I have a set of sand paddles on douglas .125 aluminum wheels, the stock tapered lugs don't work, so I ordered 2 new sets from James Lucky ATV. I was able to take the stock flanged locknuts off my old ATC200X to use this weekend. Anyone out there have any other suggestions, the local dealers said to turn around the coned nuts and use the flat side with some washers, hardly a solution. I ordered some stainless steel nuts with washers and some chrome on steel nuts, both flat face style. The local nut/bolt supply looked at me funny when I asked for some 10mm x 1.25 thread flanged locknuts. I guess the other option is to order some for the ATC from Honda. My Quad is a KawiSuki KFX400, My Son's Honda 400EX has the same problem, as well as his Brother in laws LTZ400. I guess what I'm asking is, do I need locknuts, or will the flatface lugnuts be O K??

KFXBob

 

The usual practice is to just turn the stock lug nut around so the flat side is in. I have done this on every bike I have ever owned. BUT, you will absolutely need to put a WASHER under the lug nut. The hard steel nut will chew on the soft rim aluminum. Not only will it mar the finish, but eventually the rim hole will get compressed, and you won't be able to get the rim off the hub!!

 

I have .190 red label rear rims on my Z400 but with just the stock bolts just flipped around. I dont have any washers, I just put them on. Will this do any damge?

 

I recall that the studs are a little short and don't go all the way thru the nut, This isn't the right way to do things, the full length of the nut + 1 thread is the proper way . The washer is to keep the wheels from scratches when you turn the lugnut, I use a wavy washer, which is like a lock washer that won't gouge into the soft aluminum. I have seen the nuts come loose on my Son's Honda 400EX, which has Douglas wheels with the tapered lugnuts turned around and flat washers under the nut. I ordered some flat faced (NOT Tapered) lug nuts from James Lucky ent. 10mm x 1.25 thread pitch.
They have several styles of flat and tapered nuts, Aluminum/Stainless/Chrome etc.

KFXBob

 

Turning around the stock lug nuts is not a very good solution to this problem. Some knuckle head behind the counter at my loca atv dealer advised me to do this and I regret listening to him now. I did this and the nuts started to chew into my rim. My solution was to go into my local ATV dealer, again, and get new lug nuts. They were a dollar a peice and they worked great.

 

What kind of rims do you have? Is there really a big difference between those lug nuts you got and the stock ones fliped around?

 

I have three sets of rims.
The first ones are stock with the seated lug nuts.
The second ones are ITP with flat lugs
The third are Douglas with flat lugs

Turning the stock lug nuts around isn't a very good idea. It's half *** and can damage the rim, especially if it's that soft aluminum. .125

 

I would definatly get the right lug nuts, which are flat faced. A buck each for the standard steel type or about $30.00 for the unpolished stainless steel type with stainless washers included. If you really want the best, there are some polished aluminum flat faced lugnuts, a little pricey for me. It's not fun trying to ride back on three wheels, if you gots tools with you , you can rob a nut off each of the other wheels to McGiver it home.

KFXBob

 

Everybody just turns them around and puts a washer under it. NOBODY EVER HAS THE SLIGHTEST PROBLEM. NOBODY EVER HAS TO RIDE HOME ON 3 WHEELS (unless they showed up on a 3 wheeler)!! Between me and the guys I ride with, over the years we have owned every bike and rim that was ever made. We ride thousands of hard a$$ desert cross-country miles every year. THIS IS ONLY A PROBLEM IN YOUR IMMAGINATIONS!!!!!!

 

I agree with you 100%. Put the washer under the nut, and you are fine. I torque mine down to the stock specifications, and I've never had one come loose on me. I know about 30 other riders in my club that all do the same thing and have never had a problem. Buying those other nuts would work just fine. You're still going to have the same amount of threads on the wheel stud(if not less) in contact with the threads on the nut, which is actually more of a half-a$$ed solution than what the rest of us do. But what do I know....I'm only a structural engineer that designs bolted connections for a living.