I was thinking the same thing. They are still in production and used on new vehicles. Take a look at med. duty UD and Hino trucks. Tube type split bead wheels.

I hat e to work on those

 

Regardless of the current use, I don't believe that they can outlaw the use of original equipment wheels. Just like the lack of seatbelts in pre-1966 Chevy pickups or the use of single taillights in 1940's vintage vehicles or lack of emissions equipment on older vehicles. Not sure about retrofitting them to later model vehicles though. That may be where the current use comes into play if it's even an issue.

 

I stand corrected gentlemen, split ring rims in 19.5, 22.5 are still available and are not illegal for use. I asked 2 dot officers and got 2 different answers, so I called my tire guy and asked him, he stated he won't touch them at all if they are rusted, new ones he said he will mount all day long. He also told me that they are more than double the price of a regular bud replacement rim.

My apology for the incorrect information in my original post.


Tim

 

Thx for all the info. I ended up finding some used aluminum ricksons. The whole vehicle was for sale and I got him to part with just the wheels in trade for my Ford Alcoas with Toyo M/T + cash.

 

Any pics of these on a SRW?

 

Gee that's funny.......there are still hundreds of thousands of old grain trucks, gravel trucks, fire trucks and camperized buses etc still running their original split ring rims. Got one right here at work today. The tire shops around here still work on them. They don't LIKE to, but they do.

Where are they illegal?

 

I wouldn't say there are hundreds of thousands of trucks running them. You must have missed my last post, just a couple above yours, besides, any company that still runs a split rim needs to get out of the dark ages, you can get Bud replacement rims for less than $200.00 each.


Tim

 

I wasn't trying to rag on you.........and I did miss your other post.

I wasn't referring to companies..........I'm talking farmers and other private owners..........every farmer I know has 3 or 4 old grain trucks running split rims. When I farmed I had four of them, plus two semi tractors with them, and three semi-trailers. Four times six, plus two times ten, plus three times eight.......equals 72 rims to replace for no good reason than to be out of the dark ages. And BUDD rims are closer to 500 here in Canada. Seventy-two times 500 = 36,000 dollars? Plus labour? For no earthly reason other than to get out of the "dark ages"? Hmmmmmm, The truck I was referring to at work is a fire pumper, a 1973 IH Loadstar 1600 with 1600 original miles on it. Why fix what ain't broke?

 

No problem, I did not take it like you were ragging on me, I am not ragging on you either. My points are strictly from a safety point of view, the last thing I would imply would be to bankrupt a hard working farmer, (replace as necessary). We had them on an 84 Pierce pump that we keep in reserve at my f/t job, they got changed out last year simply because of age.


Tim

 

I second this motion. What ever happened?

 

Well the set I was looking for came off a 60's Chevy C30. They were 19.5" split ring rims with 8R19.5 tires on there. I don't think they could mount a wider tire cept 225/70R19.5 due to their width. (Narrow) I have seen them out and about on one other rig personally but it is my guess that they are extremely RARE. The guy that was selling them was only asking like 100 for five with tires. I was going to make a deal but then he backed out and said that "his son decided not to sell them". This was on sacramento craigslist, and the wheels were in Davis, CA.

 

Nest time I am down in the Goshen and Nappanee IN area I am going to roll into the plant where the UPS, Canada Post and some of the other courier trucks are finished and ask about the 19.5 dually wheels.

Scotty

 

Ask about the 8 lug X 6.5" bolt circle 19.5 SRW rims too on those small UPS trucks... Those would sell like hotcakes.

 

I know that this is a pretty old post but I will reply anyway: These 19.5"x5.25" camper rims, as they were nicknamed in the 60's, were available as both a one piece and as the split rim style depending on the year of manufacture. They are very cool for a resto but totally inappropriate for a modern vehicle, just to narrow.

About 35-40 years ago 60 Minutes did a story on TV about the safety issues of the tire industry because a few technicians working on split rim tires were getting seriously injured or killed by split rims coming apart on them. The story was about what happens when the equipment and training needed to repair these tires SAFELY is not used or not available. One young man was decapitated, probably by a split ring exploding off of a large commercial tire he was pressurizing with no cage around the tire. It was a disturbing and memorable story. This became wide public knowledge across all of the USA and Canada after that, which probably fueled the rumor that these rims were illegal to use.

My 65 GMC still uses split rims and I have no problem having them on the road or getting tires installed, and the same went for my International 5 ton 15 years ago, my 67 Chevy half ton & 73 F250 30 years ago etc.

This is just a rumor that has been floating around since before we were all on the internet however it is not true. I remember hearing this as far back as the late 70's. I believe it likely came from people speculating on why truck manufacturers were all switching to one piece rims 45-50 years ago, heavy trucks took longer to make the change. This actually has more to do with the advent of cheaper and safer tubeless rims and radial tires, not the law. These newer designs offered a big jump in passenger vehicle safety, ride comfort, driving performance and fuel economy, the same is true for commercial trucks, there have been many more tire improvements in the last 40 years but that does not make older styles illegal. Imagine if we never upgraded our tire technology and we were all still driving on tubed rims and glass belted bias ply tires with hard rubber compounds and thick heavy stiff sidewalls. Or how about the old solid rubber tires from 100 years ago

So far I have not seen anyone quote a specific written law in the USA or Canada. When ever I have seen this comment pop up online, and then asked, the only evidence available for this being legitimate has been that people heard it from someone else, not that they personally ever read the law on the books themselves or that their vehicle was ever impounded or that they were fined by DOT or the cops. I have seen knowledgeable people on websites like this confirm that there is no such written law that they have ever found. I have never seen a written law prohibiting these rims from being used. I have asked a DOT officer that I knew for information and was told it was NOT prohibited. The fact of the matter is that the DOT law does not prohibit any original manufactured equipment or original equipped vehicles from being on the road. No DOT weigh scale officer or cop ever said my split rims were illegal and to remove them, no tire shop ever refused me service unless they were a non-commercial shop and not equipped to do so (and I think that has only ever happened once with my pickup but never on my 5 ton). Today there are still pickups and commercial trucks on the road with split rims. I have never heard a friend with a pickup or commercial truck being told by a tire shop that they will not change these tires or that they are not permitted to use them on the road.

The USA and Canada generally have similar or identical laws for DOT because Canadians and Americans cross the border in cars, trucks and commercial trucks by the thousands every single day of the year so it would make no sense to have vastly different laws.

 

Just had a trailer come in the shop with split ring buds on it. Replacements no longer available.