Hey everyone, I just found this forum while looking for some info on wheels and tires for my '60 F500 grain truck.
I bought it to use hauling debris, dirt and stuff for a house I'm remodeling. I don't have a pickup and since I could buy this for cheaper than a pickup, I did so that I won't have to shovel lathe and plaster junk twice when I go to the dump.
It's a '60 F500 that's been cobbled on a lot, but is in reasonably good shape for it's age. The strangest thing about it is that it has a Chevy 327 and a 4spd in it. The inside is pretty nice, but not everything works.
It's got 8.25X20 tires all the way around on Firestone wheels. The steer tires aren't too bad but most of the rears are shot. From some reading I did on another thread, I think these are "locking ring" type of wheels. I work as a mechanic and I think that I could mount up some tires when I found some, but I'd like some more info on the wheels and what it takes to do that, if anyone could point me in the right direction, I would really appreciate it. I really don't want to get in a situation where I take it apart and don't know what I'm doing or am unsafe. Are these wheels as dangerous to deal with as the split ring widow maker type? If so, I'll just take it to a truck shop. If it's just a matter of taking my time and using a lot of muscle, I'd like to give doing them myself a go. Are they similar to mounting a regular car/truck tire, just bigger or do you have to take the wheels apart?

Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice on wheels/tires and if you can point me towards some threads or websites, that would be very helpful.
I'll post up some more pics if you guys are interested in seeing some more of the truck.

 

Nice truck you have 60F500. What are you going to do with the truck (besides hauling things to the dump) ?

 

Hopefully some of the experts chime in with advise on your wheels. In the mean time I`d love to see more pictures.

 

Wow! Very nice truck. If they are lock ring wheels, it's really not that hard to change tires. I've done way too many of them myself. For me the hardest part is always removing the old stiff tire that's become one with the wheel. Tire shops use a curved face sledge hammer, and I've tried that too, with mixed results. Pretty easy to mash the wheel edge. One way is to place the tire under the truck and place a bottle jack on the sidewall of the tire as close to the bead as possible and jack it down. Another old trick I have tried is simply driving over the tire with another heavy vehicle. I've had some success with this method. Some say if you have a tractor with a loader, that it works pretty well to break the bead down. My tractor is a 51 Ford 8N and the loader just lowers with gravity so it won't work. In the end, it always boils down to determination and brute strength. At 58, I now drop them off at my local gas station and the tire guy is pretty good at it and it is usually about 45 bucks and so I'm in my shop building kitchen cabinets and they'll toss then in my better half's pickup on her way home from work. I have fought some epic battles with those 7.50 x 17s and those 8.25 x 20s but it just seemed like work at the time........ PS. Now I see what they mean by the narrow fender lip on your front fender with the bigger wheels!

 

Nice truck .. you don't have the dreaded widow maker rims ..you can change your own tires ..but ..you will need a cage !! they are heavy duty ,and dangerous ..for the 20 or 30 bucks each ..get the tire shop to do it the first time ..learn the safety ask them ..you will learn how ..but right now ..safety first ..you can't enjoy the truck if you get hurt learning..I have changed a split rim on the side of the road , but I was taught how ...it not hard but then neither is brain surgery ..with the right training..

 

I have used a wood splitter to break the bead with great success. Just put a piece of wood in front of the wedge and let the ram squeeze the tire into the anvil. Works great! Especially if your splitter tips into the upright posistion so you don't have to lift the wheel/tire combo. Even for us guys that are getting junk mail from AARP all the time!

 

Oh yeah, welcome to FTE! Your truck is awsome! So glad more of these great trucks keep showing up!

 

Wow, never thought of that. Next time I have to change a tire I am gonna try that!

Welcome to the site 60f500, great looking truck. Too bad about the chebby but it isn't your fault .

Dunno if anyone told ya but more pics are mandatory.

Scott

 

What's a wood splitter? You mean they make a machine for that now? Actually a brilliant idea for bead breaking! Now I REALLY gotta get one.......

 

I picked up one of those cheap electric ones this summer, the gf loves using it! she thinks it's fun! I havent split any wood this season, just drop the wood off and when I come home from work it's all split! Best $200 spent ever

Scott

 

Hey guys, thanks for the kind words. The truck looks pretty good, but it's a 30ft truck, you get much closer than that and you can see the rattle can paint job and the rust/bad body work etc. The bed is really nice though and still has some of the cool old pinstriping that a lot of the grain trucks had. The bed is 16ft long. The interior is way above average as well for it's age, but the heater and a few other things don't work.

I just used it today to hall 3,900lbs of demolition trash from my house. It weighs 7,400lbs empty, according to the transfer station scales.
Hauling things associated with my house project is pretty much it's sole use. I'll probably sell it in a year or two when I'm done ripping out the inside and doing dirt work and stuff in the backyard. I thought I'd just use a trailer behind my old Bronco on the house, but that was getting to be way to much work, so I decided I needed a pickup, and bigger is better right?? And with this thing I don't have to shovel stuff twice, the kids love it and it's freaking huge and entertaining to drive around.

I've been doing some reading and what I have is the Fireston RH5 wheels which I think are the bad ones to have. They are two piece and split down the center. I'll make it work for now, but if I keep it long term I'll have to find some diffferent wheels and tires.

Here's some more pics.

 

Yeah, no doubt about it, you've got widowmakers. I see you've got MO plates. What part of the state are you in? You might enter your location in your "user cp" data. For instance, sometimes I come across lock ring wheels that I could aim you at if you're located close enough. Welcome to the group. Stu

 

The MO plate was on there from the previous owner, I bought it down in KCMO and drove it to where I live in Leavenworth, KS. I do go to Wisconsin about every six months, so if you came across a killer deal, maybe we could work something out.

Are most of these trucks vacuum boost with a booster under the cab, or is that an add-on thing? I've never seen anything like that before.

 

Hi and welcome,
I think it's great to see these old trucks serving a purpose in life.
The vacuum booster (hydro-vac) could be a factory install or it could have been added later. I think F-500 and larger they were usually a factory install.
I hope the old the old truck serves you well, good luck.

 

so ..you gonna show us under the hood???