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Posted

I've got some spare Torq Thrust wheels that could looks similar to those wheels if painted the right color and weathered of course along with running over the wheels with a lawnmower...

Guest Johnny
Posted

Not cracked! That is a split rim! A two piece wheel. That split is so you can get the ring on and off!

Dangerous things when doing tire repairs! Saw a guy lose a hand to one(he wasn't using the cage correctly) and another at the truck stop got killed when one blew off the ring and hit him under the chin!(he wasn't using the cage at all!)

Posted
  On 6/27/2011 at 9:39 PM, Johnny said:

Not cracked! That is a split rim! A two piece wheel. That split is so you can get the ring on and off!

Dangerous things when doing tire repairs! Saw a guy lose a hand to one(he wasn't using the cage correctly) and another at the truck stop got killed when one blew off the ring and hit him under the chin!(he wasn't using the cage at all!)

60 Minutes had a story on these type of wheels way back in the 1970s or 1980s. Guys where getting killed when they inflated these things and the weld failed. I thought they outlaw them.

Posted

spyders were always the more common tyre ,rim combo here in Australia but seems as though the aluminum 10 hole alcoa is now the prefered type seen on our roads less weight etc but yes they are dangerous i had splitrims on the old land cruiser not anymore

most AMT/ERTL mack kits came out with spyders and i think the road boss and old gmc kits did as well

Posted
  On 6/27/2011 at 9:39 PM, Johnny said:

Not cracked! That is a split rim! A two piece wheel. That split is so you can get the ring on and off!

Dangerous things when doing tire repairs! Saw a guy lose a hand to one(he wasn't using the cage correctly) and another at the truck stop got killed when one blew off the ring and hit him under the chin!(he wasn't using the cage at all!)

  On 6/27/2011 at 11:10 PM, chuckyr said:

60 Minutes had a story on these type of wheels way back in the 1970s or 1980s. Guys where getting killed when they inflated these things and the weld failed. I thought they outlaw them.

Those are good examples why those old split rims were called "widowmakers".

By the way, there are also spoke wheels like that in the Revell AG Kenworth Australia W900.

Posted
  On 6/27/2011 at 11:27 PM, matilda66 said:

spyders were always the more common tyre ,rim combo here in Australia but seems as though the aluminum 10 hole alcoa is now the prefered type seen on our roads less weight etc but yes they are dangerous i had splitrims on the old land cruiser not anymore

most AMT/ERTL mack kits came out with spyders and i think the road boss and old gmc kits did as well

You can't use aluminum in the Outback or can you?? Just asking. Seems to me those will not last long.

Posted

Looking for photos of 17" split rim wheels for a Chevy 1 ton I ran across a lot of discussions on split rims.

Personally I think they all sound scary, but based on the comments I read the "widowmaker" nickname applies to a specific style of split rim that literally splits the rim in half, these are illegal now. The types with a removable rim like that pictured are obsolete but relatively safe and not illegal, although many tire shops won't touch them.

Guest Johnny
Posted
  On 6/30/2011 at 6:30 PM, Aaronw said:

Looking for photos of 17" split rim wheels for a Chevy 1 ton I ran across a lot of discussions on split rims.

Personally I think they all sound scary, but based on the comments I read the "widowmaker" nickname applies to a specific style of split rim that literally splits the rim in half, these are illegal now. The types with a removable rim like that pictured are obsolete but relatively safe and not illegal, although many tire shops won't touch them.

Yes these are still in use more than they really should be. Most on old dump trailers. That is what they were on at the sod farm I drove for! Most places have either retired the vehicles that were using them or changed them over!

It is almost impossible to fins a tire service around here that will touch them.

BTW these types of wheels were referred to as widowmakers!

Posted

We were taught about these in school, but I knew I would never get the chance to mess with them. From the stories I've heard, I don't feel like I'm missing out either. :lol:

Posted

Thank you guys for all the replies... I think to go with the Aaronw link. Those wheels looks the close to match the one in the pic.

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