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OT-Split rims

magneticanomaly

Titanium
Joined
Mar 22, 2007
Location
On Elk Mountain, West Virginia, USA
I run, have run, or plan to run a few old trucks with split wheel rims. I am all battened down and ready to be told that these rims are suicide waiting to happen, but in my own carefully considered folly, I inspect them carefully, take care that everything is properly engaged and only inflate them wrapped in chains (have not made a cage).

I have a lovely 12 lb duckbill hammer and a good collection of the special prying tools or the rims, the two-piece unsplit, the two-piece split, and the three piece. The only kind (that I know of) that I have never cracked, is the kind my 1966 Dodge 400 came with, that splits in the middle of the flat center section. That is not today's question, but in case (I ever have to deal with one I would not mind knowing how to split those, too.

My question is, is there a trick to getting the dang tire-and-tube-and-flap assembly off the rim after the lockring is removed? I suppose they slide nicely off a recently painted heavily talced rim after having been on for a week, but the ones I usually deal with have been on for 10 - 50 years and the rims are rusty. I have gotten quite a few off, but it is a struggle. Destroying the tire and tube is an option, since 6 lug x 7 1/4" BC deep-dished rims are unobtainium while tires and tubes are merely unaffordable, but I'd rather learn a trick, if there is one.

Thanks!
 
Growing up in my dad's shop dismounting 10 x 20's, dad always said go buy us some Coke's, pour some on the rim /tube interface and be patient as we drank our Coke and took a break.

I know it seems old school silly, but "seemed" to do the trick more than not. Probably a better chemical to use now a days, but I always enjoyed the Coke break with my dad.
 
Old fashioned (1960's & 70's type if that helps??) brake fluid is a lovely penetrating rubber lube.

BOTOH ANYTHING to do with tyres is an almighty PITA & hard graft.
 
Yep, that can be a real problem. If the tire is junk I have got it out in the yard and using the backhoe holding the tire down with outrigger and using the bucket to pry the tire off. I have had to cut them off too. Be sure to sand and buff the rust off the wheel when going back together if not the flap will hang up and cause problems. A coat of paint or primer wouldn’t hurt either.
 
I have done the outrigger trick too. and lots of straight dish soap. usually if a tire is stuck on that good its to old to use anyway, at least on public roads. im paranoid about old tires. after the ring is off, what about a nice hot camp fire at night?, toss it in then all you deal with is the wires the next morning ,lol, im joking, dont do that
 
the three piece. The only kind (that I know of) that I have never cracked, is the kind my 1966 Dodge 400 came with, that splits in the middle of the flat center section.

Those are the true "widow maker" rims that are illegal to repair. They separate by turning one half about 1/3 of a turn and then the two halves separate. The problem is the latches. They are difficult to get indexed properly when new, and with a little corrosion will blow off even when properly assembled.
 
My way is to call the road service tire guy. The hydraulic tools that they have make it look easy and the guys that do that job don't seem to mind it. I hate truck tires so it's an easy decision to spend the few $ needed.
 
Long ago I worked with a fellow that had a nice crescent shaped crease in his forehead. He got it working in a tire shop. Split rim got him.
 
go get some murphys tube and tire compound

soak it down good with murphys

dreak down the ring side and get the ring off

soak it down some more

pull the valve core and air the tire up til the bead comes all the way off
than let the air out

flip upside down on a dayton wheel if you dont have the proper stand

soak it down again and warm up the inside of the wheel with a hammer

breakdown the far side of the tire
 
Fit a modern tubeless wheel to the old wheel center?

I have a set of 5 34x7.50-17 centersplit "widowmaker" wheels with logger lug retread bias plies on them. In 20 years I have never added air to them. Had to use them in a pinch a couple times, once for a journey across several states towing a heavy trailer. I wouldn't dare take them apart, but I can't bring myself to toss them out.
 
My way is to call the road service tire guy. The hydraulic tools that they have make it look easy and the guys that do that job don't seem to mind it. I hate truck tires so it's an easy decision to spend the few $ needed.
Gbent is right road side or any tire shop wouldn’t consider fixing those wheels. Split rim is different than locking ring rims.
Not having a tire cage I chain them with 3/8” chain and lay forklift tines on top to air them up.
 
Be sure to get the lock rim/s and wheel that are matched ...there are many different designs and while most fit together ,they are not secure.......Possibly the safest are the kind that have a extended ledge on the ring that extends inside the adjacent bead,and cannot possibly come off.....the worst I have ever come across were WW2 Budd rims fitted to Diamond T and Mack 6x6s,with a loose collet held by two loose rivets .....this kind can blow off fully inflated on a truck.
 
Thanks for all the info, suggestions, and sympathy.

I love Garwood's story of the immortal tires. I have had a few like that. 17.5 rims on the old centers would be nice, but good used tires are hard to find. 16's are everywhere.

Winn's way is pretty much the best I have tried, ''though I should invest in lube, or Coke. Air blows the first bead off nicely (if the tire will hold air at all), but beating down that other side is what I hoped for a trick for.

I liked the farmers' big yellow tire machine, too, but I ain't got one...and the good part, getting it off, he did not show us.

I do scale 'em, wire brush 'em, Ospho 'em, and paint 'em when I have time before putting back together, and boy , it is easier the second time around.

If I ever build the big H-frame press I want, with enough width between the columns, seems with proper "punch" and support ring (AND enough ram travel) it should be easy to just press them out. Does anyone do this?
 
I used to buy the tyre presses from the army sales ....not a great deal of use ,really stuck tyres turn the bead inside out and still hang onto the rim....Still ,I only paid scrap price ,and there was a lot of salvage in them...hydraulics ,heavy fabricated steel frames ,pumps ,lots of 1/2" thick adaptor plates ........still got some of them with trees growing up thru the frames.......None of the tyre shops are interested ,they just use jackhammers on rusted beads,or refuse the job......anyway ,its all tubeless now and ally wheels ,nothing else on trucks .
 
Long ago I worked with a fellow that had a nice crescent shaped crease in his forehead. He got it working in a tire shop. Split rim got him.

A man was killed not far from here working on a truck tire.. Seems he did not have it in a cage or chained and the lock ring blew off and hit him in the head...At one place I worked, we would lower forklift forks on the tire and use a clip on tire chuck to inflate the tire... Never saw one come loose, but I doubt seriously that the ring would have gone far with the blades and carriage of a forklift resting on it.. NEVER trust a lock rim! Cheers; Ramsay 1:)
 
I thought some might be interested in a little further experience. I gues around the time I stared this thread, I cleaned up and put several of my collection of old wheels back into service with pretty good tires on them

I have two types. One has the split lockring (split like a lockwasher) and both the "hook" on the ID of the lockring and the mating "hook" on the wheel are undercut so the lockring can't spread. Sidewall bulge helps hold the split closed, too. I like those. But some are pretty rusty, even for my permissive taste.
The other kind I have, which I think are a little newer, has a continuous, unsplit ring or flange, with two opposite relieved areas so you can tilt it and get it over the hook on the rim. The seating surfaces, instead of being undercut to hook together, seem actually conical so as to help the flange stretch and blow off. I do not know if that is the original geometry or the result of rust and fretting.
Anyway, one of this type blew the lockring off as soon as I put full pressure in it (60PSI IIRC) A couple of days ago, with a big load of lumber on the truck, another one of the same type blew off on the road.
Sol I have spent a frustrating few hours trying to find online actual as-manufactured dimensions for these parts, so I can a) measure them and see definitely "this one is within spec and that one is not", or perhaps b) weld up and remachine the fits.

I got one rather painful quote on newly manufactured 17.5" wheels today, and replied asking if they could sell me just the rim (for me to weld my old centers into). I have heard of several custom wheel manufacturers, but google search for same mostly brings up dozens of sellers of fancy aluminum wheels.....Maybe one of you can recommend an actual manufacturer.
 
The moment you get quotes for making wheels ,sky s the limit....I wanted a couple of spare wheels in 14.00x20 for the cranes ,local custom wheel place wanted $2000 each,and other quotes were similar ,and long freight charges...The bare rims wernt too bad (Chinese imports ,I imagine) but I would have to make and fit my own 10stud centres.....but a look around the yard turned up a lot a big 10.00x20 wheels with maximum offset,so off to the marine engineers,got a number of rims sectioned on a big W&B boring mill,and welded the rim sections back together 10" wide to suit the 14.00 tyres......total cost was about $200 each ,including my workshop time.
 








 
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