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This is a Word of warning/ advice to save many people from a very expensive that I recently experienced  on the motorway in Northern Spain. My units are used to doing a lot of miles and I thought I kept everything "ship shape" in case of emergencies. Recently (as always happens) in the middle of nowhere I experienced a blow out on the caravan. No problem. Hard shoulder, warning lights on, green jackets out, triangle up, inflated spare wheel out and alko wheel brace- no problems......wrong! The wheel brace would not remove the bolts for love nor money. The Spanish traffic Guards came to try and assist and all that happened was the alko wheelbrace bent! Every spanner available (even the car one) would not shift the bolts. Eventaully after 3 hours a mechanic came out with a spanner and released the offending nuts and away we went but at a cost of 100 EUROS! That was not for a new tyre but simply to release 4 bolts! Not bad work if you can get it! Needless to say I went straight into a DIY shop and bought a 19mm spanner for 12 euros- just in case! A sound investment?! How may people have checked that they can actually get their wheel off if they need to? After this- I would certainly recommend carrying a spare substantial spanner!

Alls well that ended well but just a word of warning/advice to other travellers! Bon Voyage and enjoy!

I have just purchased a torque wrench from Screwfix at £14.51, is a more substantial piece of kit that will will torque up a nut to 120 Newtons on the gauge. Not bad value for the price and I believe Argos do the same unit for £20.

Dave.

No need for an Alko wheel brace, a Power wheel mover tool fits a 19mm wheel nut.

An extending wheel brace costs about a fiver in most markets.

Quote: Originally posted by Vernon on 18/5/2009

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An extending wheel brace costs about a fiver in most markets.

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The thicker impact socket will not fit into my alloy wheels.

Towsure's extending wheel brace (Cat No T164) is the same as I bought from my local market, and the socket is replaceable.

Quote: Originally posted by Vernon on 18/5/2009

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The thicker impact socket will not fit into my alloy wheels.

Towsure's extending wheel brace (Cat No T164) is the same as I bought from my local market, and the socket is replaceable.

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We carry a breaker bar for jobs like this and also because on the horse trailer there is a breakaway bolt that lets the bar at the front drop if the horses legs get stuck over it.  You need a substantial bar to release the eye bolt on the outside of the trailer.  I have also bought a torque wrench for ensuring wheel nutd etc are tightened uo correctly.

Brian

Always carried one of these and never had a problem, if you use a extension you can apply more pressure by pulling up rather than pushing down, if you're 10 stone thats the max pressure you can put on a bar but by pulling up you can double/treble that force.

Quote: Originally posted by Pickled Onion on 18/5/2009

I have just purchased a torque wrench from Screwfix at £14.51, is a more substantial piece of kit that will will torque up a nut to 120 Newtons on the gauge. Not bad value for the price and I believe Argos do the same unit for £20.

Dave.

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