Wheel lug hack.

-

clementine

Flight risk
FABO Gold Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2016
Messages
3,221
Reaction score
2,825
Location
Emerald city
I hate trying to get the wheel to line up to the lugs. The biggest offender is these thick azz mags and short azz wheel lugs.

Ive tried putting the trouble light on the ground behind the wheel to shed some light on the subject and that works pretty good.

My latest is putting white paint pen on the tip of wheel lug so i can get a birds veiw through the wheel lug hole.

The deal is it always bugged me. I put 3" studs on the hot rod, but it's so unnecessary for dailys. AND...as i get older I'm trying to streamline the process to make the time on my knees lower.

Also, the obvious having the vehicle at the perfect height to just roll it into place is a pro move. BUT..... when rotating tires, the odds that the jack stand end of the vehicle ain't gonna be perfect.

Just sharing.

Hack rant over.

Put it on my tab.

Feel free to share your wheel mounting woes and how you solved them.

Andre is healing nicely. Im sure you all were concerned

20240609_172922.jpg


20240609_151014.jpg
 
It seems to me that the problem with lugs today is due to the mag wheel makers all going to conical seats. It effectively makes the factory studs too short. Mag lugs didn't cause such problems.

Was not aware of Andre's problems. What happened? Happy to hear he's on the mend. From fellow dog lover (three gsd's).
 
Last edited:
For the heavy ones (near 100 lbs) on my 3500 I jack it up high enough to be able to roll the jack under the tire with it jacked up a little to get the tire off. Then reverse to put it back…roll the tire onto the jack and jack it up back into place. I roll the lugs into place relative to where the tire ends up on the jack pad prior to trying to stab the lugs through.

My Duster wheels and tires are pretty light, so less messing around there.

I like the idea of painting the lug tips to improve visibility!!! Thanks for sharing!
 
Well, here is what I do. I turn the drum/rotor so that a lug is at the very top (12:00 position). Then I set the wheel in front of the drum/rotor so that a wheel lug hole is at the 12:00 position. Then it is much easier to lift the wheel straight up and slide it over the lugs.
 
Last edited:
It seems to me that the problem with lugs today is due to the mag wheel makers all going to conical seats. It effectively makes the factory lugs too short. Mag lugs didn't cause such problems.

Was not aware of Andre's problems. What happened? Happy to hear he's on the mend. From fellow dog lover (three gsd's).
2nd TPLO surgery. First was on the right last December, now the left. I have never had these things happen in 34 yrs of dogs. He is quite the champ and due to me learning how to train better and better, he has turned out to be quite the lad. I am only a week into the healing.

I like GSD's, the owner of the transmission shop I worked at had an all black, Misty....a force to be reckoned with.
 
Well, here is what I do. I turn the drum/rotor so that the lug is at the very top (12:00 position). Then I set the wheel in front of the drum/rotor so that a wheel lug hole is at the 12:00 position. Then it is much easier to list the wheel straight up and slide it over the lugs.
I dub thee method......"The Nooner":lol:
 
For the heavy ones (near 100 lbs) on my 3500 I jack it up high enough to be able to roll the jack under the tire with it jacked up a little to get the tire off. Then reverse to put it back…roll the tire onto the jack and jack it up back into place. I roll the lugs into place relative to where the tire ends up on the jack pad prior to trying to stab the lugs through.

My Duster wheels and tires are pretty light, so less messing around there.

I like the idea of painting the lug tips to improve visibility!!! Thanks for sharing!
Dems some big azz wheels. Smart man.
 
I use 1 of these wheel dolly's.
Lumii_20240609_220347339.jpg

I have a set of 4 since they are so helpful to move cars around. But I take just 1 and use it to lift/rotate the tire right into position and then shove it on. These wheels/tires are getting heavier!! Well ok, not really...I'm just getting weaker!

Your white tips on the studs would make it even easier

Edit: I see these have gone up in price by over $50 each since I bought mine in October!! Wow!!
 
Last edited:
I use my legs. Sit on the ground, mounting surface centered to your lap. Roll the tire onto your thighs and use your legs to lift up.
 
I use my legs. Sit on the ground, mounting surface centered to your lap. Roll the tire onto your thighs and use your legs to lift up.
wish I could "agree" and "like" this one. A few months ago I had my lower bicep strain (must of been all that working n out and gettin "swoll") and that certainly makes you work on technique to get things done. (yes, that IS what she said) :lol:
 
wish I could "agree" and "like" this one. A few months ago I had my lower bicep strain (must of been all that working n out and gettin "swoll") and that certainly makes you work on technique to get things done. (yes, that IS what she said) :lol:
It’s all about the motion in the ocean or something like that.
 
@clementine Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the update on your pup. I also wasn't aware, but love the little furries. No such thing as bad dogs, just bad owners...
 
2nd TPLO surgery. First was on the right last December, now the left. I have never had these things happen in 34 yrs of dogs. He is quite the champ and due to me learning how to train better and better, he has turned out to be quite the lad. I am only a week into the healing.

I like GSD's, the owner of the transmission shop I worked at had an all black, Misty....a force to be reckoned with.
We had an all-black shepherd too, Mopar, the fourth of our brood. She contracted cancer recently, and crossed the Rainbow Bridge at 6 1/2.
Happy to hear Andre is doing well.
 
For the heavy ones (near 100 lbs) on my 3500 I jack it up high enough to be able to roll the jack under the tire with it jacked up a little to get the tire off. Then reverse to put it back…roll the tire onto the jack and jack it up back into place. I roll the lugs into place relative to where the tire ends up on the jack pad prior to trying to stab the lugs through.

My Duster wheels and tires are pretty light, so less messing around there.

I like the idea of painting the lug tips to improve visibility!!! Thanks for sharing!
We had tires put on our box truck a little while back. I'm glad I haven't had to deal with them myself, but I feel sorry for the tire guy. Dually wheels, steel, ten lug 22.5s. (I'm betting a hundred plus pounds each, easy. F550 chassis).
 
Lay a pry bar on ground pointing to middle of hub, roll wheel onto it then lift outer end of prybar. Trick to it.

Yep, there is a learning curve about where to place your prybar/tire iron, but when you get it right you can even rotate the tire a little when needed.
 
I had to replace one front brake caliper on my 04 Ram 2500 diesel. When it came time to put the wheel/tire assembly back on, I found that I am no longer strong enough to lift one it its wheel/tire assemblies. Not with my arms, not with my legs. Had to fiddle with the hydraulic jack to get the hub just the right height (jack stand under the frame) to work the wheel/tire onto the hub without lifting it.
 
Let the kid at the gas station rotate the tires.
I did think about getting the next door kid to do it.......then my cheap azz put on the knee pads. I know, I know.....its not what you are thinking.....don't go there now....:rofl:
 
Last edited:
-
Back
Top