Wheel Bolts
A basic item and one that you think is something that you can simply get some advice on regarding the thread lenght,
If you own a European caravan then 'simples' goes out the window, not because the said bolt is more complicated or of differing shape oh no when asked the make and model of the caravan the wheel bolt is from you get the 'Plumbers' sharp intake of breath Ah now we don't, can't, won't and so on.
So contact the chassis manufacture at least they have made the thing in the first place so they should be able to help! opps wrong "We do not supply wheel bolts...." followed by a lengthy explanation with the odd remark of some euro convention thrown in for luck (sounded like a good reason to quit to me) So the caravan manufacture came next "you will need to contact your local agent" but I only want the one dimesion - length of the bl***y bolt,
So I contact the 'local' agent who whilst being extremely helpful could not answer my question but would contact the manufacture of the caravan for the answer but would need all the markings from the wheel etc. so that is where I am at the moment.
Comments
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Extract one bolt. Present yourself to a purveyor of bolts with the example and request "same again, bartender".
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It all depends! My Lunar came with a steel spare but 5 special bolts came with it. Mostly the difference is that bolts for steel wheels have taper seats to align them and alloy wheels are machined to align with a machined spigot on the hub. Hope this makes sense.
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It all depends! My Lunar came with a steel spare but 5 special bolts came with it. Mostly the difference is that bolts for steel wheels have taper seats to align them and alloy wheels are machined to align with a machined spigot on the hub. Hope this makes
sense...Another question for tomorrow at Brum?
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It is a question that I have asked also, as the wheels fitted to c/v , m/v ,car,are normally these days alloys, but the spare is usually steel which is a much thinner material so do we need shorter bolts? no one seems to know
Our current Lunar was supplied with 5 shorter wheel bolts in the pack with all the leaflets and instructions.
Overall they are about 8mm shorter, and the cone, whilst looking like the same angle is stopped short before the threads start. Maybe the full "alloy" cone which tapers all the way down to the threads would hit the drum before the steel wheel was clamped -
I never tried this, I just used the shorter bolts when I had to fit the spare.
One other point, the tensile strength of the "alloy" bolts is 10.9 so can be tightened to a higher torque than the shorter ones which are marked 8.8.0 -
It all depends! My Lunar came with a steel spare but 5 special bolts came with it. Mostly the difference is that bolts for steel wheels have taper seats to align them and alloy wheels are machined to align with a machined spigot on the hub. Hope this makes
sense...Another question for tomorrow at Brum?
Write your comments here... I bet you will get the right answer on this thread !.There are some knowledgable people (excluding me ) on this forum.
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Guess what have found outabout different wheel bolts,on our van (Bailey) there is no need for different bolts, as in the words of my friendly C/Van engineer advises that the bolts fit both with same torque "and if you put the steel on the bolts just clear
more cobwebs"0 -
It is a question that I have asked also, as the wheels fitted to c/v , m/v ,car,are normally these days alloys, but the spare is usually steel which is a much thinner material so do we need shorter bolts? no one seems to know
If you cant get a difinitive answer to this .I would take the wheel off stick a bolt through it and measure threads .... Get a drill,screw driver and stick it in the drum , and slowly turn the drum till the drill bit hits something ,I think you will be suprised
at how much clearance there actually is . I think the bolts are 12mm.1.0mm pitch I would have whip one out and measure it and check the the thread pitch with my gauge . Could do it tomorrow if you want . My caravan is an Elddis but more important is chassis
which is BPW .0 -
http://s664.photobucket.com/user/oddboff/media/image_2_1.jpeg.html
But it's not always as cut & dried as that. My Vauxhalls all used the same bolts for their steel spares as they did for their alloys.
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I have I hope killed the above links if I can be bothered I will reposted them. The picture taken from my caravan manual simply showed the two types of bolts used for
its particular alloy and steel wheels. I was not meant that all bolt combination are the same or indeed in any way cut and dried.0 -
If you look those bolts pictured don't even have the size head 1 is 17mm the other 19mm. We also had an imported Pajero which had 4 after market alloys and 1 standard alloy as the spare and they required different bolts. The link I posted if nothing else
illustrates the difference between a conical and spherical tapers.0 -
The different bolts are Alloys have a cone seat which is tapered at 60 degrees and pressed Steel wheels (normally) have a radius seat (some call it conical). However some cone seat (alloy wheels) can also be used om steel wheels BUT you should consult your caravan handbook or the dealer who may not know but can easily find out. My Hymer has a set of radius seat (or conical) bolts in a plastic holder attached to the spare wheel. The issue for me is the thread lenght and pitch of the M12 bolt thread, measuring the existing bolts they show between 26 and 28 mm across all ten bolts! and the thread pitch is 1.5mm which is common across most if not all UK c'vans but continental wheel bolts can and do differ dependent on the alloy/steel wheels fitted - so I have been told! So before I go out and purchase a full set of new security bolts I want to be certain of the figures I have as it is possible to purchase differing lenghts. Oh yes and I want bolts either made in Germany or the UK and NOT from China given the major issues that now exist with their steel.
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The bolts shown in the picture (follow the link and then click on the right hand arrow) Is taken direct from the Hymer manual
http://s664.photobucket.com/user/oddboff/media/image_2_1.jpeg.html
This is what I bought because my caravan didn't come with a set for the steel wheel If think it is the correct Item but never having had a puncture haven't tested them
http://www.tauntontrailers.co.uk/al-ko-m12-spherical-wheel-bolts-565-p.asp
Note you will require both 17mm socket, for the alloys and 19mm sockets for the steel wheel bolts
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Quote: Guess what have found outabout different wheel bolts,on our van (Bailey) there is no need for different bolts, as in the words of my friendly C/Van engineer advises that the bolts fit both with same torque "and if you put the steel on the bolts just clear more cobwebs"
Do Bailey really say that the torque for alloys and steel spare are the same (don't quite understand the "cobwebs" comment?
As said, our 2011 Swift uses the same bolts for the alloys and steel spare but the torque is less for the steel.
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It all depends! My Lunar came with a steel spare but 5 special bolts came with it. Mostly the difference is that bolts for steel wheels have taper seats to align them and alloy wheels are machined to align with a machined spigot on the hub. Hope this makes
sense.Glad you said that, I wondered why they had given me extra bolts. I will put them in the caravan.
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I'm confused the WSL website seems to show only one type of bolt with a conical collar, are they claiming that this is a universal fit? Or am I missing something?
Write your comments here...As far as I know the set advertised is for alloys unless your caravan has steel wheels that will accomodate conical form bolts. Best give them a call and ask, you will find them really helpful.
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I'm not in the market for wheel bolts. But a could see someone ordering a set in ignorance and potentially they won't fill all wheels. The problem actually is they will fit but not safely.
I feel WSL are remiss in not making it clear in their literature and web site these bolts are profiled for use on alloy wheels.
Hymer supplied bolts profiled with cones for the alloy road wheels and spheres for the steel wheels. It is all very clearly detailed in the handbook which bolts do which job. Hopefully people read the handbook.
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There is the reason why I spent so much time reseaching the subject and after speaking to WSL on the phone to garner as much info as I could and fortunately could follow that up by visiting them at the show before I decided to purchase a set for my Hymer and as far as my experience goes WSL were extremly helpful not something you will get from a seller on Ebay or even most dealers "wheel bolts are wheel bolts" one dealer told me!
There are many company's/people selling wheel bolts including dealers who have no idea as to the manufacturing parentage of such safety critical items so I always go the extra mile to satisfy myself as to the legitimate suitability before purchasing.
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I spoke to both Bailey and WSL at the show, and both advised that the same bolts are used on both alloys and steel spare with the same torque,and there is plenty of room in the hubs to take the extra "length" when useing the thinner steel spare wheel ,
And the Milenco telltales also fit the WSL bolts,so still no requirement to check torque ,just a quick glance is all thats needed
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I spoke to both Bailey and WSL at the show, and both advised that the same bolts are used on both alloys and steel spare with the same torque,and there is plenty of room in the hubs to take the extra "length" when useing the thinner steel spare wheel ,
And the Milenco telltales also fit the WSL bolts,so still no requirement to check torque ,just a quick glance is all thats needed
In the case of both my Hymers the WSL would not be suitable for use on the spherically seated steel wheels, but note their reply was re Baileys.
Tell-tales in no way off-set the need to check the torque, the tension can relax in the bolting long before a tell-tale shows a bolt to have turned.
Thankfully due to the much better energy retention that the WSLs have, the tension is that much less likely to have relaxed to dangerous levels, if fitted correctly.
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I spoke to both Bailey and WSL at the show, and both advised that the same bolts are used on both alloys and steel spare with the same torque,and there is plenty of room in the hubs to take the extra "length" when useing the thinner steel spare wheel ,
And the Milenco telltales also fit the WSL bolts,so still no requirement to check torque ,just a quick glance is all thats needed
That may be the case with the wheels that Bailey use but the picture in the my Hymer hand books, from 2007 and 2015 show clearly that the bolts required for the alloy and steel wheels are different. The seat is radically different in each case. The steel
spare wheel that came with the Hymer looks like a generic alko trailer wheel. My new van has come with an alloy spare so the question doesn't arise. But frankly if I had to choose between the engineering prowess of Bailey/WSL and Hymer I don't think that,
that would the hardest decision I will have made this week.0
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