My '66 F250 has what I always referred to as split rims. However, I've heard the term 2-piece rim as well. I once owned a '69 Chevy C20 with split rims when I lived in Lynchburg Virginia in the early 90's. I went to a local guy to buy retread tires and was amazed when he stood atop the tire and whaled on it with what looked like a type of sledgehammer with a axe-like horizontal edge. His aim was true and he was able to break the seal to remove the tire. That truck is long gone. Fast forward to this century to my home state of California where I asked my local tire retailer if they could change tires on my Ford 'split-rims' and was told they do not work on such tires as they are very dangerous. Apparently the ring can hurl itself violently if not careful.

Am I confusing split rims for 2-piece rims? The rings on the Chevy rims were indeed split, however the rings on the 66 Ford are not. I was able to source a set of vintage steel single piece rims for this truck but I would like to transfer the tires as they are nice Cooper tires with a fair amount of tread left.

What is the purpose of the 2-piece rims as opposed to standard rims? Are they an artifact that modern tire stores no longer know how to deal with, or did I mis-characterize them as 'split rims'?

 

Split rims, known as widowmakers, are different than 2-piece rims. They are dangerous, and I would toss them if that’s what you have.

2-piece rims are not dangerous, but still, in today’s world, many people do not know the difference and will refuse to work on them, confusing them with the dangerous WM’s. If there is a good truck tire shop near you, they can i.d. what you have and will work on them. They require tubes and liners. They were the heavier duty wheel option.

Stu, member truckdog62563, is the resident wheel expert. He might see this and chime in with common applications, sizes, and part identification.

 

There is a 3 piece wheel out there, It has solid outer ring after breaking down there is a smaller split ring. Have seen in 16 inch size and 20 inch size. Have some 10 lug Budds in 20 inch off 83 Ford F800 in that configuration.

 

I agree with all your comments. To add on, the term split rim and lock ring wheel are commonly interchanged when talking rims, however they are technically different multi piece wheel systems. Split rims were more commonly found on 50's and 60's 2 ton trucks with 20" rims, they were a bad design and are considered dangerous by many, the 2 pieces connected in the middle. This design unfortunately was also used on the pre '67 17" wheel used on the F 250 and the 17" wheel used on the pre '67 F 350. Better news was the 16" multi piece wheel on the pre '67 F 250 was the lock ring type, a safer design and never had a recall. It just required a skilled truck tire person to deal with them.

 

Some 16" 2 piece wheels were made with a continuous solid lock ring ( first photo '66 F 250 16" 2 piece lock ring) and some were made with a physical gap ( split) in the lock ring ( second photo '69 Chevy C 20 2 piece lock ring). Probably due to manufacturer, Goodyear, Firestone etc. Both considered lock ring type wheels, not spilt rims. Again they were considered the heavy duty option, not a drop center design, but a flat base design, heavier construction and by having tubes, held air pressure much better when heavily loaded in off road rocky terrain.

 

Yes, the first photo is what I have on my F250. Thanks for all the information. Since they are not the dreaded split rims, I might as well just leave them alone. It's comforting to know that I can count on them to hold their air...

 

Its a terminology thing I think, and perhaps regional. Split rims, split rings, lock rings, 2 piece rim....etc. In your case, it seems you have what I would call a 2 piece wheel, yet a one piece lock ring. That type of ring generally is safe, but you need to know how they come apart. your local tire joint probably does not know how, and so easily says " we dont work on split rims. Your one piece, and the split lock ring type, the difficulty is the bead of the tire needs to be pushed down quite a bit to get proper clearance to start working the ring off. Rotten old tires on rusty old rims usually make that a major project. My guess is thats one reason tire shops send you away.

In my old truck habit I've done this....Let all the air out, if there is any! , then drive around for a while to loosen the the rusted tire from the rusted rim, then I push the tire down (lots of soapy water applied) with the forks on my skid steer. The bead needs to be at least an inch below the lock ring for clearance. Proper lock ring tool is best, a variety of pry bars can work.

In extreme cases, I cut about a 10 inch chunk out of the tire with a chain saw so you can get access to the bead, then cut that with a torch or whiz wheel, either one is nasty dirty job.

On reassembly, I lay the skidsteer bucket on the tire, pay attention to see that the lock ring seats evenly all around the rim, whack it a few times with a BFH to be sure its happy where it seats. Now, you see why the local tire shop sends you away

 

I always like instructions that require a skid steer.

 

A visual of the wheel that gave multi piece wheels a bad name.