20 inch truck tires

Any truck built prior to 1948 would not have come new with the true widow maker Firestone RH-5° wheels. There is no earlier catalog listing for them, but any wheel could naturally have been replaced over its service life. Below is the RH-5° that has become a pariah in the service industry and still plagues the old truck hobby. Stu


 
Let’s see if these help. There are three general reasons I think they are more prone to failure than other multi-part wheels. First reason today is rust and metal fatigue in the adjoining lips of the ring and base rim. Second for their whole history has been the inability of the installer to fully see the joint, which is on the back side opposite the valve stem, while airing the tire. This is the reason OSHA mandated use of a cage back in the late 1970s when the NHTSA disallowed the recall that the insurance industry was pushing. Third, if a tire picks up a nail while driving the side ring can get twisted as the tire deflates and leave the truck if mounted on an other dual. A front or inner dual will blow inward toward the truck. Stu


 
That should be helpful for people to determine what wheels they have.


The last picture that Stu posted of the 2 piece advanced wheel is the deadly Firestone R-5 that is talked about, you can see where the outer rim lips over the inner part of the wheel, there isn'r much meat there to hold things together, and when old and worn and rusty that lip gets smaller or worn and thats when they are prone to come apart, this is the wheel that tire shops won't deal with anymore,in most cases.
 
Thank you for the info on the R-5 wheels. I have a spare set of 4, 7.00-18's, with excellent tires. My '35 truck has 6.00-20 on the front and 6.50's on the rear, with what looks like standard spit rims.

I have a question regarding the 5 lug Budd wheel. What was the last year it was used on anything and was there ever a 5 lug Budd wheel made in in 19.5 or 22.5?

If anyone is interested, I just got a 1948 Ford, truck operators manual and it list's all the tire and wheel combinations, F1 thru F8 and the GVW for them.
Frank
 
The 18” Budd wheels could have been either the type with the outer locking side rings, or the widow maker RH-5° style. The widow makers were a stock option on 1948 to 1952 F4s. The locking side ring versions were late 1930s and early 1940s. I look for those early 18s so might have interest if that’s what you have.

The 5 lug x 8” pattern was used on tubeless 19.5” and 22.5” wheels beginning in 1956. The last Budd reference showing them is 1979, and last Accuride reference is 1981. The 19.5s were a common feature of 1970s/80s Class A Ford and Dodge based motor homes. The 22.5s are very hard to find even though they were available on both Dodge and IHC medium duty trucks, in addition to the Fords. Stu
 
Stu, thank you for the additional info. My 18's are definitely the RH-5*. They don't have a outer spit ring. I had thought that they were some kind of a drop center.

Again, thank you, I'll keep a eye out for those later 5 lugs, I would like to have a set.
Frank
 
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