hey looking for a cheaper rockwell wheel options. I found a set of 5 ton wheels and it got me thinking...which always gets scary and expensive at some point in time.
here is my idea:
take 2.5 ton and 5 tone wheels. Cut them in half. Take the 2.5 ton half w/ that bolt pattern and weld it to the half of the 5 ton that doesn't have the bolt pattern.
result:
hopefully this would end up w/ a wider wheel that doesn't have a split ring but still retains the duece bolt pattern.
questions:
will the michelin radials bead seal against the wheel w/o the tube? Does it turn out that when all 8 wheels are cut will the halfs go back together...meaning are 5 ton 20" wheels the same ID as the 2.5 ton so that they can be welded back together.

I'm sure this is not an orignal thought so does anybody know if it will work?

Like I said the goal is to get a wider wheel and get rid of the split rings and tubes

If I remember correctly, aren't the 5 ton wheels very heavy? Why not just either PERFECTLY cut out your current centers/have them professionally cut out (shouldn't be too much), and then reweld them into your choice of wheel? This is provided that the rim size you change to is smaller than 20". Otherwise cough up ~$200 for some weld in centers from John351c or maybe someone local, and then do it yourself. The latter is the route I personally am going to take.