Were the stock 56 F250 rims tube type or tubeless? I have a spare rim and wonder if I can mount a tubeless tire on it for a spare tire.
Thanks

 

 

I am not sure about 56 F250's but 1956 was the first year for tubeless tires on F100's.

I had tubeless radial tires on my original 16" wheels on my 54 F100 from 1999 to about 2013. I had no problems.

 

I put tubeless tires on my 55 F250. Front rims are original innie rims. The back rims are a little newer. Not sure the year.
Now, I have only run a few miles on them, but I do have to let the air out of the tires to get the truck out of the garage and I've had no problems.
Edit: I'm running LT235/85R16 tires.

 

OK, thanks

 

I don't think the wheel pictured is an original wheel. Do it and the others have "outie" hub cap nubs? Probably they do. I think your 01/25/84 is the manufacturing date, making it unquestionably tubeless. If you look elsewhere, probably on the center disc, you might find number 28378. That's the Accuride number for a mid 1980s Ford 16x6K rimmed wheel. The proper tire for that rim is the mentioned 235/85R16".

If my guesses are off target, no matter. An original equipment 1956 F-250 K-H #31282 / Ford #7RD 1015B 16"x6" having "innie" nubs has the same 5° rim bead seat as a later tubeless wheel. The difference is riveted center vs welded center. A tubeless radial works on original rims. Worst case scenario you'd want to apply a sealer on the inner rivets to avoid air leaks.

Edit - another indication it's a newer wheel, there's no mention of a 16" x 6" having a "K" drop center profile in my 1958 Tire and Rim Association reference. The only "K" designs shown are for narrower widths, which logic suggests would also apply to earlier wheels. Stu

 

Hi Truck dog. That 84 number had me also thinking it was a date for a second, but I know it can't be because we had this wheel (with this same tube type tire on it) since way before I was born in 1971.
This rim/tire has been our spare, but since its so old and does not hold air very long, I was wondering If I can pop a radial tire on the rim for a spare.

 

Okay, that adds to the subject. But I still think it's a later wheel than 1956/1958 based on the "K" drop center profile. Maybe post a pic of the center disc showing hub cap mounting, and a pic showing whether center is welded or riveted. And see if any other numbers can be found. I can look them up. What you've posted is for the outer rim only, there might also be a wheel company number on it somewhere too. Again, worst case would be you'd want to JB Weld around inner rivets. Stu

 

Hi Truck dog, I'm starting to think you might be right. It is possible my dad got this rim later than I thought but I don't remember. If so, then it has a tube type tire on a radial rim. I can't seem to find any information on the rim part #s

 

The Ford stamp doesn't mean it was made by Ford. Was made for Ford, maybe by Kelsey-Hayes since you don't find any numbers. K-H put their number on a paper sticker attached inside on the rim base. No doubt long gone by now. One more thing, it looks to have a tubeless valve stem. Stu

 

What year did they change from innie to outie?
I did a quick google search the brought me back to FTE saying something about 66/67.

Since the rim is from Canada, maybe it's a Canadian date.

 

I've struggled nailing down an absolute switch over date from innie to outie. My early references, 1953 and earlier, tell me the hub cap mountings. But then in later references it's only occasionally noted. Bill I think is our best source on this.

The Canada aspect I think also adds support to a view that it's a much later wheel. No free cross border trade existed in the 1950s. Not sure if NAFTA under Bill Clinton, or similar earlier treaty, opened the northern border to parts sourcing. Stu

 

OK, I might have the missing link to this mystery. After looking at another thread Truck dog was commenting on in 2011 about rims, I turned my rim around, sanded the grime and found this stamping.

 

Last year for innie wheels (8 lug, 6.50" bolt circle) for F250/350: 1969

 

The 28308 was a short lived number for some reason. It's too high a number for Accuride's 1980/81 catalog, but by the next printing (catalogs didn't come out every year) in the 1985/86 catalog it had been obsoleted and cross referred to the 28378 I posted above. Puzzle solved.

Thanks Bill. Stu