Tightening rear hub nuts

[John Cousins]

I am about to try and tighten the rear hub nuts having changed the rear discs. My socket is too large to fit through the wheel with the centre cap removed so I have created a wooden brace and I am planning to have the handbrake on and reverse gear selected. Before I try any advice, tips or concerns with my plan? I am using a 900mm breaker bar with a Clarke digital torque adapter. 
 

 

[SM25T]

The wooden brace may just snap .... assume holes for studs ?

[John Cousins]

 

This is what I have made. You may well be correct that it will snap! Should I avoid having the reverse gear selected - don't want to damage/strain anything mechanical?
 

 

[garybee]

I usually just put a large crowbar or breaker bar across the studs when doing hub nuts on cars.  Never had a problem doing it that way.

[John Vine]

I reckon that would work ok, provided the brace remains on the studs and in one piece!

And don't forget that the O/S nut (green insert) has a RH thread and the N/S nut (plain insert) has a LH thread. 

JV

[TomB]

Ah, so do you bolt the stout plank of wood to the hub?  Im struggling with this at the moment.  The handbrake and gearbix doesnt have enough resistacne to stop it turning when I apply torque.   

[John Cousins]

I just located the brace over two studs and created a space for the hub nut access for the socket. Anyway 50% success - offside torqued then brace failed on nearside! So I'll create another brace using the failed one as a template :-)

[Guy Lowe]

Why can't you get someone to sit in the car with their foot on the brake?

[John Cousins]

Happily both hub nuts are now torqued correctly - the mk2 wooden brace creaked but held. I need to bleed the brakes before using them as I am taking the opportunity to change the solid brake lines for flexible hoses. 
 

thanks for all the feedback. 

[7 wonders of the world]

Well worth rechecking these after you have driven 20 miles or so as I have know them settle.

[TomB]

I managed to get this done / checked tonight. I put a two foot long breaker bar through the wheel studs which then locked against the floor. Then with the torque wrench and an extension tube, I applied my weight 15 inches along which should give the correct torque or thereabouts. 

[Bricol]

As my MOT man said a long time ago - the torque isn't setting bearing clearance, thats' done by the bearing cartridge itself, its just making sure spins with the axle and stays done up, so thereabouts is pretty much spot on.

[Geoff Brown]

You could have gently ground down the edge of the socket till it fitted through the wheel centre hole then torquing up the nuts with weight on would have been less problematical.

Even with 13" wheels there is very little metal to be taken off to get a fit through the centre hole.

But it is done now!

[John Vine]

Re #13:

For info, my TengTools 41mm socket fits in the centre hole of my 15" Anthracites without problem.

JV