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wheel safety wire fotos?

Started by gblue, March 29, 2007, 05:23:53

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gblue

Aloha....can someone please post a foto of the correct way to wrap the wheel safety wires.........maybe there's more than 1 way......I cut mine off and forgot how they were.
   
   Mahalo from Maui........gregg

C9OBY

Aloha Gregg
   
   Below are two photos showing how I wire mine. Essentially, I twist it up as far as the spinner, then loop the two wires through the spinner from opposite sides and then twist off the rest of the wire, trimming it off and laying it back over the wire so that it doesn't catch on anything.
   
   
   
   

jbottini

Exactly correct method. Being afraid after loosing one in the 70's I put safety wire on all three ears....may help the balance...ya think??!!:)

Max Allan

A neat work, but no mention of wire locking in the direction spinner tightens up? Defeats the reason for wire locking if you don't.

AK1440

I thought the reason for wire locking was to act as a tell-tale before you drive off. An indication that the spinner had come loose.
   
   jbottini
   Would 1 or 3 locking wires really stop an unwinding spinner?
   
   Max Allan
   Why would you want a locking wire in the direction of tightening?

Max Allan

In my younger days as a gas turbine tester for Rolls Royce one of the universally hated jobs was "15 Op." – wire locking every pipe connection and other critical components in such a manner the nut or union was held in tension in the direction it was tightened. It was a safety device to prevent things undoing due to vibration.
   
   It's a moot point whether wire locking spinners is necessary – there's something wrong with the design if the locking wire is the only thing preventing the spinner undoing. However, done immediately after the spinner has been tightened does act as a visual reassurance it's tight and not just nipped up whilst the car's off the ground.
   
   I suppose it could be argued wire locking in the "undo" direction would give an immediate indication the spinner was loose ie the wire would become slack, but shouldn't be necessary if the practice of tightening and immediately wire locking is adhered to. My penny's worth for what it's worth!!

jbottini

Always make sure you engage the safety wire in relation to rotation and hole location;ie do not safety wire so the ear can move. I've seen several sites say all safety wire functions as is a "tell" for the issue.It is my belief that whether you do one ear properly or three as I do, that the safety wire; properly done; will stop the ear from moving. I have been wrong before, but since going to safety wire in the 70's on appropriate cars and using it in other applications such as marine as seeing its use in aviation, I'm convinced.

ak1234

My professional opinion .. is saftey wire is nothing more then a substitute for a lock washer or loctite or any other means of preventing a bolt to loosen.
    And it has worked in this manner very successfully for many years.
   Ron

gblue

Aloha and thanks for all the info....
   
   my 69 Dino GT has knock offs and no wires...personally after tightening the ears to approximately 200 lbs. of torque I can't imagine what could possibly make them ever come loose other than my 5 pound hammer....or my socket and a breaker bar
   
   .....lots of other cars have knock-offs and no wires......err on the side of safety I guess.......Mahalo.....Gregg

nikbj68

2 points not made yet,
   1. As far as I can gather, wiring isn`t neccesary on splined hubs, only peg drive;
   2. There`s wire, and then there`s safety wire.
   Nik.

C9OBY

quote:
Originally posted by Max Allan
   
A neat work, but no mention of wire locking in the direction spinner tightens up? Defeats the reason for wire locking if you don't.
   

   
   I wire mine to prevent them from unwinding (ie. loosening of the spinner would tighten the wire).  However, every time I've checked the wire it's never been tighter that when I put it on, indicating that there's never been any movement in the spinner. I also only use one wire per wheel.
   
   Going back to physics, I am sure that you would be increasing the risk of a wire breaking (and hence becoming useless) if you wire it to slacken if the spinner unwinds.  Wire will resist more force in a static position (ie. wire tensioned in the same direction it was originally placed). Slackening a wire and then tensioning it in another direction (ie. wired to loosen when a spinner turns, resulting in the wire ultimately tensioning in the opposite direction when the spinner finishes turning) results in dynamic force being applied to the wire, weaking not only the wire but also placing more stress on any new bends/turns in the wire.
   
   Personaly I subscribe to the philosophy of the wire being there to provide a back-up lock if needed, hence using lock-wire with a suitable tensile strength to resist movement in the spinner occuring in the first place.  I also tend to check my wheels often enough never to need loose wire to tell me that my spinners are loosening!

MkIV Lux

quote:

   I wire mine to prevent them from unwinding (ie. loosening of the spinner would tighten the wire).  However, every time I've checked the wire it's never been tighter that when I put it on, indicating that there's never been any movement in the spinner. I also only use one wire per wheel.
   
   Going back to physics, I am sure that you would be increasing the risk of a wire breaking (and hence becoming useless) if you wire it to slacken if the spinner unwinds.  Wire will resist more force in a static position (ie. wire tensioned in the same direction it was originally placed). Slackening a wire and then tensioning it in another direction (ie. wired to loosen when a spinner turns, resulting in the wire ultimately tensioning in the opposite direction when the spinner finishes turning) results in dynamic force being applied to the wire, weaking not only the wire but also placing more stress on any new bends/turns in the wire.
   
   Personaly I subscribe to the philosophy of the wire being there to provide a back-up lock if needed, hence using lock-wire with a suitable tensile strength to resist movement in the spinner occuring in the first place.  I also tend to check my wheels often enough never to need loose wire to tell me that my spinners are loosening!
   

   
   Hey Bruce, I thought you were a business analyst! You're good at technical analysis as well! But you are damn right in your description! I can only confirm! And as mentioned ealyier: safety wire is the key to a successful result.
   As a matter of interest, I am still eager to understand why splinded hubs do not require safety wiring.
   Regards
   Constant

C9OBY

quote:
Originally posted by MkIV Lux
   

   
   Hey Bruce, I thought you were a business analyst! You're good at technical analysis as well!

   
   Hi Constant,
   
   I would much rather spend my days in my garage, but unfortunately it does not pay as well as business!
   
   Regarding splined hubs vs peg drive, I don't know if/why splined hubs don't need wiring. I chatted with Alan F-S who tells me that the old Jags never use lock-wire on their splined hubs, but we cannot determine if this is because of habit or need.  From a purely mechanical point of view, neither of us can see why one would need lock wire and the other non. It would be interesting if someone else could explain this in more detail.