I just finished placing new shocks on the steer axle and I thought it would be much easier to do the job if the wheels were removed. And while removed, I could check for myself the brake pads and disc. Also it would be a good time to patch up the insulation and undercoating on the wheel wells. Now I don't have one of those fancy and pricey torque multiplier wrenches so I proceeded with a 3/4" drive socket with a 6' cheater bar (galvanized pipe purchased at Lowes). With much grunting, I managed to remove the curb side front wheel and, thanks to Jon's recommended tool, moved the wheel out of the way with Northern Tool's $50 wheel dolly. In tackling the road side wheel, no matter how much the grunting and cussing, I could not budge a single lug nut - even with a three foot extension on the cheater bar. As it turns out, I ended up bending the cheater bar. All of this brings me to the question of how tight should lug nuts be torqued (450 ftlbs ?) and what are the inherent risks of tightening too tight? Also, I'm curious as to how other POG'ers handle this task?
As a side note, I carefully inspected the threads on both the studs and the nuts for any evidence of stripping and found a couple of lugs that were border line - they got replaced.
Merry Christmas to all!