Ken-Tool Releases Line of Wheel Centering Sleeves for Commercial Trucks

Ken-Tool has unveiled its new Pilot Sleeve line of wheel centering sleeves for steel or aluminum commercial truck steer wheels, drive wheels and inside/outside dual wheels which use two-piece flange nuts.

The sleeves are made from a durable, non-corrosive mil-spec grade polyamide polymer. They are used to correct off-center wheel stud alignment on wheel mounting holes, which if uncorrected, can lead to out-of-tolerance radial wheel runout. The self-sizing sleeves take up the gap between the 22 mm wheel studs and the 26 mm wheel mount holes, regardless of wheel condition according to Ken-Tool.

Pilots on the hubs of drive and steering axle bearings may lose the OEM specification tolerances over time, possibly causing the wheel mounting holes to lose the proper position on the mounting stud, according to Ken-Tool.  This can lead to the out-of-tolerance radial wheel runout, resulting in increased uneven tire wear, reduced fuel economy, driver fatigue, wheel clocking and even loosening of the lug nuts. It may also elongate the wheel mounting holes, which can ruin a wheel.

The Ken-Tool Pilot Sleeves quickly mount into the wheel mounting holes, using the Pilot Sleeve installation tool. With the wheel and tire jacked up off the ground, and all flange nuts removed, Pilot Sleeves are ratcheted onto the studs and into the wheel hole. Flange nuts are then reinstalled on the studs to the proper torque. When it becomes time to remove the wheel, the sleeves can be quickly removed using the removal end of the installation tool.