wiartonwillie
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Post by wiartonwillie on Apr 20, 2015 17:30:38 GMT -8
On my old trailer the original tire size is 7:00-15. It has the old split rims. Has anyone reused the old split rims or has everyone swapped to new rims.
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Apr 20, 2015 18:34:18 GMT -8
Split rims? Sorry, I'm the ignorant one on this subject. Do you have pics? Maybe they are called something else?
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Apr 20, 2015 18:54:50 GMT -8
On my old trailer the original tire size is 7:00-15. It has the old split rims. Has anyone reused the old split rims or has everyone swapped to new rims. Most everyone replaces the split rims with new wheels. You will probably have a hard time finding a tire shop that will work on a travel trailer split rim. |
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Apr 20, 2015 19:15:41 GMT -8
Ok, guys, come on. What are split rims? Are the rims two pieces?
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Apr 20, 2015 19:47:56 GMT -8
You can only have split rims done by a "real" truck tire shop. There's nothing wrong with split rim wheels, as they have been used for decades. The problem is when your traveling you want to have the most common, easily found and serviced parts on your trailer. All of the name brand franchised tire stores will refuse to mount, or repair tires on split rims. One other disadvantage is modern tires tend to be tubeless, and will run cooler than a tube type tire, you have to run tubes in split rims.
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Apr 20, 2015 19:50:32 GMT -8
Ok, guys, come on. What are split rims? Are the rims two pieces? It was a truck wheel with a removable outer rim bead, to make mounting easier on large tires. They were standard equipment on most 3/4 ton and larger trucks up to the late 1960's. |
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Apr 20, 2015 20:31:28 GMT -8
Thanks, John! Yes, I've seen those.
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Post by bigbill on Apr 21, 2015 5:33:03 GMT -8
SusieQ Split rims were a two piece rim design that was later replaced by a three piece rim that was much safer to service but still dangerous if not properly trained to work on them. Truck tires were too stiff to pry on over a one piece rim like an automobile rim so the side of the rim had to be removable. By the eighties drop center rims and modern materials plus advanced tire changing equipment made split rims a thing of the past. In todays world most shops are not allowed to work on split rims because of OSHA and insurance rules. If a split rim wasn't seated properly they would blow apart as the tire pressure increased with enough force to cut a man in half. The required safety cages made from steel tube usually about three inches in diameter heavy wall spaced about six inches apart and large enough to encase the complete tire assembly while it was being inflated. These had to be bolted to the floor, but if a tire blew apart inside one many times they were also destroyed from the force. several years ago I had the misfortune to see a man that had been servicing split rims for many years killed when one came apart. There are still independent shops that will work on them but nobody in their right mind will. I don't think that the two piece rims have been manufactured since the fifties so rust and deterioration has made them more dangerous.
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Post by vintagebruce on Apr 21, 2015 7:47:21 GMT -8
I agree that most people replace them for the reason mentioned...only true truck tire places have the skilled people to work with them. I had split rims on my '52 Silver Streak Clipper, and it took me a week to find the only tire place on the Ms. Coast that was willing to work on them. They also had the proper trailer tires in stock. I mentioned that I was so happy to find them because those came off of a '52 aluminum camper, and the guy that was working on them said, yeah, I figured those came off the Silver Streak camper at the Scrap Yard up in McHenry. I was amazed and said how could he tell that. LOL, he said he was called out there the day I bought the camper to fix a split-rim tire on their big articulating fork life. He remembered seeing me all excited up at the weighing scale. I did eventually replace them for non-split rims, but saved the original rims for the new owner in case s/he wanted them. By the way, as Bigbill accurately described the requirements (OSHA) to work on split rims, I am not mentioning the tire place I use...their guy does it the old fashioned way, basically with pry bar and sledge hammer and inflates on the concrete floor...scared the heck out of me watching from a safe distance.
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Apr 21, 2015 8:29:36 GMT -8
I worked at a full service gas station after graduating High School in the mid seventies. Remember those? At that time it was still fairly common to service split rim wheels, usually to patch a tube. I actually enjoyed it, I guess because it was something different that not every shop would do, even back then. We did them by hand with a bead breaker and a couple tire irons.   We would lower one of the arms of the hoist on top of the ring side of the tire when inflating. Sounds like I was fortunate to have never had an accident. Here's a short video. When I saw the sandals, I first thought it must be from California or Florida  www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtfW2KvMjfo |
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Post by bigbill on Apr 21, 2015 9:47:19 GMT -8
Greg That video sure makes it look easy with everything nice and clean with no rust. They should show one from the real world.  The worst one I ever saw was a 20 ply Michelin that had been mounted on a fire truck for 20+ years it had such strong side walls you couldn't tell it was flat it just looked soft. It took professional tire changers over seven hours of hammering to get it off the rim and that was a three piece split instead of a two, if it would have been the old style two piece with the two inch lip I don't think it would have ever came loose. Before I retired we bought a machine that will do up to a 38 inch rim because most guys today won't work that hard plus it saved us major labor cost. With the machine you could dismount and mount a new 315x22.5 G tubeless tire on a drop center rim in less than five minutes, it even picked the thing up, no lifting,with it my secretary could replace a tire without getting dirty or so she claimed. |
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Apr 21, 2015 12:48:41 GMT -8
20 ply? holy moly I can see why you couldn't tell it was flat. All we ever saw were old 3/4 ton pick-up wheels and an occasional small commercial truck.
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wiartonwillie
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Post by wiartonwillie on Apr 21, 2015 16:27:18 GMT -8
I am a mechanic by trade so I spent many days busting tires when I started as a apprentice. The first week I was in the tire bay a old guy showed me a circle mark in the 20 foot high ceiling, after that I made sure the lock ring was in place. They do not scare me so i will try to find some tires and new tubes this summer. The split rims and 7:00 15's give me good ground clearance. Only gonna go for 4 ply and maybe find some wide whites.
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Post by bigbill on Apr 21, 2015 17:26:46 GMT -8
I am a mechanic by trade so I spent many days busting tires when I started as a apprentice. The first week I was in the tire bay a old guy showed me a circle mark in the 20 foot high ceiling, after that I made sure the lock ring was in place. They do not scare me so i will try to find some tires and new tubes this summer. The split rims and 7:00 15's give me good ground clearance. Only gonna go for 4 ply and maybe find some wide whites. I am glad you had a wise old gentleman to teach you he probably saved your life, who knows. The thing that I want to caution you about is make sure the edges of the lock surfaces haven't rusted away enough to allow them to slip even if you have them in place. The good thing I am hearing is if you go with 4 plys they don't require a lot of air pressure but I saw one blow loose at twenty five pound that shattered a mans hand and broke his arm in four places, he was off work about six months and never regained full use of his hand. One of the last things he said before it blew was I have been do this for years and i'm not afraid of them you are just a "worry-wort". He was using a regulated air line set a 25 pound just to seat the lock, he had a latch on air chuck and it blew just as he reached in to remove the chuck. the only thing that saved him he had wrapped it in two places with a 3/8 link chain. |
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