PSA: Check your nuts, and bolts

Super simple. Check your nuts! I've seen too many peoples trucks break for lack of hands on visual inspections. Simple things that could have been prevented from a simple nut check.

 

I caught this one after running some trails and then hearing a funny noise. If I didn't do a quick nut check this would have gotten expensive going down the highway..

 

Yes sir!! Check yo Nuts!!

 

Definitely good advice.

If you're planning a big trip somewhere, it's a good idea to get together with a few of the other folks who're going on the trip and have a "nut tightening party" a week or so before you depart.

Just a bunch of bros tightening each others' nuts...

But seriously, having another pair of eyes on your truck to look for potential issues can prove to be invaluable. And doing it a week or more before your trip gives you time to fix any issues you discover. More complicated things like a seal leak may not be able to get properly fixed in that time, but you can at least know about it, and stock up on spare fluid as appropriate.

 

I wrench on my truck often and always do a visual and physical check on my suspension etc.

Always a good rule to check them at least every oil change and or before/after a trail run.

 

On a related note: Keep the radio off for the first few trips after working on your truck.

I forgot to tighten my lug nuts once. Got them snug with the wheels up, but forgot to torque them after setting it down. An idiot move for sure.

Hearing the wheel start to wobble saved me from a total disaster later that week.

 

One of the tires on my 4Runner has a slow leak so I took it off to plug it. As I was driving it later that weekend I about crapped myself because I couldn't remember tightening the lugs. Luckily, my monkey brain just forgot that I had already done it with my impact driver, lol.

 

But seriously, check your nuts: Testicular cancer is the leading cause of death in young men (not counting "hold my beer" moments)