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I'm installing a spare tire mount (U-bolt) on the tongue of my boat trailer.

https://www.princessauto.com/en/spare-trailer-tire-u-bolt-mount/product/PA0008007005

enter image description here

The tire mount/U-bolt's threads are quite long -- too long for my lug wrench to reach down over the threads to the lug nuts.

How can I tighten and untighten the lugs if the lug wrench doesn't reach?

The lug wrench fits the main trailer wheel lugs too. I'd prefer to only carry the one lug wrench tool with me, rather than add an additional spanner wrench, etc. to my trailer toolkit for the spare tire lugs.

I considered cutting the excess ends off of the U-bolt using a bolt cutter, but I think that would damage the threads and make it hard to thread the lugs onto the U-Bolt in the future.

User1974
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4 Answers4

9

Cutting them down to size is about your only option, unless you want to carry a separate combination wrench (spanner). If you want to cut the threads cleanly, don't use a bolt cutter. The way to go is to run the nut down the thread below the cut line. Make the cut as perpendicular as possible using a grinder or hacksaw, then use a grinder or a file to clean up the top the best you can. Leave a small bevel all the way around the top. The last step is to run the nut back off of the threads. This will straighten out any errant threads which might still be out of shape. This should allow you to get the nut back on without any hassle.

Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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5

I agree with the answer by @Paulster2. However if you don't want to do any sawing, grinding or filing, you could buy a suitable box spanner, for example -

enter image description here

Product details from that website -

Make all kinds of jobs easier with this double-ended box spanner set. They're often used to remove fittings that are hard to reach, such as deeply set nuts or spark plugs tucked away in a recess.

The box spanners come with a soft tool roll to make organisation and transport easier. A 190 mm extension bar is also included, so you can get the maximum amount of leverage with the minimum amount of force. This means you can remove stubborn fittings with ease or ensure ultra-tight screwing.

Box spanners like these are often used by plumbers to install back nuts on taps, or by boat owners making adjustments to a marine engine installed in a confined space.

HandyHowie
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4

The answers from Paulster2 and HandyHowie both provide viable solutions, but if neither option appeals to you, make a spacer.

Remove one nut and find a short length of pipe or metal conduit that will fit over the threaded portion of the U-bolt without too much slop. Half-inch (trade size) electrical conduit might be perfect. Cut the pipe or conduit to a length that leaves enough threaded rod exposed to accommodate the nut without interfering with your lug wrench. If the nut does not engage well with the spacer, use a washer. Repeat on the other side.

Or if theft or tampering is not an issue in your area, use wing nuts instead of hex nuts and skip the lug wrench altogether.

MTA
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2

Like almost everybody else, I defer to Paulster2's answer: a U-bolt is a stock item made to one of a number of sizes, none of which was quite right for the application.

However: is the wheel dished asymmetrically, and does less thread protrude if it is turned over?

Mark Morgan Lloyd
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