Manual Locking Hubs and Loose Lugnuts?

[BroncLander]

I've been having to retorque my front lugnuts on the daily. The manual locking hubs are a loose fitting component that sit between the wheel and the brake rotor.

Does anyone else have this issue and if so, what have you done to keep them tight? Perhaps they require an abnormal ft/lb of torque to hold them tight?

 

[franklin2]

What type wheels? Stock steel or aluminum? If steel, are they the original stock rims or some other steel rim that "fits" or aftermarket steel rims?.

 

[RonD]

Most vehicles use 80ft/lb torque applied in a "star" pattern

3 Tinnerman Clips were use on the lugs to secure the manual hub(or auto hub) to the rotor/hub assembly so the wheel/rim could be pulled off without the manual hub coming off as well

If you don't have any that's fine
If just 1 or 2 then remove them until you have 3

With wheel on, and off the ground, does the assembly feel loose, i.e. wheel bearing not tight enough, ball joints, tie rod ends?

 

[Curious Hound]

OEM wheels? If not, does the center bore fit properly on the hub? Are you using the proper lug nuts? Conical for a wheel with conical seats and flat for a flat seat?

 

[wildbill23c]

My guess would be either your lug nuts are incorrect, or the threads on the studs are stripped, you get them where they feel tight but they're actually not. Tighten the lug nuts up, then jack the vehicle up and wiggle the wheel assembly around and see if its still loose. I've never had this issue, I've had the opposite, where the tire shop put the lug nuts on at like 200 foot pounds, and I end up snapping the studs off trying to remove them with a standard lug wrench. Then have to beat the hub assembly out of the center hole of the wheel.

 

[2011Supercab]

Going with the majority here, with wrong style nuts

Another issue I've only seen once, but is possible.
With this style lug nut, the stud bottoms out in the nut and you end up torqueing the nut to the stud, not the wheel.

 

[BroncLander]

What type wheels? Stock steel or aluminum? If steel, are they the original stock rims or some other steel rim that "fits" or aftermarket steel rims?.

I have Pro Comp steel wheels. They're the correct size.

 

[BroncLander]

Most vehicles use 80ft/lb torque applied in a "star" pattern

3 Tinnerman Clips were use on the lugs to secure the manual hub(or auto hub) to the rotor/hub assembly so the wheel/rim could be pulled off without the manual hub coming off as well

If you don't have any that's fine
If just 1 or 2 then remove them until you have 3

With wheel on, and off the ground, does the assembly feel loose, i.e. wheel bearing not tight enough, ball joints, tie rod ends?

Everything is definitely tight. Wheel bearings are a ok. I don't think I have any Tinnerman clips at all. Will definitely need to look into that.
The whole front end is tight. All recently gone over. Greased. I'm thinking lugnuts aren't correct like the other comments too

 

[BroncLander]

My guess would be either your lug nuts are incorrect, or the threads on the studs are stripped, you get them where they feel tight but they're actually not. Tighten the lug nuts up, then jack the vehicle up and wiggle the wheel assembly around and see if its still loose. I've never had this issue, I've had the opposite, where the tire shop put the lug nuts on at like 200 foot pounds, and I end up snapping the studs off trying to remove them with a standard lug wrench. Then have to beat the hub assembly out of the center hole of the wheel.

Going with the majority here, with wrong style nuts

View attachment 96113

Another issue I've only seen once, but is possible.
With this style lug nut, the stud bottoms out in the nut and you end up torqueing the nut to the stud, not the wheel.
View attachment 96114

I'm going with this as well. Tomorrow I'll hit up the parts store and get a new set of proper lugnuts.
When I bought this Bronco I knew there was going to be several things that need attention.
I'm currently overlanding and in the last month, sold my Jeep, switched to me spare car and now I'm in this halfway through my summer adventure, far from home. So I'm hoovering in Prince George for a week or 2 while I work the bugs out. I'm driving it around and staying close to all the auto parts stores. Budgeted around 2k for gremlins.
I might actually hire a shop to go over my differentials and install new u joints on the front axleshafts and put fresh wheel bearings in it, just so it doesn't give me any suprises.

You guys are all great btw. Love the support in here! Much gratitude

 

[BroncLander]

Update- I got a 1/2 drive torque wrench today, hit them all with 100ft/lbs, drove around, checked them, drove again checked them and they're holding.
So I'm thinking I just needed to put my back into it. But we'll see after a good hour on the hwy