the original wheels on the 42 marmon - herrington ford 1-1/2 ton truck i have were 17" 5 lug budd wheels with a split ring and military tread. i went to 20" wheels from another truck because the tires were easier to find. i want to stick with them but one of the wheels ring isnt split and i cant get the tire off to replace it because of heavy rust. id like to change it to a split ring. oh and the tires im using are 10.00 x 20.

 

I'm gonna sleep on this and do some research in the morning with a clearer head. May I ask what your M-H model number is? Stu

 

Okay, we've done our detective work and established that the truck is not a tonner. I'll continue to be befuddled as to how a 1.5 ton was fitted with 17" Budds on the rear, but that's now immaterial.

With respect to your present wheels, the ones with the split rings have Goodyear outer rims. There were several different designs so, as said above, keep the rims and rings together as sets. The one wheel having the solid/unbroken ring has a Firestone "RH" rim that was very common back then. They can be difficult to remove in the best of situations. A skilled tech might be able to remove it for you to let you see if there really is too much rust there to save it.

You said your rims are 6" wide. A 6" rim is designed for use with an 8.25-20" tire. The 10-20" tires you mentioned are designed to go on a 7.50" rim, but are listed as permissible on a 7.00" rim. There were 20 x 7.00" wheels made, and even listed I see in my 1939 M-H parts listings for M-H Models F5/FF5 or F6/FF6. (These M-H model numbers have no relation to the later Ford models F-5 or F-6.). If you now have 6" rims and can instead use the 8.25" tires, I think you have a good chance of finding your replacement wheel. Finding the wider variety will take a lot of looking. Stu

Edit - I'm a guy that has burned a lot of gas chasing after original equipment wheels and tires for my trucks. To avoid that you might be ahead to visit your local Les Schwab to discuss having the center disc from your bad wheel pulled for remounting into a new locking ring outer rim. Schwab has a master contract with the American Wheel Specialist Company of Kennewick, WA, to build custom truck wheels. I've visited them and bought a set of their wheels a few years ago. They are good folks. This would ensure that you get what you need, without jumping through a lot of hoops. Stu

 

thanks for all the info. my truck m-h chassis # is kmm5-4-541255. didnt realize there were so many variables with these wheels. have seen lots of them around but not so much anymore. a nearby yard said they werent selling much and when the price of scrap went up, they cleared them out.
the truck is 4wd so 17s were front and rear.the one im replacing is drivers frt. in photo.

 

Good looking SnoGo. Still has its auger and Continental too. Is everything operational?

By chance do you still have the 17s sitting around? If so I'd love to know the part numbers of them. The wheel numbers on the early Budds are generally stamped into the concave side rim lips. I've also found the numbers on the concave inner face. I don't have a SnoGo manual, but know the standard 1.5 ton rear drums in 1942 were 15" i/d. I've not heard before of a 17" wheel clearing the rear drums. I know an optional wheel was an 18", but a 17" is new info. Stu

 

Stu, the dual wheel '29 AA and later Ford trucks all used the same 5 lug bolt pattern. Only the single wheel AA used the same pattern as the tonner.

 

This clears up something I have wondered about for a long time....Before I picked up this '32 from a sawmill on the other side of the island, I could have sworn I put some extra 17" tonner wheels on it so it wouldn't be sitting on it's belly while I painted the original wheels and fixed a couple of flats. Never could get tonner wheels on any of the other 1 1/2 tons fords I later acquired. Also I have a 20' wire spoke split rim out back from a '28 AA. That would be 5 on 6 7/8 too?

 

I'm a little confused as to who needs which wheel but just thought I'd toss out that I can get a set(6)of #66520 17X6.00 if those would help.

 

Please be more specific. I've got references laid out in front of me here showing the 5 lug x 8" pattern was introduced in 1934. Before that it was 5 x 6 7/8". Looking at the Green Bible doesn't add anything because it doesn't give bolt pattern for specific wheel numbers like the wheel references do. Stu

Edit - we're typing on top of each other. It's Mark's post I'd like clarified. It's perfectly logical the tonner wheels would mount on the '32, Gary. Same 5 x 6 7/8" pattern. And I'd hang onto those 66520s. Those and others like them are the ones I had that wouldn't clear big truck drums. Stu

 

I had at one time both a late '29 AA with dual wheels and an early '29 AA with single wheels. The dual wheel trucks starting in '29 have the 5 lug x8" pattern and the single wheel '28- early '29 have the 5 lug X 6 7/8' pattern.

 

Not the way I'm reading it in multiple catalogs. Are you sure your truck had its original axles? Stu

 

Stu, Yes it had the original axles as it didn't have the full floating axle in the rear. Your books are probably right. Now after reading GB's post I'm not sure anymore. I know that I had some of my 17" tonner wheels on the early AA but, I seem to remember that they wouldn't fit the late AA. That has been close to 30 years ago.

 

Yeah, I agree there are times I feel I'm going crazy when things don't fit known patterns. Which is why I'm wanting those original 17" wheel numbers from the SnoGo. Unless.....

Could it be they were really 18s? I could better understand that since few tire options exist for them, and they were an optional size. I have a set six of 18" x 5" Budds sitting in the van right now ready to take to the blaster. Coker and Universal Tire sell a unidirectional traction tread 7.50-18" that's made by Specialty Tire of America (STA). I have "gots to have" me a set of them. Stu

 

the original blower engine was an international 6 gas used in combines at the time. it had a flywheel that was more than 6" thick solid cast iron. i used it for years as winter weight in my pick up bed. replaced that engine with a detroit 4-71. various engines were used (whatever was available at the time). i have the original build sheet from m-h for this truck. was delivered via rail car to galena airfield, wa which later that year was renamed fairchild afb. also have the history of owners up until i aquired it. just a little surface rust and a small hole under the drivers feet above the brake cyl. all the wood in the frame is intact.
i may be able to find 1 of those wheels to get a number from.

 

The smaller diameter wheels, 17 and 18 were probably used with the balloon tire options which were frequently mentioned and shown in Wagner's book. Apparently the balloon tire gave added capacity. The wide base rim would support that as well. No pun intended.