Lessons from the field … get rid of that security lug nut

[lugueto]

You're very lucky your wheel was the only one that suffered. Check the rest of the front end: ball joints, bushings and make sure everything is straight and true.

Were you parked with your wheels turned?

Always park with your wheels straight. It might not usually be a tractor, but I've seen people hit a parked car's turned wheel a few times.

 

[ballardcruiser]

@lugeto My one pre-accident photo shows that my wheels were pretty much straight.

I've checked underneath the rig - as has my insurance adjuster and a body / alignment shop - and the wheel seems to be the only damage. That wheel took most of the impact.

 

[hoser]

Personally, I really like spline drives. While they're not truly anti-theft, they don't seem to strip the head.

Those with splined lug nuts (i.e. Rock Warriors) should probably also carry an extra splined lug nut socket... like duct taped to the bottle jack. Losing your only splined socket can put you in the same predicament. You might be able to remove 1-2 of them by knocking an undersized standard socket over them but you'll have 5 per wheel to deal with, not just 1.

 

[uzj100]

Agreed. The car dealer guys always give you a strange look when you say take those crappy locks off my truck and throw them in the garbage. ;<)

 

[craaaazzy]

wow, incredibly crazy story. did u ever figure out how the inner rim got bent since it was hit from the outer side?

 

[Odyseuss]

That tire is pretty tough to take a hit like that and still hold air. Just sayin'

Thanks for the heads up. I haven't had troubles with my lock as it is in good shape. Though, similar problems can happen if the key is not returned or misplaced. Since I have plenty of other lugs sitting around, Ill take the advice and swap the locks out.

 

[ballardcruiser]

wow, incredibly crazy story. did u ever figure out how the inner rim got bent since it was hit from the outer side?

No idea. You can obviously see the red paint from the tractor bucket on the outside of the tire where he hit first, not sure what happened after that. I guess there's a possibility that he hit my tire right on the 90 degree corner of his bucket and that could have led to the bent wheel. It was all a blur.

Again, car is driving as good as ever now. And a week into it and no one has stolen my wheels yet.