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can somebody tell me the correct way to torque Dayton wheels also what is the advantage to them

We have used dayton (cast spoke) wheels in the past and have found them to be easier to change out on the road if you don't have an air wrench and are forced to use hand tools. Many of the old trucks we acquired over the years came with dayton wheels so when we ordered new trucks we specified daytons. This simplified our tire and wheel inventory. I still have 2 older Mack tractors with daytons but now run hub piloted wheels on everything else. Disadvantages are; Not able to switch tire sizes from 20 to 22 inch without changing the cast spoke hubs and having to pull the hubs off every time a brake job was needed. However when doing the brake job with dayton wheels you had the chance to examine the bearings and races each time for problems. With outboard mounted drums you could neglect the bearings by not examining them from time to time. Mounting dayton wheels to the hub is not difficult. Make sure the wheels are chocked and the brakes set. Wedges should be the same and placed evenly on each wheel stud. Place the nuts on all around. I normally started 'snugging up' evenly the 12 o'clock position first and then go to the 6 o'clock. Not too tight! Then I go to the 2 o'clock, then 8, then 4 and finally 10 o'clock. I continue this pattern at least 3 times with more pressure around until the nuts are tight and the wedges are almost flat against the hub. The wedges need to be very close to the hub (like about 1/8 inch), if not then too much pressure is placed on the wheel stud and it may break. Check wheel alignment by releasing the brake and spinning the tire by hand against an object placed near the tire's edge. I don't know what torque is required and I don't know if this procedure is by the book. I do know that we have used this same sequence over many years and have never lost a wheel. Hope this helps! JAMES

I ran all daytons until the mid 90's and then we began switching over to hub piloted. They make a tool called a torque stick thatis made for Daytons and torques them properly with an impact wrench. I think it is around 90 ft lbs. Overtightening is probably the main cause of trouble. The spacer has to be compressed a little to maintain the wheels in their position. If the spacer is crushed, the wheels will slip during hard braking and quite often tear the valve stem out. We made it a practice to install new spacers every time we replaced tires. We probably still have several dozen 20x4 spacers we will never use. Their main use today is in garbage trucks etc. because of their ability to absorb twisting like running over curbs and tight turns. If you inspect your spacer, and throw it away if it shows any signs of slipping before and follow oldiron57's instructions, you should have no trouble.

While on this subject,I have 20 inch Daytons on my old Mack,and am wondering,is there just one width of spacer for them,or were there different ones depending on tire size,i.e.one width for 9.00-20,different width for 10.00-20? My original rims were delivered with 8.25's,but had 9.00's on 'em when I bought the truck. Now I have a full set of mounted 10.00's available to me for free,but I don't think the spacers are there. Will these wheels work with the current spacers? I'm thinking I could probably get by with a little less clearance between tires since I won't be hauling as much weight as the truck's GVW'ed at,(19,000),so there shouldn't be too much tire bulge.
Speed

The spacers can be changed around a little but the clamps may need to be changed to match. I think (but am not sure) that a given spacer works with several different tire and rim widths but on the same Dayton hub.
I was looking for spacers and clamps for mine, and was amazed at the huge number of clamp styles to choose from, and the several spacers available in different widths. Stop by a big truck parts place and have a look.

Grigg

Thanks Grigg;
That's kinda what I was thinking,I think the first step will be to try the bigger tires/wheels on the truck with my current spacers and see how it lines up. I think I have a pretty good space now,with the 9.00-20's on it,so hopefully there'll be room for 10.00's with plenty of clearance. I'm figuring if there's 2 inches at the widest part of the sidewall,I should be okay with max. load weight.
I'm guessing part of what you're talking about with the different types of clamps would be to compensate for the wheels being placed farther inboard or outboard from the base of the wheel studs;there's a couple of decent tire shops here,so if I have to change anything,shouldn't be too hard to find what I need.
Thanks again!
Speed

The clamps and spacers have to be made for each other. If you have a wider spacer the clamps have to be shorter. When properly torqued the heel of the clamp should not be in contact with the hub. Other wise you are not putting the correct crush on the spacer. If the heel of the clamp is too far from the hub, you are putting too much stress on the studs. Spacers come in from about 3 1/2 inch to about 4 1/4 in about 1/4 increments. On wheels manufactured from the 70's on up, the manufacturer recommended spacer and clamp or cleat sizes. Not many tire shops understand spoke wheels any more because they are no longer common. You must also consider the width of the rim when going to a larger tire size. I think we used 7 1/2 on 10's and 6 1/2 on 9's. If you are really not going to haul a load it doesn't matter much, but your cleats must be right or the rims will slip during hard braking.