Are these the widow-makers?

Hi,

Are these wheels the dreaded split-rim widow makers everyone says should be discarded or are these the safer lock-ring rims still used on larger trucks today?
Are these rims safe? I don't want one exploding in my face as I handle it.

Thanks.

Steve


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No, those are called "Lock ring" style wheels and are still made and in use today.

Take a look where the center is riveted to the rim and make sure there isn't rust pushing the two pieces apart between the rivets. I have some that are doing that and I'm going to have to find better wheels before I put the truck on the road.

I have worked and used these types of rims for quite a few years. They must be cleaned up good with a wire brush and carefully inspected for rust, cracks, wear, and size. They can be tricky beasts to re-assemble if you are unfamiliar with them. A good tire shop with "experienced" people should be able to inspect them and show you any defects if found. Some of the tire shops with inexperienced tire repair people will quickly say that they are - dangerous, illegal, unsafe, etc. but that is not really true unless there is a visible fault with them. The main problem I have seen is rust - and when cleaned up the removal of the accumulated rust can actually make the lock rings unusable and dangerous. I use the good tire grease on them which protects them from rust and moisture - to a degree. A tire cage, or at least a good strong chain wrapped through the tire and rim in at least two places held in place by a big padlock or bolts and washers is mandatory. ALSO - never attempt to air them up if you have run them for any distance when flat. I saw a fellow who was warned not to do that get a lock ring across his forehead when it let go. Sure woke him up in a hurry with a swollen noggin for being dumb! Most of these rims had a big rubber protector that cushioned the tube from the steel rim, - we called them gators, which usually collected all the rust and crap that corroded the metal. They usually needed replacing because they got quite brittle over time. The best part with these rims was you could repair them right in the backyard with a few tire bars and hammers and a good patch kit.

Chain is not a replacement for a safety cage/ Cages work by absorbing the energy released and deforming, like a modern guardrail on the interstate. Chain can not strech or deform and may break. Furthermore the chain must be left loose enough to remove once the tire is fully inflated, which allows the potential energy stored in the tire to become kinectic energy that must be absorbed and disapated. There is a very real risk that the chain will turn to shrapnel if the rim comes apart.
Far safer is to be sure the rim is in good shape, the tire, tube and rim are assembled properly, then to try a containe the energy after the fact.
Lock ring wheels, the tire bead is pushed OVER the lock ring when it is inflated, forceing it deeper into the lock groove. It takes less then 20 PSI to properly seat the bead, at which point there isn't enough stored energy to do any damage. Far better to inflate to 20 PSI inspect the assembly, if seated correctly, remove the valve core, and infate to at least 80% of max, then completely deflate, install valve core and re-inflate. This is the correct procedure for tube type tire. Very few do it this way. I have NEVER EVER lost a tire/rim assembly by following these procedures, and run tube types on my seemi over the road.
Safety cages are a supposed to be a extra level of protection to protect people from those who don't follow correct procedure, too often they have become the 1st and only level of protection because all the other procedures are not followed, the tire is assembled on the rim, and rolled into the cage, then infated to max.... the problem is there is no way to be sure it will stay asssembled when rolled out. Far better to KNOW it is assembled properly before dangerous amount of stored energy is placed in the assembly.
Your best form of safety is knowing how, why and what propely assembled wheel looks like, and makeing sure it is properly assembled every time.
For years, wheels were assembled without cages, and for the most part, they stayed together.
The one BIG execption is the Firestone RH 5 deg wheel (widowmaker), these can be very hard to tell if assembled correctly, and can be damaged by poor handleing and not show it. I would not work on these without a cage, and really doing everything I could to replace them with lock-ring style.

To illustrate, here are two pics of the RH5 'widowmaker' wheels-

Quite different from a lock ring wheel.

Dean

Well now you have me wondering if I will be impaled when I remove these for paint. I don think I have an interior lip within the rim. Can anyone confirm from this picture, or do I need to go look?

Your driver's side front wheel is definitely a lock ring. The others are likely to be the same. See if they match.

I think I am correct in saying that the widowmakers were originally put on trucks older than yours.

Dean

RH 5 deg wheels are only made in disk (Budd) style. Spoke wheels can not be RH 5 deg semi drop center, as the drop center would not clear the spoke. So no worrys if you have spokes.

I was just looking at an RH 5 wheel today but I didn't have my camera to post a picture here.