Found a new junkyard to browse through, and found something interesting.

A strange Right-hand drive truck thing, with odd looking axles, and...this is the bit that interests me...what appear to be 2 piece 16" rims.

I was wondering if it might be possible to take these wheels and insert some kind of ring between the 2 halfs and make a Hummer-like beadlock rim?

They'd need a new centerpiece welded in or added, as the 8 bolt pattern looked much bigger than 6.5" circle.

It interests me as the Michelin military tires I run are 16"

Whada ya think?

Pics: (sorry about size)

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Funky%20Wheels/Dcp_5371.jpg

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Funky%20Wheels/Dcp_5372.jpg

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Funky%20Wheels/Dcp_5373.jpg

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Funky%20Wheels/Dcp_5374.jpg

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Funky%20Wheels/Dcp_5375.jpg

There was a similar but bigger rig next to it with the same sorta axles and wheels but in 20"...Hmmmmm 46" Michelins anyone??? (trouble was the 20" one's - the rear where wacky offset dually things)

Donno what the truck is is Bill, but those are Timken axles. or at least look a hell of a lot like em

well the wheel thing might work, might not. it all depends on the contrustion of the wheel.

the two piece aspect of it may just be that there is a separate center that bolts to a rim, allowing interchangable bolt patterns while retaining the same rim diameter and without having to dismount/mount/balance the tire on a new rim.

but it also may be set up like a hummer wheel, but i would highly doubt it judging by the age clues of that chassis/axles. it all comes down to pulling one off and taking a look.

ps- that doesnt look like a JUNKyard to me, looks more like someones BACKyard :D:D:D

That place reminds me of this "junkyard" in Rhode Island called Highway Auto parts... Creepy place. It had about 40 acres of cars and a mile or so walk through to the end. tons of shiat... They guy was the creepiest aspect. Drove around in this front end loader with forks on it that had the cab cut off, and would hardly ever come down from the seat, and he would stare off to one side of you while he talked as if his one good eye was the lazy one... Sorry for the eye references Bill, hope you are doing well.

-brett

Looks like a regular split rim to me 2 pressed rings bolted together with the centre pattern on both halves. Bill I don't know if you could find any way to get an internal beadlock on there and still be able to remove the tire.

Looks a bit like those wwII chevy/ford cabover 4x4's.

edit: I don't know how a hummer wheel works but if you could make a ring which clamped between the beads when the wheel is assembled, it would have to be bolt together multi segmented to fit in.

Well the spaces in my ascii pic don't show in HTML of course!

Ken

the two piece aspect of it may just be that there is a separate center that bolts to a rim

True - but look at the second to last pic - the close up, and you can see that the whole outer part all the way out to the lip is one piece.

that doesnt look like a JUNKyard to me, looks more like someones BACKyard

Ha - a lot are like that here. Acres of trucks and cars in this one, all amongst the trees and stuff. This guy has a "car stacking rig" consisting of the front part of a nissan truck chained to a big tree and with 2 tranmissions mated together running a driveshaft into a big ol' pto winch...he can stack them 5 high with it - not crushed :eek: :eek: It was a really cool and interesting place - lots of old and interesting junk.

looks like a two peice wheel like a forklift.

Bill, the only issue I see is with regards to these things being airtight. I suspect that they're designed to run tubes, and based on the age, chances are, no amount of silicone sealer or similar goo between the halves, will make them hold air without tubes.

Envision trying to put a tube and a beadlock insert into a wheel, and having everything work out well.

That said, if the guy only wants, say, $10 for a wheel off this thing, I'd think it's worth $10 just to take one home and take it apart (I'm PFA'ing a cost, but I can't see paying more than $10 for a flat tire and a rusty wheel) and see what's inside.

Since were talking crazy ideas here, for the ammount of work to get things up to par as hummeresq rims, how much more would it be to start from almost scratch? Start with a new steelie, remove its center, weld in new center, split rim in half, instal second bolting face and form beadlock. Would have to find some way to instal an o ring like the hummer rim to make it air tight. Sure its alot of work, but might be a way for people to run 15" hummer type rims. Just thinkin outside the box here, maybe its the beer.

Maybe Scott could make the center and second ring with a groove for an o ring. A metal roller would make short work of the beadlock part, toughest part would be accuratly splitting the rim.

Whaddya think?

Maybe its time for bed instead of another :beer: .

Ken

I know I have seen those axles before and I think that the truck could be a FWD. Why they are right hand drive I don't know but maybe they was used in Mining or Quarry work.

Billa... the reason those rims are 2 peice is because they were made for ease of a tire change in the field

Ahhh...that makes sense - thanks Daniel. And I see what you and Scott are saying...getting all the junk inside there required would be a huge PITA I would think.

Daniel - maybe you can answer this...the Michellin XML Military Radials 325/85/R16 that I run and were Can Mil surplus...came with these huge rubber insert things in them....we had to cut them half with a chainsaw to get them out. Were they likely just some sort of run-flat device?

I still may pull one apart out of curiosity....it's just interesting. A friend thinks the truck might be an English Morris creation because of the right hand drive.

The reason it even came to mind was because I eventually want to run a 42" TSL in which only comes in 15 or 16.5. I will have to save forever for them and I just can't see chucking the Michelins while they still have life....so I'm stuck....do I invest in 16" beadlocks just for this one set of tires...seems a waste. I could hold out for 16.5" beadlocks (Hummer or Rockstomper my choice) but then I have to spend a season or 2 without locks and I feel sooooo disadvantaged without them.

Ooops, it appears as if I just whined :D