Split Rims

[jboatno4]

I have a set of 5 15-inch, 6 lug, split rims (that I believe are original equipment) on my '63 K-10.

One of the tires is flat so I took it to the local tire dealer for repair. They wouldn't fix it, saying it is too dangerous.

I worked in a truck stop during college so I know the inherent dangers of these is the rings coming off, during airing, if not seated properly. That's why truck stops have cages for airing the tires after repair.

Does any one know why split rims are no longer "standard" wheels on pickups? Is it really the danger?

Jack

 

[droptop62]

Last time I saw a cage for airing up split rims was years ago at a CO-OP out in the middle of nowhere north dakota. I would bet that the younger guys working in these tire shops today have never even seen or heard of a split rim. I know none of these shops would touch them either. I would find some replacement wheels for your 63.
Split rims are dangerous. why would you want split rims as standard equipment on todays trucks? wheel and tire technology has come a long way. that is almost like asking why aren't they using wood spoked wheels as standard equipment on todays cars.

 

[64ss409]

There has been a gradual phaze out of split rims for many years, and yes, it is because of the rim that can come off during inflation. The bad reputation started 25-30 years ago when Firestone had the truck rim that came apart in the middle. These rims, even if they were installed correctly, could come apart during inflation. They became known as the widow makers.

After this many years of split rims and widow makers on the road, many have become rusted through and cracked and are dangerous. I have heard of some that have come apart while adding air while it is still on the truck.

I still have one old truck with all 6 widow makers on it. No one will touch them. Next time it needs tires, I have to buy 6 new rims. Same with the 20 inch split rims. I have 2 trucks with them and am gradually changing them to 22.5 tubeless. At $150-$200 each for the wheel, plus the new tire, it gets spendy.

I think the factories quit putting split rims on pickups in the early to mid 70's.
Ron

 

[jim_ss409]

I used to work at a busy truck tire shop when I was young, and spupid. I used to sit on truck tires with lock rings while I aired them up. :eek: I only used a cage if the rim was rusty or damaged. The regular "Dayton" style rims usually had a ring to hold the tire on and a wedge shaped lock ring that held it in place. If the components are clean and in good shape, and if they are installed properly this style of rim is perfectly safe. But, as was noted earlier, they have been phased out so many tire shops are unfamiliar with them and would rather not work on them. If you were to go to a shop that mainly does large trucks they would likely have someone who could change them for you.
As Ron said an actual split rim is a different thing altogether even though the term "split rim" now gets applied to any rim that's made up from two or more pieces. The actual split rims were a rim that was split in two near the centre line. each half had an inner lip that went from 1 oclock to 3 oclock and another from 6 oclock to 9 oclock. The other half of the wheel was the same. So to assemble one of these things you had to put the two halfs together and then give the top half a quarter turn. If this sounds like a dangerous setup that's because it was. These rims were phased out many years ago.

 

[jboatno4]

OK, thanks for all the info on these things.

I was thinking that to do a complete resto that these would have to be done along with everything else. I have an extra set of wheels from my '72 K-10 that will fit.

Jack

 

[bobs409]

Sounds like a nightmare, no wonder they did away with them.

Had to laugh at Todds comment about wood spoked wheels.

 

[Loafer409]

"The actual split rims were a rim that was split in two near the centre line. each half had an inner lip that went from 1 oclock to 3 oclock and another from 6 oclock to 9 oclock. The other half of the wheel was the same. So to assemble one of these things you had to put the two halfs together and then give the top half a quarter turn. If this sounds like a dangerous setup that's because it was. These rims were phased out many years ago."
====

ss409 was this a Canadian thing, been working on thrucks since 1960 and I never seen nor heard of such a thing???

 

[wrench]

rims

been working on thrucks since 1960 and I never seen nor heard of such a thing???

I remember them on 3/4 ton pickup trucks and larger truck wheels back in the 60's. I hired on at Ryder in 79 and we still had them on 18 wheelers. I mounted a set of 10x20's on the rims, aired them up on the ground without using the cage, put them on the truck all while the driver stood by watching. When I was finished, he went inside and told on me. I had been trained, so I did know what I was doing.

Strange thing is, now we still use the cage on the newer tubeless tires because of what is called 'zipper' rupture. Sidewall belt failure is just as bad as the split rim failures.

 

[jim_ss409]

I think this type of rim was quite rare because I only came across them 2 or 3 times over the course of about 1 1/2 years at a really busy truck tire shop. This was back in about 1970. My description of them might not be quite accurate, they might have had 4 contact lobes instead of two. It was a little like screwing a lid on a jar, but if you went too far the lid would come off. They had index marks stamped into them so that you could tell they were lined up properly. Anyway, back then we refered to this setup as a split rim, but nowadays any rim with more than two pieces is called a split rim. I tried a web search but this was as close as I could come to finding a picture. http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au/pagebin/mechhazd0040.pdf The lower picture shows a regular rim with a two piece lock ring system, but some just use a springy one piece ring. The upper picture seems to show what we called a split rim setup. You took that outer piece, but it in place, and gave it a 1/4 turn till the index marks lined up, then put it in the cage to air it up.

 

[nufsed]

My dad was working in a tire shop in the early 70's (large chain) and was working on one of these things. He was airing it up as he had his knees on the tire. He says that the last thing he remembers is taking off the air chuck, checking the pressure and then putting the air back to it. Witnesses say the rim/tire then blew up. The lip of the wheel caught my dad right across the left eye and flipped him up through the air upside down and slid him on his back for about 20 feet. The rim continued up in the air until it hit the underside of the canopy before crashing back down to the ground. My dad's eyeball swelled up to the size of a baseball. The bone structure surround his left eye was completely crushed. He spent over two weeks in the hospital and ended up completely losing his left eye. They weren't able to reconstuct that side of his face so the left "eye" is considerably lower than the right side. If the lip of the wheel would have caught him a half inch lower, the doctors told him that it would have ripped the top of his head off. The company as a whole will longer work on these things. Period. They are just too dangerous.

 

[droptop62]

If what Greg (Nufsed) mentioned, isn't testimony enough to why split rims are dangerous, then I don't know what anybody could say to those who are still willing to keep those split rims in use.