KIC Catalog

Wheel Installation & Maintenance

DISC WHEEL INSTALLATION PROCEDURE –

HUB PILOTED DISC WHEEL SYSTEM

1. Check all parts for damage including wheels and

rings. Ensure that studs, nuts pilots and mounting

faces of hubs, drums and wheels are free of dirt

and grease. The hub or drum mounting face must

be cleaned and kept flat. Clean hub or drum sur-

face and piloted with a wire brush if rust or debris

is present. Make sure the wheels are hub piloted

wheels with bolt holes drilled straight through with-

out ball seats. Stud piloted wheels must not be

used as substitutes for hub piloted wheels under

any circumstance. Never try to use a hub piloted

wheel with stud piloted hub or stud piloted nuts. The

result could be loss of torque, a cracked wheel, or

possible wheel loss.

Note the condition of the hub and the hub pilots.

Replace the hub if worn or cracked bolt holes or a

worn hub face are evident, or if the pilots are worn

or broken. Check the hub for damage and flat-

ness. Replace if the original flat area is reduced

in diameter by wear.

2. Wire brush the base of each stud as well as the

threads to remove any rust or foreign material which

could bind up the wheel nuts.

3. Ensure the brake drum is positioned on the raised

step of the pilots, and is seated fully against the

hub.

4. Check for damaged studs and stripped stud threads

as evidenced by shiny threads. Also look for worn

or damaged mounting faces by using a straight

edge. Replace any parts which exhibit wear or

damage. Ensure replacement studs are the proper

ones for the system used. Stud breakage can occur

if the wrong studs are used.

If a stud is broken, replace it and the stud on each

side of the broken one. If 2 or more studs are broken,

replace them all. Use a press to install studs and be

sure the hub flange is supported. Aluminum hubs

require different stud installation procedures. Consult

the manufacturer for recommendations. Stud heads

can be bent from hammer blows which will prevent

the stud from seating properly and can result in stud

failure.

5. Make sure the center hole of the wheel is clean so it

will fit easily on the hub pilots.

6. Use correct nuts. Nuts used for stud piloted systems

cannot be used in hub piloted systems. Hub piloted

wheels use flange nuts for both the single and dual

wheel applications. No inner cap nuts are required.

7. Check the wheel nuts. Ensure that multi-piece nuts

turn smoothly on their flanges. Discard all nuts with

damaged threads.

8. Apply two drops of oil to a point between the nuts and

flange and two drops to the last 2 or 3 threads at the

end of each stud. Also lightly lubricate the pilots on

the hub to ease wheel installation and removal. Do

not get lubricant on the mounting face of the drum or

wheel.

9. Rotate the hub so that one pilot is at the 12 o’clock

position. Place single wheel or inner dual wheel onto

the hub being careful not to damage stud threads.

Make sure the wheel is fully seated against the

drum.

10. For dual wheels, place the outer wheel onto the hub

making sure the hand holds are lined up for easy ac-

cess to the tire valves. Make sure the outer wheel is

pushed fully up against the inner wheel. Install nuts

finger-tight at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions,

Figure 1: Nut Tightening Sequence for Hub Piloted Disc Wheels

TMC Recommended Practices: Used by permission