm sorta glad other people have the same issue. I was rotating my tires at 10,000 miles and had the same problem. I loosend the lugs drove it down the driveway and hit the brakes. Finally they broke free. Can't do that with a flat though.