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clicknathan · 01-11-2013, 10:01 PM

Just bought a '76 Sovereign yesterday and have scoured the manual and searched the old Internet but alas, to little to no avail.

Is there a specific year or some other definite way to know if you've got split rims or not? The way some sites and threads talk about them, even looking at one the wrong way could result in immediate death.

I'm also curious at to whether folks think these hubcaps are originals or something else...but maybe the photo will clue someone in on the split rim status.

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noreen&sal · 01-12-2013, 04:28 AM

Unless its a dirt streak I think I see a split around 4 o'clock. The hubcaps are the same as my 81 Excella minus the blue center. Sal

r carl · 01-12-2013, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noreen&sal

Unless its a dirt streak I think I see a split around 4 o'clock. The hubcaps are the same as my 81 Excella minus the blue center. Sal

oh thats just a wheel weight.

clicknathan · 01-12-2013, 08:07 AM

I haven't looked at them closely yet (headed back over today to do some work on her), but they may have been painted. There's a painted blue stripe on the AS which, looking at other Sovereigns from the era, I would imagine is not original.

rumrunner · 01-12-2013, 09:16 AM

Doesn't look like a split rim. Split rims are a 2 piece construction which allowed side of the road tire changes for older vehicles. Very dangerous compared to modern designs since the rim flange can separate explosively when inflated if not seated properly. If you dont feel comfortable with your identification try looking at the valve stem, if its tubeless it's not a split rim. or you could take it to any local tire shop...
tim

Excella CM · 01-12-2013, 11:10 AM

Not a split rim.

vswingfield · 01-12-2013, 11:23 AM

I don't know when they stopped using split rims, but my 1967 Trade Wind didn't come with them.

I have the same hubcaps on my Excella, minus the blue center. Someone has painted the wheel blue to match, too.

Congratulations on getting the Sovereign. We'll want to see lots of photo, inside and out.

dlb435 · 01-12-2013, 12:23 PM

There is almost no chance of having a split rim. The NTSB outlawed these in the 1960's. This is the famous "exploding tire" urban ledgend. It wasn't the tires that blew up it was the split rim failure. I believe there were even some deaths related to this problem.
No tire company or business would ever mount a tire on one of these rims. Unless yor tires date back to the 1960's, I wouldn't worry.

Jammer · 01-12-2013, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlb435

There is almost no chance of having a split rim. The NTSB outlawed these in the 1960's. This is the famous "exploding tire" urban ledgend. It wasn't the tires that blew up it was the split rim failure. I believe there were even some deaths related to this problem.
No tire company or business would ever mount a tire on one of these rims. Unless yor tires date back to the 1960's, I wouldn't worry.

I had some 10.00x20 tires mounted on split rims 5 years ago. Not all shops will do it, but there are some who have a safety cage and suitable training who will, if the rims are in good condition.

Split rims are identifiable by a radial gap in the outermost portion of the rim.

I don't know what years they were used.

The hazard with them is during tire mounting and inflation. If you have tires in good condition under 10 years old on the rims I wouldn't worry too much until it is time to replace the tires. If you have split rims, a reputable tire shop will tell you what shape they're in and provide options for replacement.

Globie64 · 01-12-2013, 11:20 PM

I think this has been pretty well covered, but our 64 came with them. I would not use them even if the rubber is good- if something happened to a tire while on the road, you might be hard pressed to find someone who could fix it. In high school and a little afterward I worked in a gas station, in the late 70s, and repaired a lot of tires in those 4 years. I was warned by the station owner never, ever to work on a split rim as the rim could come off while inflating and decapitate someone. I found a pic that shows what a split looks like.

RickDavis · 01-13-2013, 01:00 AM

I don't know the exact years, but they were not on my 69 which was 3 years old when I bought it. They are/ were om my 64 and older trailers so the best I can do is that they stopped using them somewhere between 64 and 69.
A 76 would not have them

Foiled Again · 01-13-2013, 01:19 AM

60 minutes did an expose on split rims for tractor trailers many years ago.

It backed up what I'd heard from several mechanics. If a rim blows apart in a cage you're generally safe IF the rim stays in one piece. When the steel is old and rusty or has a hairline flaw/crack the rim can blow in several pieces. Back in the early 70's a local teenager was killed instantly when a piece of a rim blew out through the bars in the cage and went through his head.

"historically accurate" split rims? Worth the risk of hurting anyone? I'd opt for upgraded safe "in the spirit of".... (I also will opt to never use corncobs as "bathroom stationery" barring some event that ends civilization as we know it. Which would be really inconvenient as the computer revolution has done away with hard copy phone books and Sears Roebuck catalogs. )

Paula

alumascoupe · 01-13-2013, 02:09 AM

I can say my 66 has regular rims, this might be a more effectively answered by finding the few who had split rims and finding out what year trailer they were found on ?

RickDavis · 01-13-2013, 02:45 AM

If any one wants to be historically accurate I have about a dozen split rims that came off my trailers. They are free after you sign all the waivers.
On a more serious note, Carol's Dad was severely injured when putting air in a tire on a 16 inch light truck rim. The ring came off striking him in the chest and breaking his arm. The fall as it knocked him backwards did additional damage. Had there been any more air in it when it let go or had it hit him a little higher it could have been fatal.
They are best sent to the scrap yard

clicknathan · 01-13-2013, 03:05 PM

I am in not at all interested in historic accuracy. I actually prefer to rewrite history to fit my own ideas of how things went down (ie, all of our forefathers were hemp smoking hippies and Hell on Wheels is 100% factual).

I don't believe I have splits at this point, though my rims don't appear to be one solid piece either (new picture attached). Going to a tire shop tomorrow to verify everything.

Out of curiosity, is there a danger in inflating splits to top off on air pressure at the gas station or is this JUST when removing / replacing the entire tire?

I'm not usually so cautious and concerned but I watched this crazy video of these Russian guys who got into this giant hollow ball and rolled down a tubing slope...only to go off course and plummet over a cliff, killing one of them...which now has me realizing how dangerous things like sled riding and tire changing apparently are... :P

HiHoAgRV · 01-13-2013, 03:20 PM

One of my High School friends worked in a tire shop. He showed me what happened when a split rim let-go. It was on the tire machine and actually stripped the big cone-nut loose and then everything went thru the ceiling, ripping out 2x4's on the way.

No more split rims at that shop!!!

Frank's Trailer Works · 01-13-2013, 03:30 PM

Yes those are the original hubcaps.

vswingfield · 01-13-2013, 04:28 PM

See the wheel in post #10? The one with the outside rim pried loose and a pry bar under it. It's obviously multiple pieces. Even in use, multiple pieces. It is a split rim.

The wheel you have (the blue one in post #15) was made from more than one piece, but welded together so now you can only take it apart to one piece. (Not counting the clip-on tire weights, the bolts, and the tire valve.) It's not a split rim. It's a one piece wheel. Good news for you.

I have noticed that no one has come up with a definite "they used them until 19xx and then switched" piece of information, though.

Globie64 · 01-13-2013, 06:24 PM

Click, those are one piece wheels, the hub is welded to the rim part, but they're in one piece. pretty typical for older American cars and light trucks. The tabs are for a hubcap; 6 bolt, maybe they're original? It would be good to figure out if they're the correct ones, width and diameter. It might be that splits were outlawed when the first big auto safety rules came in in '66?

polarlyse · 01-13-2013, 07:01 PM

Repaired many, many flats during active Army duty in Vietnam. All of our truck tires had split rings. We did not have a cage when airing them up either. It was our practice that when we were inflating them we would flip them over and sit on the tire during the inflation process. You would hear a sharp snap when the ring seated and feel the tire jump. Only once in the numerous times did I see one of our guys flipped into the air several feet by a ring dislodging itself. No injuries but we were all aware of the risk and dangers. Not sure when they did away with them but good riddance.