Concerns for those using Venture trailers

[Todd j]

My venture commander 8800, has strange, at least to me, two piece lug nuts.  Or a stamped shiny cover over them.  All are split and look ready to come apart.  Mild concern as I  approach a near 1600 mile tow. 
  I noticed I have rubbed through the bottom paint, epoxy, and into the outer most layer of tape right at the bottom of the knee.  I added a roller to the forward most cross member before first launch, so it must be rubbing on the rearward most cross member.  I launch and retrieve with the trailer quite deep. 

[Brian.Dixon]

Can you post pics to illustrate?  Thx ...

[Todd j]

Word boats is aware of the lug nut issues.  They are having manufacturer drop ship new ones.  Contact word boats for simple instructions to replace faulty units.

[Todd j]

Knee scrape.  I have made a uhmw softener to try out on the boat to avoid more unwanted repairs

[Rbob]

Wholly crud, that sucks. 

Even though I added 2 orange rollers (and crossmembers) I did not like how close it was to the front x-member so I added a 3rd roller.   

Great catch discovering those lug nuts could have been disasterous...

[Brian.Dixon]

All boats are different ... good to be very careful on the first few load/unload trials, just to make sure you don't need to add extra rollers.  And I've seen some rollers split down the middle, letting the keel hit a cross-member anyway, so keep inspecting them too.  With the keel strake that we have on these boats, a lot of pressure can be applied to the center 3/4" of roller or so, and that can damage them eventually.

[Todd j]

I have a roller too, where you have the black one.  Mine is on the other side of the 4 nuts and in a slightly different configuration.  So it could never contact that crossmember, even without the assist from the red rollers.  I must have made contact with one of the aft most crossmembers or the axles I guess?   I will have a shiny stripe of black epoxy once the repair cures.
  As far as the lug nuts go, it’s not structural or a safety hazard. It’s a stupid SS stamped cover over the nut.  I’m just not going to let them get away with it after paying $9000+ for the trailer.

[Brian.Dixon]

Can you replace those two-part nuts with regular wheel nuts and be done with it?  You'd have to give up the look of chrome, but that wouldn't bug me any.

[Jim_Hbar]

  As far as the lug nuts go, it’s not structural or a safety hazard. It’s a stupid SS stamped cover over the nut.

Decades ago I had a vehicle with lug nuts like that...   

When the cover does slip on the underlying nut at the core, and the cover does come off, you are left with an undersized hex on the lug nut(s) holding your wheel to the wheel hub.
And likely no wheel wrench in your truck to fit it!   

Could be in your driveway, or on the side of a logging road, 100 miles from a tire shop..

[Todd j]

Yes, a standard nut is the fix!  I need to count the broken ones and report back.  I told them I need 24, but I guess that didn’t work for them.