Split rims - not sure where to post my ?s

[onetondodge]

Hey, sorry, I did not see a section for tires and rims - this seemed to be the closest related theme

I currently have split rims on my truck, I have found a place that will build some steel rims with my bolt patern I am going to run duals so and I am unable to fork out the dough at this time for six rims and tires, In the mean time I want to just make my rims somewhat road worthy, Does anyone know where I can find a place that will work on split rims? I have had terrible luck finding anyone locally, half the people I call think I have a cracked rim when I say split rim. I think I can just get away with putting new tubes in and reset the ring.

Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated,

Thank you,
Paul

 

[dmw56]

They don't call them "Widow Makers" for nothing. Even if they know what they are most shops won't touch them anymore. See if you can find the correct bolt pattern wheels in the salvage yard.

 

[Sam_Fear]

Try places that do semi and large equipment tires. They'd be the only ones that have the equipment and know how to deal with them correctly and safely.

 

[CORPO]

Do you actually have split rims, or multiple piece rims there is a difference...although many people dont realize that... the multiple piece rims are still ok to run as long as they are in good shape. Most big truck places will mount them for you (or so i am told) I still havent mounted mine yet.. They are still found on older (70-80's) semis and trailers..

This link can help you identify what you have, if u post up some close ups i might be able to help although i am no expert

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/wheels/images/49_budd_catalog.jpg

The RH-5 degrees style rims are the true split rims or widow makers like dmw said.... and these rims are not good for anything.. there is even an OSHA warning about them, I have spoke to some restorers about them and they dont even suggest even topping off air in them even if they are allready mounted...

Hope that helps

 

[onetondodge]

Do you actually have split rims, or multiple piece rims there is a difference...although many people dont realize that... the multiple piece rims are still ok to run as long as they are in good shape. Most big truck places will mount them for you (or so i am told) I still havent mounted mine yet.. They are still found on older (70-80's) semis and trailers..

This link can help you identify what you have, if u post up some close ups i might be able to help although i am no expert

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/wheels/images/49_budd_catalog.jpg

The RH-5 degrees style rims are the true split rims or widow makers like dmw said.... and these rims are not good for anything.. there is even an OSHA warning about them, I have spoke to some restorers about them and they dont even suggest even topping off air in them even if they are allready mounted...

Hope that helps

Very interesting; I had no clue there were different styles like these. My dad's uncle(who was around when the truck was running) and a friend of ours who is a huge car nut; both just called it a split rim - so that's all I know to call it. I have taken some pics(not sure if they will help because they all have the tire on them). I don't know if it helps, but they are on a 47 one ton dodge. I do appreciate your help, I'm hoping you can tell me that these are usable.

Thank you,
Paul

 

[donsrods]

Those look like split rims to me from what I can see, and as mentioned, THEY WILL TAKE YOUR HEAD OFF, if not properly inflated, dismounted. A man in a town where I used to live literally was decapitated when one blew apart.

Take them to a place that knows trailer truck wheels and tires and stand across the street while they are working on them..........really.

Don

 

[onetondodge]

Those look like split rims to me from what I can see, and as mentioned, THEY WILL TAKE YOUR HEAD OFF, if not properly inflated, dismounted. A man in a town where I used to live literally was decapitated when one blew apart.

Take them to a place that knows trailer truck wheels and tires and stand across the street while they are working on them..........really.

Don

So, My next question is: Should I even bother trying to get these rims to fill the gap until I can get new rims? or just wait, I have just been looking on the web for rims with my bolt pattern and I am having a terrible time finding anything.
Thank you for your input,
Paul

 

[rebstew]

I wouldn't run them if I could keep from it. Even shops that say they can do it may have never messed with one. Pushing it off on some sap that gets his arm taken off fooling with them. I was pumping gas one time and a guy got the air hose stuck on the valve somehow. He kept yanking on it and it made me look at him trying to figure out what he was doing. The tire blew with his face right in front of it at eye level. It look like a grenade went off. He went flying backwards and hit the ground screaming holding his face. I got to him and talked him through untill the fire dept got there. Pieces of the rubber and metal from the tires hit him in both eyes. While trying to see how bad it was you could see where it had ripped through his one eyelid where it was closed I guess and went into his eye. It looked like someone had hit the guy in the face with a cender block. It was one of the rougher things I had seen and I have seen my fair share of stuff. I'm not sure how much air was in that but I often wonder about that and how close that would be to a split rim coming apart. I think the split rim would be worse from the stories I've heard.

 

[Sam_Fear]

Lets take a step back fellas. This style was used for many years and not all of our Dads got killed from them. Yes, they can be dangerous IF not mounted correctly or at the time of mounting, BUT properly done, afterwords no more risky to the driver than anything else on the road.

You need a shop that knows split rims - they are still used on heavy equipment applications. And the shop should have a mounting cage and remote inflator if they deal with them much.

 

[donsrods]

No Sam, we didn't want to sound like alarmists, but felt obligated to bring up the potential for injuries (or death) if a novice tries doing anything with these type rims on his own. As an example.............

Anthony R. Salerno, mechanic, age 50, was fatally injured at about 7:45 a.m., on October 30, 1999, when he was struck by the lock ring and flange from a multi-piece rim wheel he was mounting on a truck. The accident occurred because the lock ring had been improperly installed on the wheel rim.

Salerno had 29 years of maintenance experience of which 6 months were at this mine. He had not received training in accordance with 30 CFR, Part 48.


Just one of the many online documented stories of someone losing a limb or their life . I walked into a truck tire shop one day a couple years ago to ask about having my slicks mounted there and the guy was doing a truck split rim on the machine. I couldn't get out of there fast enough, maybe I'm chicken, but I just would rather be safe than sorry.

Don

 

[CORPO]

It looks to me based on the 3rd picture that you have multi piece rims with a split lock ring... it also looks like in that same picture that your ring is stamped with the info on it... that should be able to tell you for sure what you have

Yes, as it has been stated they are still dangerous to mount and need to be done in a cage. I have read that farmers use to mount them by wrapping a large chain through the wheels... but i would rather do some research and find someone who is comfortable mounting them just my $.02

One other option that you can look into.. is Stockton wheels.. they can take the centers from your rims and put them into different wheels.. i hear its not cheap though

 

[onetondodge]

It looks to me based on the 3rd picture that you have multi piece rims with a split lock ring... it also looks like in that same picture that your ring is stamped with the info on it... that should be able to tell you for sure what you have

Yes, as it has been stated they are still dangerous to mount and need to be done in a cage. I have read that farmers use to mount them by wrapping a large chain through the wheels... but i would rather do some research and find someone who is comfortable mounting them just my $.02

One other option that you can look into.. is Stockton wheels.. they can take the centers from your rims and put them into different wheels.. i hear its not cheap though

It is about $3k to Stockton make me some rims and tires from coker, In the mean time I think I will try to find some other rims from a junk yard, Thank you again for your input
Paul

 

[dodge41]

The wheels you have pictured are NOT widow makers, they are lock rings. There are still wheel and tire shops that will work on lock rings. You just need to make sure you keep them aired up so the ring stays seated on the rim. It is when the air is low in a lock ring rim that the lock ring becomes unseated from the wheel and will come off. Widow makers lock in the center as they are a two piece rim. They are more dangerous because they do not age as well and can come undone at anytime due to corrosion.
Yes Stockton is about 3k for a set. There is another option though. Dodge motor homes had tubeless rims with the 5 x 8 inch circle that should match you truck. Look for larger truck wrecking yards, they may have some. Did you head over to ford-trucks.com like i mentioned and read their tech? I have attached a picture of my widow maker wheels that were on my truck. Notice how the front silver lip is solid? There is no ring there. You can not see it in the picture but there is a raised band about 2 inches wide inside the wheel. That is where the widow maker split rims lock together. If you are who I think you are, i opened up a can of worms telling you about these over on killbillet didnt i?

 

[onetondodge]

The wheels you have pictured are NOT widow makers, they are lock rings. There are still wheel and tire shops that will work on lock rings. You just need to make sure you keep them aired up so the ring stays seated on the rim. It is when the air is low in a lock ring rim that the lock ring becomes unseated from the wheel and will come off. Widow makers lock in the center as they are a two piece rim. They are more dangerous because they do not age as well and can come undone at anytime due to corrosion.
Yes Stockton is about 3k for a set. There is another option though. Dodge motor homes had tubeless rims with the 5 x 8 inch circle that should match you truck. Look for larger truck wrecking yards, they may have some. Did you head over to ford-trucks.com like i mentioned and read their tech? I have attached a picture of my widow maker wheels that were on my truck. Notice how the front silver lip is solid? There is no ring there. You can not see it in the picture but there is a raised band about 2 inches wide inside the wheel. That is where the widow maker split rims lock together. If you are who I think you are, i opened up a can of worms telling you about these over on killbillet didnt i?

Thank you for your input, If they are not widow makers I will try and find a shop to put new tubes in and reset the ring, I am not a member of killbillet, so no can of worms here.

Thank you again,
Paul

 

[dodge41]

Weird coincidence then. One fellow over at kill billet has a 40 or so dodge and is having the same issues. Small world =)

 

[HOT40ROD]

It looks to me based on the 3rd picture that you have multi piece rims with a split lock ring... it also looks like in that same picture that your ring is stamped with the info on it... that should be able to tell you for sure what you have

Yes, as it has been stated they are still dangerous to mount and need to be done in a cage. I have read that farmers use to mount them by wrapping a large chain through the wheels... but i would rather do some research and find someone who is comfortable mounting them just my $.02

One other option that you can look into.. is Stockton wheels.. they can take the centers from your rims and put them into different wheels.. i hear its not cheap though

Talking about farmers. That the way we did it. Put the rim together wrap two chains around the the holes in the rim and around the tire. Hook up the air hose and stand back an fill them.

Never had one come apart when filling. But had one come apart about one mile after it was put on the truck. That thing sounded like a gun going off and the outer ring hit a dirt bank on the side of the road. It was embedded in the bank pretty good. Dad changed them all out after that.

I have found some on farm equipment were the ring had been welded to the rim.

 

[CORPO]

I have found some on farm equipment were the ring had been welded to the rim.

I have wondered that... but not sure how you would go about mounting it? I mean maybe you can get it on from the back side of the rim....

One idea i have been tossing around in my head is converting the rim to some sort of bead lock kinda system where the ring is somehow bolted to the rim or at least captured by something that is bolted to the rim...

 

[MR HANEY]

i am one of those old guys that did lots of those rims i was taught in the beginning to respect them and cage them or chain them !i did thousands of them with no incident but not once did i get loose with them and not put safety first so respect them dont fear them .tubeless rims on big trucks never came out till the 70s and split rims were good except for careless people!try and find a geezer tireman ,chances are he was safe like me or he wouldnt have gotten there!![cl[cl

 

[jfg455]

I am old enough to have done about 40 or so of the split rims. I only had one ring pop off and yes it was my fault as I didn't seat it or clean the rim edge right. We didn't have a cage but put it ring side down on the floor and lowered the old single post lift down on it. When it blew it lifted the lift up about 3 ft and there is a 1/4" indent in the shape of the ring in the cement floor of the garage. it was my 6th tire of that style and I still remember it 23 years later. I don't even put my face over new style rims when the bead pops. Just mu $.02

 

[dodgewade]

The wheels you have pictured are NOT widow makers, they are lock rings. There are still wheel and tire shops that will work on lock rings. You just need to make sure you keep them aired up so the ring stays seated on the rim. It is when the air is low in a lock ring rim that the lock ring becomes unseated from the wheel and will come off. Widow makers lock in the center as they are a two piece rim. They are more dangerous because they do not age as well and can come undone at anytime due to corrosion.
Yes Stockton is about 3k for a set. There is another option though. Dodge motor homes had tubeless rims with the 5 x 8 inch circle that should match you truck. Look for larger truck wrecking yards, they may have some. Did you head over to ford-trucks.com like i mentioned and read their tech? I have attached a picture of my widow maker wheels that were on my truck. Notice how the front silver lip is solid? There is no ring there. You can not see it in the picture but there is a raised band about 2 inches wide inside the wheel. That is where the widow maker split rims lock together. If you are who I think you are, i opened up a can of worms telling you about these over on killbillet didnt i?

41 you are correct,

These are not the wheels my dad called widow makers. The widow makers were like two wheels that you turned and sorta hooked together.

On the two piece wheels like the picture shows you must clean the wheel where the ring fits good and the ring. I have seen pup wooders and farmers change these quite often. I have changed several myself, but again you have got to treat them like a "biting sow" because if the ring is not seated good, it can come off with fatal results.

Most all tire places in my area will change tires on them. I had rather change one of these than I had a four wheeler tire. Talk about something getting your BP up.