Looking on advice on how to protect my lug nuts and studs on my trailer… Mine are extremely rusted and I am worried about what might happen if a have a flat or blow-out. How does everyone protect these and limit rust? Can I purchase stainless or galvanized studs and lugs?
Thanks,
Carson
Tidewater 1900 Baymax
115 Yamaha
Carson, a very legitimate concern and one that most people don’t think about until they’re stuck on the side of the road on a Sunday afternoon unable to simply install a spare tire. My spare includes an entire hub assembly, that away if I have a set of bearings go bad I’ve already got a spare set or if for some reason I’m unable to remove the tire from the hub on the trailer I can remove the entire assembly by popping the hub cap off and removing the castle nut and install the new hub and spare tire at once. To answer your question yes there are stainless steel Lugnuts available but I’m not certain about stainless steel lugs. Hubs are typically manufactured with the studs pressed into the back of the hub. Even if studs were available in stainless I would be a little concerned about using those because stainless is brittle and may not be able to tolerate the lateral forces put on them. I typically remove one lug at a time at least once a year coat the threads with anti-seize then run the nut back on and then coat the lugnut with axel grease. Depending upon usage this typically keep them in good shape. If you’re in and out of the salt water nonstop on a very regular basis you may need to do it more frequently. The axle grease can be messy so I see a lot of people pop crutch tips over the entire lug nut to keep the outer wheel is clean. Hope this helps.
If they are that rusted and it worries you, then change the hubs out before something happens. Hubs are cheep. $100 in parts and your good to go another 2 years.
Tall Sail Marine
I have a wire brush attachment I put on my power drill to hit the lugs and studs once a year. I forget the name but there’s a corrosion block spray I use after the wire brush. I haven’t found a need to remove the lugs when I do this, just using the brush and spray still lets them come off easy.
Telephone companies use a product called “no-oxide” to prevent rust and corrosion on outdoor plant and equipment. Coat your lug nuts with that stuff and they will last several years (depending on use). It looks and feels like a combination of grease and wax. You can purchase it on line or see your local telephone installer/repair person and he/she may give you a pint can. The telco’s buy it by the skid load.
http://www.telephonetools.com/product_info.php?products_id=334
ZX
SS lug nuts are available, but not needed.
Go to auto parts store, get Never Seized. Brush on the goo on the threads of the studs.
Works better with clean, new studs. Tighten lug nuts accordingly. If studs really bad, replace studs via tire store or replace hub like above stated. My EZ-Loader trailer, new hub w/bearings, lug nuts, etc. complete is $69 from the trailer manufacter website.
Fishing the beaches, Bays & Ocean of Wildwood/Cape May, NJ
Soon a resident of Georgetown, SC
Thanks guys! I appreciate everyone’s input. Glad I reached out.
Tidewater 1900 Baymax
115 Yamaha
Remove the nuts one at a time and lightly coat the studs with anti seize periodically.
Coat the threads… not where the wheel and lug nut contact. Otherwise that sucker might fly off going down the road.
Torque specs are designed to be done dry. Gotta get them a lot tighter if they are installed with grease.
http://www.mbcboats.com/FAQs/FAQ.htm#How_can_I_prevent_the_accumulation
Good overview of corrosion protection products
I carry a spray bottle and use after each trip
17 MAVERICK HPX-V
I like the Anti/Never Seize & apply it every time I have to remove lugs, works for me. Nothing is 100% against Ole Salty!
You can also take the rubber caps that go on the bottom of a walking cane or a chair, grease it and stick it over the lugs, just have to find the right size. And use anti-seize.
have you attempted to remove/loosen any of them? I’ve been shocked at what will still work even when it looks rusted to hell. Not saying you shouldn’t replace stuff if it really needs it, but if I replaced hubs every time I had a little rust on my nuts I would go broke. 
get your boat to a place it can safely sit for a while, hit all the lugs with some PB Blaster or other penetrating lube, and after a few hours try to break them loose. You’ll know pretty quick if anything needs to be replaced.
as others have said, I periodically break everything loose and hit them with some spray lube/corrosion block just to avoid that sunday afternoon nightmare!
Angler 204 FX
Yamaha 150
I actually had a bent axle about 5 years ago and it wore a tire down to showing wire. It took me about 2 hours to get the tire off and sheared off 2 studs in the process. Replaced the axle which included both hub assemblies and haven’t had any problems until I noticed how rusted they are again. I guess I should have reached out 5 years ago and may have avoided this problem again. I just found out I have a sizeable amount of West Marine rewards coming. Looks like I’ll be making some purchases to fix or help prevent this in the future.
Tidewater 1900 Baymax
115 Yamaha
I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING ANTISEIZE ON ANYTHING THAT WILL EVER SEE SALT WATER.
JUST USE GOOD OLD FASHIONED BLUE GREASE.
ANTISEIZE HAS COPPER, AND IN A NON SALT WATER ENVIRONMENT, ITS GREAT, BUT IN A SALTLY AREA, IT JUST ADD ANOTHER METAL INTO THE EQUATION, INCREASING THE RISKS OF GALVANIC CORROSION.
TAKE THEM OFF ONE AT A TIME, GREASE THE THREADS, AND INSTALL A NEW LUG NUT.
www.teamcharlestonmarine.com
www.joinrfa.org
IF I RESPOND IN ALL CAPS, ITS NOT ON PURPOSE, AND I AM NOT YELLING
ChrisV is right about antiseize and saltwater. Marine grease and a cheap chip brush is all you need. I paint lugs, hubs, springs, etc. I’m going on 2 years being dunked once a week and no rust on the studs or lug nuts.
Iain Pelto
Sea Hunt Triton 160 - 90 ETEC “JB3”
'71 Scout “Ugly Duckling”
Great info!!
Tidewater 1900 Baymax
115 Yamaha
Agreed. Paint the lugs, studs and springs with waterproof grease and it all will last twice as long.
If you can’t get the rusty lug nuts off try using a torch to heat the nuts so they will expand. I’ve done it several times on lug nuts that wouldn’t budge. Cheap handheld torch held for a couple of minutes on the nut then try to loosen. It’ll work but make sure you aren;t accidently heating the rubber on the tires or anything that could get damaged.
quote:
Originally posted by chris VI DO NOT RECOMMEND USING ANTISEIZE ON ANYTHING THAT WILL EVER SEE SALT WATER.
JUST USE GOOD OLD FASHIONED BLUE GREASE.
ANTISEIZE HAS COPPER, AND IN A NON SALT WATER ENVIRONMENT, ITS GREAT, BUT IN A SALTLY AREA, IT JUST ADD ANOTHER METAL INTO THE EQUATION, INCREASING THE RISKS OF GALVANIC CORROSION.
TAKE THEM OFF ONE AT A TIME, GREASE THE THREADS, AND INSTALL A NEW LUG NUT.www.teamcharlestonmarine.com
www.joinrfa.org
IF I RESPOND IN ALL CAPS, ITS NOT ON PURPOSE, AND I AM NOT YELLING
What Chris said and Joseph69’s pic.
Thanks for the laugh Joseph! So true.
I also like to coat the back side of the rim with grease where it mates against the hub as well. Sometimes after you get the lugs off you have to kick the heck out of the rim to get it unstuck from the hub due to rust.
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”
Blue Grease ““Sucks”” it washes away fast —
Red grease is the ticket it wont wash away !!