• An Irish firm has come up with a novel
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device designed to prevent wheel loss, and claims that it could pay for itself in terms of reduced maintenance. The Wheelcrown, devised by Corkbased Levitat, uses a cam mechanism to ensure correct tension on each wheel stud, rather than relying on torque measurement.
Managing director Stephen Murphy points out that applying the recommended tightening torque to the wheel nut does not necessarily result in the correct stud tension—and hence clamping force—even if the studs are properly lubricated. "We took a completely different approach," he says. 'We looked again at the basic objective—to set the correct stud tension."
The operator would fit the wheel, make the wheel nut finger-tight, then use a bar to set the tension of the wheelstud. Murphy claims that the system is foolproof, and adds: "The cost would not be prohibitive. We would envisage that the system would pay for itself in terms of savings in maintenance time within two to three years."
Wheelcrown is not in production yet, but Murphy is in discussions with component suppliers and expects the system to be available on new trucks by 2003.
• Contact: Unita on: «353 (0) 21 4321 561.