The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Tons 'o Fun Need new tires, ditch the split rims?

Okay, so I had a blow out today hauling a load of gravel in my 47 1 ton. Nothing too dramatic. One of the 750-17's on split rims in the back shredded. I've got something smaller on one piece wheels on the front. So a couple of questions:

1. Is it important to match all four wheels? I seem to remember a tire salesman telling me that.

2. Should I look for one piece rims for the back and ditch the split rims? If so, what should I look for at the salvage yard? I need 8 lugs, but don't know the backspacing, etc. I guess the real question is what modern one piece wheel will match up to a 47 1 ton?

Any help appreciated.

Wilber

Here's some info in our Tech Tips
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/wheels/

When my 1 ton is back on the road it will have 19.5" single wheels on it, and 8R19.5 tires.

You have a number of options though, some 16" lock ring wheels may be simplest to find and get tires for.
If you find tubeless wheels double check that they fit over the brake drums.

Grigg

There is no problem mixing tube required and tubeless tires as long as they are all either bias or all radial on the same axle. I personally like 17" tube required tires and I am always looking for some. Tubeless radials blow out too. I am in the trucking business and we keep a storage trailer for discarded carcasses and haul them to a recycler when it is full. We blow quite a few tires in Texas when the pavement gets hot.

You know, I've got the 17 splits on my truck, and I really like the way they look. I run tubes in all my tires, and radios. I also really like they look of traction rear tires, and front ribbed tires. Plus, you get to run huge hubcaps. The only down side is they need to be inflated from flat in a cage. But thats okay with me.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd45/HomeCrafter/IMGP0997.jpg

If you already plan to or wanted an excuse to change wheels then I recommend the 19.5 wheels, you can even find some that work with the original hub caps.

If you don't want to change wheels, it's not necessary anyway, then just buy some new tires and tubes and continue on as you are now.
I ran my 1 ton for several years with absolutely no problems from the original wheels and 7.50-17 tires.

Grigg

If you're mixing tire types, bias go on the rear. DOT regulations dictate that. I would also advise not running tubes in tubeless radial tires. Again, DOT regulations as well as the danger of blowout from exsessive friction. I work in the tire business, and have seen it far too often.

Hey Longbox55 ,, whats the theory on the bias on the rear , just asking 'cause I've got 4 radials for the rear of my bus , but still have 2 bias on the front .

What can I expect to feel in the handling ? not that a 50yr old Bedford "handles" LOL.

First, I need to correct myself, Bias go on the front, not the rear. Basically, it's a handling issue. The DOT wants the tires with the best traction on the rear. The idea is that most of the safety devices in vehicles are made to protect in a front collision. So in the case of a low traction loss of control, they feel it's better to maintain stability with the rear of the vehicle and hit with the front to minimize injuries to the occupants. Thsi even applies to modern cars, especially FWDs.

I've run radial rears with bias fronts and had no problems, drove and handled fine, but 55 mph is about as fast as the truck was geared for.

What's the reason it's not a good idea?

Grigg

The tires handle differntly, namely due differences in tire flex. Radials get much better traction. As I mentioned, the DOT preferrs that the tires with the best raction be on the rear, as it is much more stable, especially in a low traction turn situation. They would prefer that the vehicle hits with the front that spin around and hit with the rear. This even appies with matched tires, new tires are preferred to be mounted to the rear if only 2 are put on.
I know that sounds crazy, especially after years of them pounding in "New tires on the steer axle", which is stil the cae with OTR trucks, but lighter vehicles handle much differently and tend to run higher speeds.

My 58 has 19.5s on it.My great Uncle bought them new at the co op in 1967.Needless to say they are showing signs of cracking .Where are you guys getting new 19.5s at and what kinda price are you giving for them?
Jeremy

You can buy 19.5 tires at most any truck tire place.

There are a number of sizes, 8R19.5 works well on a 1 ton, or at least they did on mine. Most if not all the other 19.5 tires are metric sizes, and generally require a wider rim, check before you decide on a size other than what you had.

Grigg

I'm sticking with my 2 piece rims. I have 18's on them, and I just bought 6 new tires from M.E.Miller Tire. I got some highway Bias Plys to stay original. I plan to drive it often, but not daily. The prices were reasonable, and I think in the long run, cheaper than switching to radials on modern rims

Just keep in mind that you'll need to find a shop that has the proper equipment to mount them. Most tire shops that do primarily passenger car and light truck tires will not touch a split rim (no jokes about them being "wimps" either). Thsi mainly because it's obsolete technology, they haven't been used on light trucks in at least 40 years. So there's no need to have the equipment or train the techs to install them. Plus the liabilities. Many won't even do a tube type anymore, eother, regardless of rim type. Again, they don't want the liabilities if the tube faisl, either from improper installation from an improperly trained tech or incorrect application.

Thanks to everyone for the excellent advice; it was very helpful. I finally muddled my way through to the promised land: new tires! For those of you who may travel down this road in the future, I'll tell you where it took me.

I had two 17 inch split rims on the back with two dry-rotted tires, one of which blew out. Based on Grigg's excellent Tech Tips article I set off looking for one-piece steel wheels that would match the spacing of the original narrow 8 lug wheels.

I spent a morning picking through the local salvage yard. I found lots of cool stuff on lots of old truck carcasses, including some really cool brush guards which I may have to go back for. Anyway I found several one-piece 17 inch wheels, a few 17.5 inchers, and even more 19.5's, all 6 inches wide and with about the right backspacing. The yard guy told me the trick would be finding tires to fit any of those old rims.

So I got on the Stovebolt links page and found my way to Denman Tires. Their website showed plenty of commercial light truck tires to fit any of those rims. I called them up for prices and they directed me to a local distributor. I'm in the Denver area and called Premier Tire. They had tires in stock to fit the salvage rims but also offered to mount up the tires on my split rims. They made it sound like no big deal.

In the end I decided to save $90 and reuse my split rims - mostly because I knew the hub caps would fit ... and well, it was 90 bucks! The down side is if I get another flat, it's not going to be easy to find someone to work on them (except now I know about Premier Tire).

So the 1 Ton is back on the road with shiny new slicks on the back and hub caps too. When the time comes for any of you to hunt for new tires, you can save some time and call Denman's for the name of their local distributor and ride brand new tall skinny tires on 50 year old wheels into the future!

Wilber

does any one have 17.5 6 lug wheels for sale?

Parts wanted requests need to be made in the swap meet section.

Has anyone looked at using the newer chevrolet one ton wheels. I think they are 17" with 8 lugs, but unsure of the backspacing.

I love the look of those old rims, but scared to death of the splits. Seems like every old farmer around here has a "split rim" horror story. Heard one this morning in fact. It resulted in no injuries but a 18" diameter hole in the roof.