I worry every single time I try to air up the tires on my large trucks
You're not doing yourself any favors by running low pressure on the sectional rims. They're actually more likely to come apart if they're not aired up fully, but only if you hit a curb or something catastrophic. Once the tire bead pushes the pieces into full contact, they simply cannot separate.
The danger comes into play as a tire is being inflated after assembly. If it's not in good shape, rusty, bent, or damaged, the pieces don't lock together properly and a catastrophic failure is likely. One other precaution- - - -never attempt to re-inflate a flat, or nearly flat tire on a sectional rim. Break it down and find the cause of the leak. If the weight of the truck has been bearing on one of the removable rim flanges, you're taking chances of an explosive rim failure.
A long inflating hose with a clip-on chuck, a ball valve to control the flow, and a pressure gauge to monitor tire pressure is the safest way to add air or to inflate a newly assembled tire/wheel assembly. Wrap a piece of thick tow chain through the hand holes if you're concerned about a bead separation when you're inflating. Once the pressure gets up to 50-60 pounds, the danger point is past as long as there's no obvious misalignment of the parts.
Jerry
