57 Story Idea?Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | November 2023 Some of you older folk like myself will remember when wheel lug nuts had le -handed threads. Initially it was critical; later it was just convenient. Let us start with the old wooden wheeled wagons. ey had one large nut to hold each wheel onto a tapered shank. For those wheels, the le -side wheels had to have le -hand threads to keep those large wheel nuts on the le side from coming loose. Many of the older, large wagon wheels were cut down and small metal rims were attached to the spokes. My family had the local blacksmith cut the wheels down so the wagon would be closer to the ground (which was better for loading turnips) and would have better road ability. Standard car rims for 16-inch tires were commonly tted onto each wheel hub. e large centered wheel nuts were still used to mount and dismount those relatively heavy wheels. us the le -side wheels still had the le -hand thread. Tradition carried forward Some car manufacturers continued to use the le -hand threads on the le side of cars or other vehicles like pickup trucks into the 1950s. e logic was that the wheel nuts on the le side did not come loose. Remember that most of us did not have torque wrenches with adjustable settings back in the 1950s. When torque wrenches became readily available, the concept of le -handed threads on the le side of road going vehicles became redundant. Other traditions were also long lasting. Remember adjusting tappet clearances on older engines? Valve grinding was a common practice on older engines from the 1930s to the 1960s. Every time you did a valve job, you had to reset the tappet clearances. is was critical to avoid either tappet noise or valve burns, which would bring on another valve grinding job. at second valve grind o en caused the valve spring to be extended. is reduced the force of the spring to hold the valve closed. If the valve popped, they would burn again. I remember changing valve springs on engines to eliminate that valve pop. Looking back When was the last time you grounded or reset the tappet clearance on a newer engine? Hydraulic valve li ers have made that task redundant. Valve grinding and/or weak valve springs had o en brought on an additional valve grinding need. A change of valve springs or exhaust valves was a common practice for some engines. Torque wrenches became essential tools in most farm shops. Most of us who are mechanically inclined have at least one torque wrench. e electrical or air powered ones are great but you must be very careful with their use. ey could and did break wheel studs. I remember having one car for which I always How it Works Aurora Bancroft photo Aurora Bancroft photo REMEMBERING VINTAGE WHEEL MOUNTS Mounting wheels with left turn nuts & studs. By Ralph Win eld Electrically powered impact wrenches are very handy for removing wheels and can also be used with discretion during wheel installation. Note the heavy-duty socket and the longer one beside the electrically powered impact wrench. A manual torque wrench should be used to set the wheel nut/stud torque to the value given in the operator’s manual and also for the later torque recheck, after a short drive. After every use the manual torque wrench should be set to zero (released).
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