Split rims

[gazzaw]

Hi

 

Anyone got any good tips or methods for getting the two halves of my split rims (for 11x20.00 tyres) out of the tyre beads- I have tried force, big hammers and a 4 ton bedford over the walls - manage to get the smaller side out but the larger side of the rim is a real booger and I have 5 to do....help where is my REME when I need them?

 

Gary

Edited July 25, 2009 by gazzaw

[gritineye]

One dealer at Beltring has some every year, around from £50 used to £95 NOS, but will haggle in chalk (not much English) I decided to buy this year as they were selling well and he might run out!

[LoggyDriver]

As mentioned you MUST use a tyre cage when blowing these up. At one of my old units a rim blew when being inflated and went straight through the breeze block wall. It was in a cage, but there wasn't any cage next to the wall. I (think) it's a legal requirment.

[antarmike]

I ask an obvious question, are we talking about split rims (as in the title of this thread) or divided wheels? The two are not the same, and divided wheels do not pose the same threat as split rims.

 

I ask because the first post talks of two halves. A split rim usually have three parts. (my Ex Army mobile bakery trailer only has only two parts to the split rim assembly, but this is somewhat of an exception. ) and sometimes split rims have four parts. (if a seperate bead seat is fitted.)

 

The first post mentions halves, suggesting two equal (or almost equal) parts and that points to a divided wheel.

 

I am not sure whether legislation requires divided wheels to be inflated in a cage, There is no lock ring to slip out of its seating on divided wheels, as there is with split rims. Divided wheels are intrinsically much safer.

 

I have never heard of "bolted together" divided wheels failing when properly bolted together and inflated to no more than the design pressure. I fail to see how it could happen.

 

(again not recommended [and not recommended this message board/ Forum staff] but as a field expedient, I wrap high tensile grade chains, through the wheel centre and around the tyre, and loose bead, at several points around the wheel and shackle the ends together, if I have to inflate a split rim, at an off road location or at the roadside if I have been forced to build up a split rim without access to a cage) I do not bother with any safety precaution cage etc for divided wheels.

Edited July 28, 2009 by antarmike

[gazzaw]

Yes guys, you are right it is divided wheels(combat rims etc), two halves one slightly deeper than other with about 10 bolts/studs around it. Not like the split ones with a locking ring etc that req a cage etc.

 

BTW does anyone have a contact number etc of the guy from beltring who has them?

 

Regards

 

Gary

[Degsy]

You are supposed to have a cage to blow up any commercial tyres, I remember seeing pics in a trade mag after a tyre blew whilst bring inflated without a cage. The pics were of the guys imprint on the ceiling, needless to say he was killed outright, not nice.

[gritineye]

BTW does anyone have a contact number etc of the guy from beltring who has them?

 

Sorry never caught his name.

 

You are supposed to have a cage to blow up any commercial tyres,

 

I have seen somewhere a warning to deflate divided rim tyres before removing wheels and to only fully inflate when fitted back on the vehicle, good safety practice.

[julezee001]

There was a story going around several years ago of someone changing a Matador wheel at a show. He undid all the wheel to hub bolts, and the outer wheel rim came off along with the lower half of one of his legs?? Supposedly due to very worn threads on the nuts and studs holding the halves together. Ouch!

 

The rear tyre pressures on my Mk1 Militant are supposed to be 90psi, although I run at 70psi, which on a 1400 x 20 tyre still equates to quite a lot of force pent up. It is definitely recommended to deflate the tyre before undoing the wheel nuts, and vice versa, fit to the hub before pumping up to full pressure.

 

I have a friend who has a crescent shapes scar on the top of his forehead from a split rim coming off a wheel in the early 70's. I think he got away with it quite lightly, but I've always been extremely cautious with split rims ever since knowing him!

 

Jules

[antarmike]

There was a story going around several years ago of someone changing a Matador wheel at a show. He undid all the wheel to hub bolts, and the outer wheel rim came off along with the lower half of one of his legs?? Supposedly due to very worn threads on the nuts and studs holding the halves together. Ouch!

Jules

 

That sounds like a tale to me.

a) the wheels wouldn't be taken apart very often, so why is there a large amount of wear on the threads?

b) the nuts on divided wheels are deeper than normal nuts, they also have a "fixed washer" form at the seating, with a taper that goes into a countersink. On all the nuts I have seen, the whole of the nut including the Taper is threaded, so it really is an awfully strong nut.

c) it is normal to slacken off all the wheel nuts with the wheel still on the ground, and the brakes applied, and then to jack the vehicle and spin off the nuts. The bolts holding the divided wheels together would have failed as soon as all the nuts were slackened off, and the wheels would only have parted company a small amount before the loose wheelnuts, still on the threads, caught it. If the divided wheels nuts were to fail, there would be pressure on all the wheelnuts as they were unscrewed and this would have alerted the mechanic to the problem.

d) if the wheel nuts were slackened and removed one by one, the wheel could not have blown apart whilst any were still holding the wheel in place, and as the last nut was being withdrawn from the thread the wheels would have blown apart but the wheels would still have been caught by that stud and wheel nut. and if nine of the ten nuts were off, and there was just one fully tight, I suspect that the divided whhel nuts would have failed radially opposite to that one wheelnut, and would have deflected the wheel centres. Anyhow you would know there was a problem before all the wheelnuts were off.

 

No, Sorry, I can't see why the wheel would have waited until all the wheel nuts were off, before parting company, it would have happened as the last few nuts were coming loose.

 

I find that story to be no more than a story.

Edited July 31, 2009 by antarmike

[antarmike]

you can get the beads free just with a few home made wedges and a sledgehammer. These are cut from Angle with a plate welded in, they cost pence but they will work. I used them until I bought this ten years ago

It cost me 40 quid from Ramco.

drop the wheel on the stool, (with or wothout extensions)

this part rests on the rim at 90 degrees to where the hydaulic ram forces in the wedge.

Pin it at the hole for your diameter wheel 13" to 25".

the bar with the series of holes pins to the jaw in the top of the stool.

 

It is made by Dunlop.

 

Ramco still have them going through from time to time, its pot luck whether they have one in at any time.

 

It works on Antar tyres......and with all the tyres on my Dyson, I take it with me when I travel....

Edited August 1, 2009 by antarmike

[antarmike]

You are supposed to have a cage to blow up any commercial tyres, I remember seeing pics in a trade mag after a tyre blew whilst bring inflated without a cage. The pics were of the guys imprint on the ceiling, needless to say he was killed outright, not nice.

This also catches the bits if a snap ring displaces as you first inflate the tyre...Not that I'd recommend others to do what I do....

[radiomike7]

Yes, they work a treat but are bl**dy dangerous. Catch one off centre with the sledge and you have a missile with an unpredictable trajectory and/or a big dent in your rim.:shake: Many of the old school tyre fitters used just a length of angle without the brace.

[gritineye]

Yes, they work a treat but are bl**dy dangerous. Catch one off centre with the sledge and you have a missile with an unpredictable trajectory and/or a big dent in your rim.:shake: Many of the old school tyre fitters used just a length of angle without the brace.

 

And bl**dy tiring after an hour or so battering away with no sign of movement! :argh:

 

Starts to get funny when your mates have a go though. :rofl:

[rbrtcrowther]

I was chatting to a friend of the man who had the accident with the matador wheel. His leg was not blown off but broken and the blunt edge of the wheel rim cut about half way through the muscle. He said the bolts were badly wasted between the halves of the rim. All i can suggest is when he was undoing the last of the wheel nuts he failed to notice the rims opening up, mabey he thought the whole wheel was tilting over as he slackened the second from last nut and when he removed the last nut it went tits up.

[harry7134]

A little lamp swinging.

 

Once upon a time,in a magical wood, in the mystical land of West Germany, a young fitter was inflating the front wheel of his half-tracked chariot. According to the regulations in his instructions from the gods on high, he must ensure that the pressure in his wheel equelled seventy pounds per square inch.

As he approached the required number suddenly the tyre split asunder with a mighty bang, and the poor lad was bowled over, ending some feet away, some would say asleep.

This was not the case, for in fact he was unconscious, from the blast of air that hit him in the nether regions.

The moral of this story is that compressed air can be equally as dangerous as split rims.

 

Harry:coffee:

[Zero-Five-Two]

I was going to put these pics on my restoration blog, but then I found this thread, and I thought they would be better on here.

 

Had to change a couple of tyres on the old Militant. One because it was worn out, and one because it had perished so badly it was going sticky. The worn out one came apart quite easily, well easy for Militant tyres!! The perished one was a different story.

 

Started with the normal methods, sledge hammer and bead chiesel, Monkey hammer, even a hydraulic jack but got no where except sweating buckets, and aching arms and back.

 

Earlier in this thread the use of a chainsaw is mentioned, but I don't have one. I do have a 9" grinder and a big pile of cutting discs.

 

 

 

Step 1 Cut round thinnest part of tyre wall

 

 

 

Step 2 Lift out centre

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3 Cut through tyre bead from inside, and prise off with tyre lever. Simple's :-D

 

Not quite the recommended method, it's very smelly (unless you like the smell of burning rubber) and very messy with sticky crumbs of hot rubber going every where. But it does work.

 

 

 

Finally the finished article. Wheel cleaned and painted and replacement tyre fitted.

[AndyFowler]

The finished article defo made the job worth while Rob ! :-D

Edited January 2, 2012 by AndyFowler

[Niels v]

We had a similar problem with a tyre for our Humber.

We also tried a jack underneath a centurion, the tire was so stuck that the centurion lifted in the suspension.

We started cutting it the same way with an angel grinder, bad smell and anoing burnt rubber, but we found it easier to cut it with a large bread knife.

[BillyH]

Try a good quality, fence post, cut to a wedge point, and bash it with a two handled post pounder. As the bead breaks away, apply some tyre soap. Or any lubricant, tyres scrap, so no worries about contamination or damage. good luck..

 

BillyH

[croc]

Too old for all this bashing and struggling, last puncture was a b**ger, as I've got a whole new set to put on I bought one of these NOS at Beltring, said to be the bogs dollocks by those who've used them on Explorer tyres. Works off your MV air tanks.

 

I got one of these and it is excelent, you need to work around the bead with it, in most cases it splits in one circuit, the most I have had to do was three circuits. Generally it takes longer to get the nuts undone than getting the tyre off. Next time I do one I will try to remember to take pictures.

[robin craig]

I am thinking that Jack and Joris and Lee should have a meeting and agree to take the HMVF tea fund profits and buy this for use by you heavy wheeled boys and when not in use it cold be on display in the club house bar.

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120828659066?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_500wt_1198

 

 

R

[Rangie]

Lots of good ideas here!!

 

My personal favourite is one of the rear jacks on my old JCB Mk1, bead-breaker extraordinaire!!

However, stuck and rotting heavy-ply tyres like that Matador's may be another story!! :wow:

 

 

Alec.

[Enigma]

If the tyres are beyond us just use a lot of WD40 or such between the rim and tyre.

It worked for me.