Been a truck mechanic for a year now. Dumb corporate video trainings never really explained this properly. But you, a guy I've never met, filming in your shed five years ago, made it very clear 1) how to mount and dismount these scary bastards safely and 2) why they're scary. Thank you. If i run into these at my job, i *might* take a crack at dismounting them but I'll try to persuade my customer into getting more modern rims haha.

I used to work on these many moons ago. We were told to use the cage but ignored it. One day we had a visit by someone who showed us a picture of what happened when a tyre fitter at another depot was hammering the ring whilst leaning over the wheel inflating it. There was an impression in the roof that looked like a gingerbread man had gone through it. Yes folks, it launched the guy right through the roof and the roof was at least 30 ft high! We used the cage from then on alright!

@mann_idonotreadreplies

Жыл бұрын

You have one Extra finger so you're Good without a Cage

One of my first jobs was repairing large truck tires. I survived hundreds of them. I count my blessings!

Split rims look at lot less dangerous with a puppy on them =D

@snowwhite7677

5 жыл бұрын

Exactly! How can they be dangerous? There is a cute little puppy on them. =8

@jamesbarnhartsr5745

5 жыл бұрын

That is NOT a split rim. It is a split ring. They are completely different things. I am 71 yrs old and drove trucks for almost 40 yrs.

your dog is awesome. He ain't having none of that widowmaker crap. Dangerous? take a nap on it.

@fredde88888888

6 жыл бұрын

Awesome puppy, the breed in the video is bad ass. You can get them of Chuck Norris

@paulgascoigne5343

6 жыл бұрын

Puppy power!! Flying through the air at 100mph.. my dog would do the same haha

The US Army used this type of rim on wheeled vehicles from 3/4 ton to 10 ton trucks and their trailers until 1980.Changed 100s of them. Had one blow up in a cage, made both sides bow out and it ripped one of the anchors from the cement floor.

@MrBioniclefan1

6 жыл бұрын

Dang those rims have a lot of power.

@mr.klutchrednose2700

5 жыл бұрын

SILENT KILLER'S 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾.... THEY LOOK SO INNOCENT

@fredboat

5 жыл бұрын

My 1985 AM General M923a1 has them and so far so good,There alot of heavy truck tire shops here in south Texas and some won't service them,but most do. Thanks

@johndowe7003

5 жыл бұрын

@@fredboat what part of south texas are you in man, i got a MV too, located in duval county :D

@fredboat

5 жыл бұрын

@@johndowe7003 77429

You've saved lives today by making this video and narrating true importance of split-rimmed tire handling and safety. Thank you for your care and diligence.

"The split rim is extremely dangerous"....Puppy walks over and lays on split rim while eating paper. LOL.

@TBO207

6 жыл бұрын

blipco5 it was uninflated

@blipco5

6 жыл бұрын

+adam baller ...I know. Cute puppy.

@gorillaau

6 жыл бұрын

Puppies disarms all dangers.

@frankdavidson9675

2 жыл бұрын

split ring rim is bad boy

I work on lock ring wheels on a weekly basis here in central California. They're actually not as dangerous as people are lead to believe. You'll regularly find them on trailers and forklifts. The wheels you need to be afraid of are the center split wheels, those are really dangerous.

@ChristisLord2023

2 жыл бұрын

The center split are the ones that are called widow maker. These are not.

@frankdavidson9675

2 жыл бұрын

if you ever see one buried into a wall you change your tune it only take one death to make them dangerous i would not brag too much about it

@travishouse6295

2 жыл бұрын

@@frankdavidson9675 well if you had one shoot off into a wall it was probably because you didn't know what you were doing. I've worked on hundreds of them and never had a problem, you just have to know what you're doing.

Fantastic video! I have always heard about these (and their reputation) but never had to work with one. Interesting and useful information and the best look at split rim wheels I've seen!

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, I figured people would have heard of or seen them, but it would be well worth showing how they go together.

@captainamerica9028

2 жыл бұрын

@@Aussie50 Thanks for the great video. Years ago a guy I used to know was hit in the head with one of these exploding rings and it put him in a coma. He was never the same after that and had permanent brain damage.

When I was a kid, I saw a split rim fail. The mechanic had fixed our flat and everything looked kosher (I had watched this procedure before). He put it in the cage and started airing the tire up. Young and naive as well as curious, this time I asked him why he was doing that and he said it was a safety measure. After a while of inflating the tire there was an extremely loud "BANG', and I saw the cage fly about 3 feet forward. Big cloud of dust, and a frozen mechanic. Needless to say, I developed a profound respect for split rims that day (the cage weighed 300#). Only saw that failure once, but I guarantee I'll never forget it. Good explanation. Keep spreading the word because these kinds of knowledge tend to be forgotten unless someone keeps that knowledge alive.

This isn't what i think of when someone says widowmaker. A widowmaker was a rim that had almost two equal halves. That split in the center around the middle of the of the inside of the rim. And were prone to failure when ever they felt like it. They are rare, and should never be used or repaired. Toss them in the bin/garbage. But great video on the mounting/dismounting of a split rim and the dangers associated with them.

@JoelRSmith

6 жыл бұрын

Exactly. I worked at a tire shop & what you're saying is what I learned.

@halberto9o8

5 жыл бұрын

@@JoelRSmith Yes, that's what I was taught was a split rim (widowmaker). The one in the video we called a split "ring", not nearly as dangerous.

@silent_bob_

5 жыл бұрын

Firestone RH-5. Yowza.

@ty2010

4 жыл бұрын

They're still used on heavy equipment, let the air out before even touching the hub bolts.

You gave a good explanation of split rims, split ring rims, and split ring rims with lock ring. I have heard the term "split rim" used for several years and now I know what this means. Also, I was not aware this type of rims were also used on tractors and other types of machines with wheels other then trucks. Thanks from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Good video, thanks for the detailed explanation, I learned something new.

@fohdeesha

6 жыл бұрын

RODALCO2007 funny seeing you here :)

@Drakey_Fenix

6 жыл бұрын

Are you gonna use a split rim to kill wasps?

@gregpennicuik5314

5 жыл бұрын

RODALCO2007 ñ

Small releases of compressed gases are normally harmless, except if of rectal origin..

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

haha yeh that dog of mine could burn the eyes out of a cat with her small discharges :p

@903strikerunit

6 жыл бұрын

Specially if said rectal gases have been contained under pressure for a while Adds some extra chemical reactions once released to the atmosphere

good to have your video's back. now if PhotonicInduction came back to KZread id be a very happy bunny

@stonedsavage7814

6 жыл бұрын

BillyNoMates1974 he is gone to never come back im afraid as the last i heard from him he is in india with a new wife.

@BillyNoMates1974

6 жыл бұрын

if thats the case, his company is still trading

@WineScrounger

6 жыл бұрын

Stoned Savage I know he got married but hadn't heard from him since. With Indian electrics as they are he should have no shortage of capers.

@NCRranger24

6 жыл бұрын

I disliked your comment for correcting him

I have heard of these rims before, but never actually knew what made them prone to failure, thanks for the info and glad to see you making more regular content again! Cheers!

@disgruntled181

6 жыл бұрын

Split rims are not prone to failure, they work just fine but can be dangerous if you do not know how to perform maintenance on them.

@98triffid

6 жыл бұрын

There's nothing dangerous about them when seated and they have advantages over "modern" tires since you can make the rubber a lot thicker for more load/wear capacity. It's the mounting bit that's a bit dicey unless you take precautions.

@christianmagno984

4 жыл бұрын

They are not prone to failure! Just need to do the job properly! They are the best design.

My first job at 14 years old taking these apart in the wrecking yard, this takes me back. cheers

love that dog. should do a video of just the dog.

@JamesSpeiser

6 жыл бұрын

hahaha puppy

That was really interesting, thanks for that. The likelihood of me personally ever having to do anything with this technology is slim, but it's still good to know.

Like you said at the end of the video very safe when fitted correctly and maintained properly. The best advice is this, playing with things you know nothing about can be dangerous. Split rims and tubed tyres are still around these day for a good reason. Tubeless tyres have their place but are not for all applications.

I only became aware of the "widowmaker" reputation these rims have when watching a recent "Roadkill" video featuring "Stubby Bob", their wheelie-pulling 50s truck. At the time I was sorry they´d removed the split rims because I liked the look of them and wrongly imagined that the danger the Roadkill guys mentioned came from a risk of the rims self-splitting at speed. Thanks for setting me straight .

@plumbingstuffinoregon2471

5 жыл бұрын

Del350K4 That was a great episode! And I felt the exact same way!

So, this is the Australian AvE.

@counterfit5

6 жыл бұрын

Synystr7 he's easier to understand than AvE

@Synystr7

6 жыл бұрын

Well for you maybe, but I can understand all the Canadianisms perfectly fine... being Canadian and all.

@paulwizzall

6 жыл бұрын

Im not Canadian, but his vernacular is easy to get used to. Fuckin hilarious.

@chaytonruijsenaars3971

6 жыл бұрын

this guys videos are older than aves, i remember aves first video that i know of is an anvil mounted to a stack of wood but this guy has been spinning chunks of metal in washing machines and working on motors and random stuff for longer than i can remember

@rafaelrjarquin

6 жыл бұрын

counterfit5 not for me, I'm French canadian,, ave I understand but this dude not

Call them whatever you want. About 15 years ago was changing out tire on a forklift,wheels were similar.Very careful to make sure that every thing was put together properly,put tire in a safety cage.I had a habit then of inflating the tire to about 25 or 30 psi without the tire valve installed.After doing this inflated tire to operating pressure,100 psi.Waited a few minutes,pressure blew the assembly apart,with enough force to damage the safety cage.No one hurt but cage was scrapped..Those two piece bolt together wheels can suprise you,trick I used to use was when we fixed a flat to only inflate to about half pressure,put tire on machine,after tightening all lug nuts,inflate tire to normal pressure.

Worked with these back in the late 80's & early 90's. Once (while installing) made the error of keeping the locking ring at it's place with hand and hammering it with another - pinched the skin at the palm of my hand quite nicely...

If you don't have a cage or chains you can inflate a split rim by putting it split rim side to the ground and sliding it under the chassis of your truck ,stand behind the wheel that is still on the truck then inflate ,but only if you have not other options not recommended but in an emergency you do what you have to do to get home ,good vid mate cheers

That's an awesome design. Being able to change tyres with minimal equipment is a huge advantage, and if the band is on the outside, you wouldn't even need to remove it from the vehicle. Obviously there are some safety points to take note of, but due care, caution and proper following of procedures are things most people could do with a bit of incentivized practice in.

@mann_idonotreadreplies

Жыл бұрын

It's a shit design

That is really useful. For some reason, I was under the impression that split ring wheels were only dangerous when fitting the ring back with the tyre on the wheel until watching this video. Very enlightening.

When I was 18, I worked for a school bus company. They had me mount dozens of tires for their annual summer maintenance. Never told me about the dangers. Never even told me that they owned a tire cage. It was outside piled up with junk on the side of the garage. All of my rims went together nicely except for one... the bead seated at about 60 psi and it jumped a couple feet off the floor. It did not blow apart, but I realize now how close I came to a life changing or life ending injury. Thanks for the detailed video!

chassis for freight transport still use them regularly in the US

Ah yes... He's back! I have only heard about 'split rims' once and that they were bad but this was in reference to the two piece rims that bolt together... I think. Now I know there are two very different things by this same term. I don't work on vehicles but I always want to know what's going on (mechanically) with everything critical to keeping our every day world running. And thanks to youtube (and the like), one can see this potential energy being suddenly released in the real world... As you say there are lots of 'widdow makers'

Just heard the sad news, having a beer for you mate and enjoying some of your videos. RIP

This was very helpful. I've recently purchased a 1971 5 ton Army truck so I'll have to deal with these at some point. Forgive me, but in my head, I just kept hearing your voice say "It's the last of the V-8 Interceptors!"

DUDE it's so nice where you live, currently hitting -38°c here in Canada can't even get into the shop to do anything, keep uploading these videos!

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

Ouch!, stay warm mate!, its 42*c today, just as dangerous as -38, if not more so.!

@DeadlyVoltsHD

6 жыл бұрын

Aussie50 surprisingly we only get up to 30÷ in the summer but I find some shade and a nice breeze makes it bearable, drink lots man I'm sure the temperature increasing is due to the ozone layer decreasing here hot 4 years ago was 22+ now the avg is 25-28+ and that doesn't sound like a lot but some days have hit +35 mid summer so I'm pretty sure that's a fine example global warming so to speak

@noone-nd4ml

6 жыл бұрын

AustinAutomotive going to be -40 with the wind in SK

@Doubledunk

6 жыл бұрын

AustinAutomotive lol ozone layer isnt decreasing, seperate issue to global warming. Ozone layer was getting really shitty until everyone got together decided to stop using the chemicals that contributed to it e.g. CFC's in aerosols. But youre right temperatures are generally, relatively increasing very rapidly every year with temperature records every year in some places. Luckily I think the 'market' may save us - getting say a 5kw solar panel system on your home is actually economical now especially with the crazy and continually rising power prices. Batteries to accompany it will be economical in ~3 years but the tech is already here look at tesla powerwall 2 but is a bit pricey.

Seen the design before, never changed one. Can understand how they'd be useful out in the boondocks though, change out your tube or tyre with only a small tyre lever, hammer and a compressor. No tyre machine needed, no fighting against the sidewall with multiple tyre levers/prybars. I have enough trouble changing out motorcycle tyres without a tyre machine.

@jusb1066

6 жыл бұрын

yep thats the reason, no weird big tools, tyre iron and effort, not exactly possible to be towing around a bead breaker then a thing to seat the bead and inflate it fast to seal it

@wyattlewis8671

6 жыл бұрын

T I R E

@cjeam9199

6 жыл бұрын

Wyatt Lewis Well go to sleep earlier then.

@wyattlewis8671

6 жыл бұрын

cjeam The rubber thing that goes on a wheel to support a vehicles weight and provide traction is called a tire. Not tyre.

@cjeam9199

6 жыл бұрын

Wyatt Lewis No it’s called a tyre. When you work all day changing tyres you start to tire and then you need a break. Tyres go on cars. Tire is getting worn out.

Yeah, been working on tires forever. About seven years at this point. Enough pressure and one of these will take your head off. Split ring wheels same thing. I've seen a 22.5 blow out somewhere north of 180lbs of pressure, not properly restrained. It hit the guy working on it and knocked him about fifty feet back and ricochet into the rafters. Lucky it didn't kill him. The closest I came, personally, was a 17.5 for a wood chipper. The customer wanted it inflated, didn't tell me that someone hit something big enough, hard enough, to unseat the bead on a tire rated for 125psi. I got somewhere north of 90 psi and started getting a death rip. That weird ripping/popping sound a tire makes when the cords in the sidewall start breaking. If you have ever heard it you will know what I am talking about. That was a tense day.

Good to see you back Ed

i fuckin love Australia, its like ohio in the pacific, everyone is nice and knows their shit

@MrTheHillfolk

6 жыл бұрын

bensevrywere I noticed that when I lived there, now that I’m elsewhere 😬👍🏻

@4thGloryMonday

6 жыл бұрын

gun laws suck though

@billrowse2266

6 жыл бұрын

John Doe They're also good when you take into account our lack of mass shootings and massacres......

@bensevrywere

6 жыл бұрын

Bill Rowse y’all just had two in 2014, plus some other mass killing. Australia is great but get off your high horse dawg

@billrowse2266

6 жыл бұрын

John Doe Fuck mate, to be honest I don't give a shit what it is, but for whatever reason we seem to be doing a ton better than America. I think our gun laws are a bit fucked to be honest but if it's not broken then why fix it

Those are not widowmakers. Widowmakers do not have a lock ring, there are actually 2 wheel halves that snap together. Those are simple lock ring split rims...still serviceable at most truck shops and pretty safe. You do still want to use caution when mounting tires on them, but as long as the ring is installed properly, there is no problem at all

I see that this is the later, "deep skirt"lock ring, which was much safer than the earlier narrow skirt type. Generally, as long as the components were clean, undamaged, and visually in position, they were safe to inflate, especially in the field. That said, bear in mind that you have to bat 1000 every time this is done. Therefore a cage or chain is very important in inflation. Failure is incredibly rare, but incredibly consequential, even in a cage. Makes you wish you had waxed paper in your shorts. Stay safe.

An Aussie's life is incomplete without a little buddy.

@RockabillyRambler

6 жыл бұрын

Nighthawke70 aussie? More like EVERY life....dogs are literaly the best!

Thank you very much. You have a good way of explaining things. Good job and thanks again.

I used to change these back in the 1970's using a wedge headed sledge hammer. We worked under what was essentially a very high car port type roof. The guy that was training me took me out to the work site and said "Look up". I did and there was a 16 inch 1/2 moon shape cut in the roof that was 20 feet in the air. He told me that the tire that that lock ring came off from only had 20 lbs or pressure in it and it took the top of my predecessor's head "slap off". 20 pounds doesn't sound like much but it is 20 pounds PER SQUARE INCH for every square inch if surface area of the tire front, back and tread. If there's 500 square inches on the tire, that's a total of 10,000 pounds of total pressure. I don't know how many square inches there are in a 10.00 X 20 tractor trailer tire but I know that there's a bunch of them. He said if the guy had lived, he would have been fired for not using a safety cage and I will be too if they catch me not using one. Years before this, my brother worked at a gas station. He said a truck stopped in for air in a tire. The driver began putting air in and BOOM!!! The ring came off and took his fingers with it.

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

oh yeh these things are no joke, the one I have in the video is the safer of the designs, some are worse, especially the non-split ring wheels where you push it over to one side and it just hangs in there. in good order with no rust they are not bad, but once you deal with worn and rusted old ones, they do not hold together as well and can fly apart.

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

I had a similar discussion with a friend about hydraulic pressure and the steel I was using, over a large area 5000psI would burst the steel I was using, but over 1/2" on the tube I was using, it was 1/4 of the bursting pressure, tires and other pressure vessels are no different, even a car tire bursting at 30psi is enough to ruin your day!.

Those ones are dangerous, but the two piece rims with no split in the lock rim are really scary. These type were on International harvester 1 tons and others in the 50's. Good video Thanks Aussie50

The true widow maker was the split rim where the locking lip was around the central circumference of the rim and as such not visible to see if a correct lock had been achieved. Compared to them, these split ring rims are safer if correct procedures and maintenance are observed. Most tyres these days are designed for tubeless rims and the internal of the carcass is left with a rough finish which wear out a inner tube causing punctures and a safety issue in it self. The tubes themselves are being produced at a lower standard depending on what country they are manufactured and also a safety issue. To me the authorities have let their guards down with standards of tubed tyres which I consider was a better wheel for remote outback travel, but maybe not now.

We use have a 3 piece rim. Inter outer and lock ring. We would wrap them wit a chain and then slide them under the old type of lift. We would lock the air hose to them and fill to 100PSI watching a gauge and with a valve on the inside of another room From that room we would break the air line loose and let all the air out. With no pressure we would got and check the lock ring. tap it a bit and go back to filling (in the other room). Fill, let out and fill again. If you ever had one break loose on the tractor you would know why to fill and let out 2 times. We were lucky the one time it happen it was the inside tirea fter we had it all bolted up

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

I have never seen or used a 3 piece, but I have heard the same story over and over again, those are true widowmakers!

@kennethhall1270

6 жыл бұрын

Allan C

@cmans79tr7

6 жыл бұрын

Good point. IF the need should ever arise (unlikely for me), I would wrap a chain or rope around the tire, through the rim, on two sides, then if the ring should pop, the force would be against the chain/rope and wouldn't go flying unless the chain/rope broke.

@alanbrown397

6 жыл бұрын

A lot of places put them in a welded steel cage for testing/inflation. This really is the safest option as it means all pieces are contained. There are a bunch of tutorials on them, like this old one at kzread.info/dash/bejne/qqKtyplxp83AYdI.html Ideally you'd want to have that setup outdoors and venting against angled steel plates a couple of feet from the cage which direct the blast harmlessly upwards - like the berms around explosive stores do.

"A slow release of compressed gas is pretty much harmless." You've never been around me after chili dog night.

I believe field serviceability of heavy duty tires was always the reason for spit rims, from trucks to farm tractors etc.. I run tubes all 4 wheels on my old '54 Dodge M37, but it's wheels are split WWII military wheels that are held together by a ring of 1/2" bolts, not a clip ring. The advantage is I can easily pull a tube and patch or replace it or change a tire anywhere with tools I carry in the truck. I have a small compressor in the truck as well, mainly for powering the front and rear ARB lockers, but for tire inflation as well..

The original widowmaker rims were the Ford two piece rims used in the 1940's-'50's. The rim shown here is the split ring type, which still is dangerous. Most tire shops won't work on a two piece or split ring type wheel for insurance purposes.

It wasn't called the window maker. It was called a California rim or a suicide rim. My dad had a tire shop on 4th & Grand in Santa Ana. It was huge, passenger department 2 alignment pits and a truck dept. where we made hot cap retreads. When I was 11 years old me and my brother went with my Dad to deliver tires on the Camp Pendleton base. While unloading there was someone sitting on a 1100/22.5 while airing it up. They hold 120lbs psi. He was inside a warehouse the rafters were 35 feet above ground. When it exploded I would estimate his hang time at one and a half seconds. That's how long his body stuck to the ceiling before falling. Our tire shop was on forth street. At one point my dad had a 1200/24 leaning against the brick wall. Swinging the hammer to hit the far side of the lock ring when it blew. He started with a 24 lb hammer. After it blew it shaved the skin off his thumb knuckle and left 5 inches of wood in his hand. (no pun intended) the ring flew across the street hitting a passing ford fairlane in the rear corner panel spinning the car sideways the ring then went on to take a corner of the liquor store building out. Worst accident at the shop was the manager airing up one of those little wheel barrow tires those are lethal the rim split and hit him right in the face. Everyone thought he was dead he broke everything above his sternum.

@mperhaps

6 жыл бұрын

No one died at the shop. Jose the manager pulled through. Those wheel barrow tires are very dangerous. The split rim accidents at the shop did not result in death. The guy at Camp Pendleton? He very very died. He died before hitting the ceiling, which he did at tremendous velocity. The safety videos from General Tire show an 1100 series tire set underneath a 68 Ford Squire Station wagon which in itself is a Sherman tank. For demonstration purposes they aired it up with a warped lock ring. It lifted the car 12 feet. Next time you have a chance walk around one of those big tires and mentally try and count how many square inches of surface there are. Then imagine 120 pounds pushing out on every inch. That's a hellava cannon.

@mann_idonotreadreplies

Жыл бұрын

Cool story bro

Interesting stuff. Mythbusters did some impressive tyre failures in the earlier eps, outlining the risks improperly fitted tyres can pose

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

Absolutely, I loved the tire-tread chucker that simulated getting hit by a piece of tread at speed!

Some of the three piece versions still lurk around as well, especially heavy equipment, like fork lift trucks, but a few old dump trucks etc use similar, and I have seen them on an old motorhome. Know some guys who once replaced a ring and pinion in a big old dump truck and it came back with a rattle. When it rolled in, they noted it was not coming from the center where they did most of the work, but from one of the dual tires or hubs. so they removed the wheels and "Hey, there is the problem! It has an extra rim ring rattling in between the wheels." Then they looked at the wheel they pulled off, and its lack of a rim ring holding the still fully inflated tire onto the rim. Someone kicked it and it rolled into the yard to fall over, bad side down, of course. Talk about puckering up. "What do we do now?" One pulled a pistol out and said "Tell them they need to pay for a tire repair" and shot it so it deflated. The rim and bead had enough rust to hold them together at 100psi and the ring was walked out by the rust caused by mud and salt used on the roads. Fixing the worn R&P and using the beast again likely worked it the rest of the way loose. They never pulled the wheels for their work, so they had no chance of catching it before.

Yes, very good vid. Thanx for taking the time to explain what it is, and thanx also for making a good, simple video showing the pro's/con's of the dreaded Split Rim. I live in the States and very rarely do I personally ever come across any of these, but I've always heard the seniors talk about the "good ole times" when the Split Rim was alot more common. ...They've also regaled us with the horror stories of the old days when these things caused alot of concern (and alotta damage).

Split rims are still common in America, especially for trucks in the 2-5 ton range. This type of wheel is stronger and more durable then standard rims. I worked in a shop for 30 years and our tire man never had one blow because he followed a few simple safety rules. He was also adamant about cleaning the rims and rings with a power wire brush, and using rim lube when installing them. Once, a mechanic was trying to change a tire and used a 16 inch tire instead of a 16.5 inch tire! I stopped him, explained what he was doing wrong and advised him to wait until our tire man returned from lunch!

Still running these on my 1970 Winnebago!

Very well done video! Our family friend had a tire shop and required that they used a cage when dealing with these types of wheels. Unfortunately, one of his techs realized that he could swap tires quicker if he didn't use the cage. One day, his luck ran out when the wheel failed, it launched him into the ceiling, killing him instantly. Our friend had served in the military and said the only time he had seen a similar scene was when a soldier stepped on an IED. It truly amazes me just how destructive a wheel can be.

@jackdonner8604

Жыл бұрын

In a pinch ive used a lift or forklift forks as a safety cage (young and dumb at the time)

Great Video, Thanks. I saw one of those "Split Rings" break a soldier's arm when I was serving in Germany in 1968. Someone had rested the tire on a vehicle facing outward (Ring Out) while filling it with an air chuck that locks into place, and it was unattended. All I heard was a loud noise, almost like a gunshot and this poor soldier came out running between the trucks holding his arm.

Good call, Mate. The young fellas will only see these the last day they work, nearly finished me at 18.

Great video. There is another type of split rim out there. Fixed a drive motor on an old 50's aircraft hanger door. Tire was flat so i figured i would air it up. Wheel didnt have a split rim collar or extra bolts so i figured it was a solid wheel. Nope. Outer rim peeled right over bolts holding the wheel together at around 65-70 psi. Blew me halfway across hanger. Got lucky and only broke my arm and blew out the discs in my neck. Turns out the wheel was a 3 piece design. Supposed to have a hardened 5/16 steel plate holding the two mild steel wheel halves together. But unbeknownst to me, some genius mounted the plate between the two wheel halves. Also the tire pressure marked on the door, walls, motor, and air compressor were wrong. The Air Guard had lowered max psi years before, but no one bothered to remark the hanger. Lesson learned, never assume anything holding compressed gas is safe or assembled correctly,

I had an old wheelchair I was messing around with for the motor's. Had two "pneumatic" 8" tires (very small) on the drive motors. They looked very much like 1 piece wheels but as I found out after unbolting one and putting about 5 psi in, I was right to keep my distance. The thing went POP, blew the front half the of the wheel upward and took out a chunk of osb from the ceiling. I was safe, my pants not so much lol!

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

haha yeh, I made the mistake as a kid, of removing the bolts from a hand truck tire, the tube blew between the 2 halves before I got it apart

@AlanEvans789

6 жыл бұрын

All my wheelchair tyres are actually solid rubber, no air at all. Even on my powerchair, although they were an extra option on that. I really much prefer the solid tyres, over the older tubed pneumatic options. The compounds they use give an identical ride to a correctly inflated tubed tyre, but are completely maintenance free for the wear life of the tread. You would never get me to go back to pneumatic systems again. Given how good they are on the chair I really wonder why they haven't taken off for bicycles. You would think that for road racing in particular, where they tend to run at some pretty high pressures that the new solid tyres would be great. Tuning the compounds would allow you to fine tune the ride to suit conditions, just as I guess they do now by adjusting the pressure. The one thing you would be sure of is no more nasty surprises from a suddenly deflating tyre. I had a valve let go on me once when riding my motorbike. It happened while I was breaking to go round a roundabout, coming down from about 80 to 30 mph. A right brown trouser moment. Also back even further in time, in 1985, I had the experience of seeing a lorry tyre let go on the back end of an artic trailer, while it was doing about 55 mph on the M5. I was just passing the thing doing about 80 mph, and it was about 15 feet in front when it let go. Quite spectacular to see. Luckily it was the inside wheel of a twin wheel axel, which deflected a lot of the debris towards the nearside.

I grew up driving trucks and Landcruisers with split rims. I was taught right at the beginning (this was the 70s) how to remove and replace a split rim safely. They are an awesome rim if you are in the middle of nowhere but yes, they can be fatal. I was taught to ALWAYS stand off to one side of the tyre you're filling with air. EDIT: Also, be sure that the gap in the ring is pointed in your general direction. The rings invariable blow off at the ring gap, leading the ring to generally flay away from you (end edit). At best, you'll be lucky if it blows. At worst, you might lose a finger or hand if your gun isn't long enough. I haven't changed a split rim in over 40 years, but I reckon I could almost do it blindfolded. That's a result of working in seismic oil search in the 70s and hanging around the workshop when I wasn't in the field. The mechanic would get me to replace all the LC tyres that had been spiked. Another rule is 'never use a split ring on a wheel that it wasn't originally on. As in, don't swap your rings. One of the most dangerous 'split rims' were the 'RH 5-degree-type rims. The mating surfaces of the rims were hidden by the bead, so you didn't know if the rims were mated properly. They are obsolete nowadays but can still be found on antique trucks...usually in the junkyard.

We had a vertical cage at tech school they saved as a reminder of the force. It was about 2 feet wider and probably 2 feet shorter. You probably wouldn’t want to survive that kind of force.

Great vid man. I do quite a few tires here, but have yet to come across one of those - been hearing about them since I was a kid. Not too many of them left here in America these days, but they're certainly out there. I had a 14" car tire explode just 18" from the side of my face one time - a friend brought over a set of rusted out rims he got for free off Craigslist, and wanted the tires dismounted, and put on some other rims for use on a home-built log splitter. Being used to doing 15" or larger SUV and truck tires, I was yapping away, not paying attention to the pressure, since those tires normally take some time to seat the bead. BAAAM!! The old tire had rusted steel belts and bead cable inside, and just tore right in half at 40psi! Luckily neither of us were injured - could've been much worse!! Great info - definitely keeping this in the back of my mind in case one ever gets brought to me for repairs. Thanks, from Massachusetts, USA. 👍

@bergerk20

6 жыл бұрын

there are plenty of them in the military, i was in the marines and when i was sent to 29 palms california the small trailers towed behind hmmwv's and trucks had those wheels and i had to take them apart and re assemble them. halfway threw the 6 months i was there they told me to stop taking them apart because a guy got his head cut off by one

@SmittySmithsonite

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your service, bergerk20.

@bergerk20

6 жыл бұрын

Smitty Smithsonite no problem

@theoso6045

6 жыл бұрын

Smitty Smithsonite lucky duck I see these quite a bit of these rims .

@ThatManitobaGuy

6 жыл бұрын

Most people won't see these anymore just for the simple fact that no shop will work on them anymore due to the danger.

Wow, that is not what I thought split rims were. I thought they meant like the other rims you showed with bolts holding two halves together. Learned something new......Thanks!

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

They are a form of split rim, there are several and people will argue that these are not even called Widowmakers, but its what I hear in Australia.

Use your bead breaker or a sledge hammer to seat the split ring. I've changed hundreds of them back in the day. They WILL KILL you, if you get careless. I saw the results of one that 'let go', the imprint of the ring was in a ceiling 20' up. The guy that was dealing with it went to the hospital sans arm at the shoulder. If you don't know what you are doing with them, leave them alone.

Changed thousands of them back in the 90s! Worked in a cement plant that had mixer trucks!

When I was younger and we ran a shop we changed these all the time they also made a three piece split rim, every 3/4 ton truck had them, never had one come apart, but we used a sledge hammer to pound on the lock ring as we inflated them to make sure the ring stayed in the lock groove, kept you on your toes tho! I still have one of the special tire irons that were made for taking the rings off.

Interesting. Thanks for the info!

Some years ago an unsupervised 14 year old kid was killed by one these when the tried to inflate it outside a safety cage. Even n with the "safety rims it's a use idea to use an inflating hose that allows yo to stand back.. Am man I knew was badly injured when something went wrong when the beads seated on the tubeless tire he was repairing. Tire service trucks carry or used to carry a safer device that was pretty compact and a bit less dicey than a chain. I recall wheels that where in two halves that where held together split ring at the wheel center line. Those are a SOB to wrestle back together.

You aren't kidding. They're dangerous as hell. I worked in the aircraft industry and we used split rims like the ones on your cart. Always deflate before dismounting and reinflate in a cage.

At 17 I changed 30+ split rims per day 5 days a week on K100 Kenworths, road train dolly's and tri-axle trailers for Bull's Transport running Adelaide to Darwin when it was mostly dirt. And YES every single one was inflated in a cage.

Still extremely common on forklifts, things are fckn deadly if you don't know what your doing, that ring comes out it'll decapitate you!

@Aussie50

6 жыл бұрын

ah yeh true, forks do still use them for pneumatic tires,

@Tomohran

6 жыл бұрын

+jacktheripped Whaaat

@deezelfairy

6 жыл бұрын

jacktheripped Can well believe it, and it wouldn't be the first welder killed by welding on an industrial tyre rim with the tyre still inflated/valve in. People just don't realise how much potential energy there is in there ready to escape in a millisecond, you pretty much have a bomb waiting to happen. The fork truck tyre lock rings are hard Sob's as they are as stout as a truck ring but much smaller in diameter so hard to get good leverage on them. As a forktruck tech I just get the industrial tyre fitters to do it, damn they make it look easy!

@richardolsen6476

6 жыл бұрын

I just replaced a lug bolt on a forklift with split rims the other day and I was just wondering why is this even a thing

@deezelfairy

6 жыл бұрын

Richard Olsen Pneumatic forklift/industrial tyres have an extremely high ply rating, trying to remove such a small diameter tyre with such a stiff sidewall is nigh on impossible with tyre levers, the multi-piece rim means tyres can be changed in the field far easier with basic tools. The things are PERFECTLY SAFE IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING AND TAKE SENSIBLE PRECAUTIONS. As is everything really.

I know nothing about cars but this popped into my recommended, Still an interesting watch.

My Dad warned me about these 45 years ago. He had a 32 Ford truck with these. You've got to run a chain thru them before inflating them or risk losing your head.

Unlikely to ever come across one of those tires. This is not useful to me but it was a darn good video. I must say i enjoyed the proper explanation.

Never seen these types of tyre before. I learned something!

@sparkplug1018

6 жыл бұрын

See them a lot on large equipment, dump trucks, loaders and the like. Not very common on over the road trucks anymore.

@minecraftster50

6 жыл бұрын

They are illegal to manufacture in the states on over the road vehicles.

Only a couple of the local tire changers will even deal with these, but since most farmers do not have newer trucks the couple that do, do a land office business in them every spring (when it's time to get the rucks running for planting season). Both of the two stores that do have only experienced types work on them to prevent injuries, they conspicuously ask if you have the split rims before they send a service truck.

Wonderful vid, also very cute doggo, that has big cat energy, hopping up on whatever it is you're trying to use.

This vid solved a 30 year old riddle for me about rim shapes. (saw the rims without retainer and wondered about the shape as a kid)

I saw one of these blow during a tire replacement 30 years ago when I worked in a large tire shop. It was in a safety cage device that had lost it's retaining pin and the pin had been replaced with a large nail probably 1/4 inch thick. The split-rim guy was trying to seat the ring with a big hammer at about 100 psi. You do this with the tire flat on the floor to make sure the ring isn't likely to slip as the bead is seated or later down the road. ...Never with any part of your body over the tire. The ring blew and the safety device cut through the nail. The top of the safety device and the ring went up and through a sheet metal roof 18 feet above. Not just a tin roof but a commercial-grade sheet metal shop roof. Ping BOOM! This guy was experienced. There was no warning. I was 10 feet away and ended up on my rear. No injuries. Ringing ears. It would have killed or maimed anyone in the path.

Great you pointed this out. I met a guy once who became permanently deaf after a split locking ring hit him in the head.

glad to see your back man :D

@RWBHere

6 жыл бұрын

Is it better than his face? :D

@disgruntled181

6 жыл бұрын

RWBHere LOL!

The title to this was rather confusing. This video is about lock ring rims. Split rim widow makers are something else. Specifically the Firestone RH-5°. The rim actually split down the middle instead of using the bead lock ring.

I remember way back in 1966 or so, as barely a teenager, I was riding my bicycle home with a couple of friends, and we stopped at an intersection where we were to split up. We were just standing there, astride our bikes, talking, when we heard a big bang, followed by a clanging sound, then several thumps, and soon found out what the thumps were when a big tire passed by, bouncing and thumping as it rolled. Then we noticed the bus to our left that was screeching to a stop, the right front tire missing, and the rim sparking along the cobblestones. Then I realized my left side hurt, and that, while my hands were still on the handlebars, the handlebars were now turned 90 degrees to the right, but my front wheel still aimed straight ahead. One of my luckiest days! I realized shortly that the split ring had popped off the rim barely behind me, and was the original bang and clanging that we heard, and the tire hit me, then rolled forward, bouncing down the street. Half a second later, and the ring would probably have hit me. Might have killed me, but for sure would have seriously injured me. As it was, I was only sore a couple of days. Very lucky day.

The first thing i did when I bought an old 68 freightliner cabover was get rid of the 10/20 tires with lock rings, and get modern 22.5 tires on one-piece rims!

Thanks for this video. I have no clue how I came across it, but you definitely answered the question extremely well.

I have two old military 1-1/4 ton weapons carriers and I have changed the tires many times. Split rims might be dangerous for someone who does not know what they are doing when changing tires, but they are not all that dangerous when done right. The extra holding edge and tougher tires of those wheels makes them safer, especially when overloaded.

Me and my grandad where layed under a sentinel s7 spare wheel so it was stored vertically and putting air in the wheel. 85psi and me and my grandad got a loud BANG in our ears today. My ears are ringing 5 hours later and My head it throbbing

I was a heavy equipment operator in the Marine Corps. We still have a ton of older model equipment that use the split rim and when we had to change tires it was a nerve racking job, especially when we would have to put grease on the tire and rim to just get it on.

When i got hired as a ASE service tech at a Goodyear auto service store, there were mandatory training videos we had to watch. One was airing a split rim semi tire, they had it in a field, with a dummy on it like it was being aired up on the ground, and it was overinflated and when it blew, everything disappeared, tire, dummy, hose... Finally, after about 30 seconds, in the background you saw a leg come down...then a arm...part of the tire.... It was a sobering example of how much force is contained in a tire.

In 1975 as a high school student I spent 2 weeks working at a tyre fitting company as part of a work experience programme from school, i met and saw a bloke who had a scar from his hand up his arm shoulder and side of his head where a split rim from a farm tractor tyre which is filled via high pressure water blew, even the hole in the work shop roof was visible. this stuff is scary folks. obviously no cage or chains were being used but i will say this i would not mess with this old tech/ leave it to the professionals but then again even the professionals can get caught out. Be safe people this old tech kills.

Your main focus is a split ring wheel, NOT a split rim or widowmaker. The double nut wheels are an actual split rim.

Holy shit when i saw how he pulled it apart the hair on the back of my neck stood up.Thanks for the info learned a decent amount about wheel rims

I still deal with split rims every day at work. my shop is the only on in the area that knows how to do them.

@Bigrignohio

6 жыл бұрын

I bet your insurance company just loves you. Or at least the premiums you have to pay!

@TWLML420

6 жыл бұрын

Bigrignohio Yes, our insurance is bloody murder!

@Bigrignohio

6 жыл бұрын

I hope you charge appropriately for the service. I cannot think of a single shop I have entered in the last 15 years or so that did not have a sign stating they do not work on split rims. From actual tire shops down to my local Super Walmart!

@TWLML420

6 жыл бұрын

Bigrignohio We charge the hourly shop rate $69.95 to work on split rims, and I won’t put one back together without a brand new inner tube and tube flap. So if someone comes in to have one fixed it’ll be a minimum of around $100 per tire.

I have changed a couple of them on our old farm trucks. I never had a cage and did not think about wrapping chains around them. I just mount them as the outside dual when I need to air them up. When I was in grade school (mid 1970s) the dad of a kid a year behind me in school was killed when a tire came apart that he was working on.

I had a nail in a bicycle front tire for about three years. It oozed green slime like a festering wound. I had to add air and slime from time to time. I was like a trophy!

I was talking to my father about these wheels, he knew of a guy who had an ex-army vehicle for use on his farm. He had to change a tyre, did not wait for help and was found decapitated next to the air pump. Amazing they use these things.

Those are still pretty common here in Brazil, lots of old Mercedes-Benz trucks from the 70's ~ 90's still at service today. Me and my father used to assemble those lots of times, back when we had an 1113. We put cooking oil on the rim and the ring, to make it easy to slide it in, and avoiding the tire to stick to the rim, making it easier to disassemble.

I had split rims on my 1947 GMC pickup. Heaven help me if I had a flat tyre. I bought more extra rims for ridiculous prices in small towns. In 1947 servicing tyres in the field was common, back then. I welded up a tyre cage & kept using my split ring rims. The GMC moon hubcaps didn't fit anything else. I have seen a tyre spoon pop off a bead setting machine and kill the operator dead as a post. That bar popped off the machine's power hub, and spun right up into his forehead. That is when everyone gets the rest of the day off....and the next day. I have never seen a split rim let go.

A family friend back in the 80s was filling the split rim tyre for his truck, as he was bent over it, it went off. He had his hand in front of his face luckily for him because it didn't kill him. But they had to rebuild his face for him from a recent picture we had to send down to his wife. He was a very lucky man!