I started out by looking for some 7.50 20 inch tires in another thread but then learned about the wheels they are on. After reading more I find out that the Firestone RH-5 wheel is dangerous. I'm still not sure what I have.

There is definitely a ring visible on the front wheels.

Another thread I read stated that the dangerous location for the widow maker wheel is the outer rear duals. If they blow apart it is the outer rears that send stuff out. The fronts and inner rears blow inwards. The wheels on my truck look like they would do just the opposite.

Here are some pics:







This is the inner side when mounted on the front or the outer side of the outer rear dual.

 

Those are lock rings. You can see the outline of the ring in the pics of the front. And there's no raised band on the inner back side. There are a lot of different lock ring designs, so when you have them worked on make sure the shop keeps the rings matched to the rims they go with. Mix matching is dangerous business.

I don't recall seeing a split in the ring on your other thread. If that's correct it suggests that you either have solid rings that have to be squeezed past the rim when taking on and off, or a three piece design where there is a small split "lock ring" that holds the larger solid "side ring" in place. With the paint it's hard to tell which design you've got. I'll attach some cross sections of these two designs. The single solid ring type is probably a Firestone "RH" (not to be confused with the "RH-5°", an entirely different design). If it's a three piece it's probably a Firestone "AR" design. If I remembered wrong and you do have a split in the rings, the rims are probably Goodyear and could be one of dozens of different designs.

Let me add, Firestone RH-5° rims are dangerous no matter which location you have them mounted. It's just the worst option to have them on the outer dual because the ring will blow out away from the center when mounted to the truck. Here's the pics of the two Firestone designs.

 

I have a 20'' wheel that is stampedBUDD 71 E 11 X ??---What is this? THANKS

 

Not sure. Depends on where you found it stamped. If it's on the face and broken up with the logo in one spot and the numbers between lug holes, it's probably the manufacture date of 11/71. If it's on the lock ring I'm stumped. If it's on the back/concave side lip it could be a part number if the E is really a number like an 8 or a 3. All Budd Company part numbers have a five digit base number, and sometimes have letters along with them for some reason. The lock rings are supposed to have the mounting system design as part of the number. I'll attach pics of a couple of Budd Company wheels that have the Goodyear "LTS" rim and ring design as a for instance.

 

Those are some excellent diagrams. Thank you for the info.

The ring in fact has no split in it. So there is still hope that they are not the 'widow maker' type?

 

It's for certain that the wheels are not "RH-5°" WMs.

If I've guessed right and you have the "RH" style, you'll want to for certain have a professional work on them. They are a real PITA to get apart. If they are what's on your truck, some prior owner swapped out the original wheels. The "RH" is a design from the mid to late 1940s and wouldn't otherwise be found on a 1956 truck.

 

If you don't mind messing up the red paint on one of your rear duals, if the wheels are a Budd product there will be a Budd part number on the lip. If you can find one I can look it up and tell you exactly what you've got. It should be five digit and start, I'm guessing, with a #3 or #4. Something like a 35190 for instance. Also, the date of manufacture will be stamped on the face. A one digit number will be the month, and a two digit number will be the year. If you find nothing, it's possible the wheels are Kelsey Hayes. I've scrubbed and scrubbed and found no numbers on them. Stu

 

Thanks stu....
I wonder why po changed over to 20'' after having 22.5s on? I figure maybe it lowered the truck a little....not sure. So this BUDD wheel -number is on the backside....it isn't a WM? I may install the 22.5s anyway.....Bill

 

Bill - The numbers on true Budds are on the back at least up through 1979, whether WM, lock ring, or tubeless. I just went and checked one of my NOS 19.5s from 1979 and the number is on the back. Accuride and Motor Wheel put them on the front to my recall. K-H is a puzzle to me. I've found no numbers on their wheels at all.

Not sure why you'd change a truck back to bias, unless to keep it original. A bias 20" tire of comparable width is no shorter than a tubeless 22.5. The tech info says that a 22.5" is a direct replacement for the 20". The difference is in the bead profile and due to the fact of the 22.5" being a drop center rim design. The tubeless truck wheel is a 15° profile while the tube type is a 5°. I'll attach a comparison diagram. Stu

 

I can't find any evidence of numbers on the wheel. I checked both outer rears.

 

I found this graphic of all wheel designs. The more I look at the actual wheel and compare it to the examples, I believe you are correct that it is the RH type. At least I know it is not the RH-5 'widow maker' type. Now I can go back to finding a tire!

 

1957/63 & 1964/72 Ford truck parts catalogs have wheel manufacturer ID numbers to Ford part numbers, all the specs are listed.

Here's an example:

Kelsey Hayes ID number: RH26488 / Ford ID number: B9TT-1015-E / Ford part number: C3TZ-1007-E / 20" X 6" / 6 lug 8.75" bolt circle / RH5o / pilot mounted.

If you find a sequence of numbers/letters that include 1007, 1015, 1020, there are Ford wheel ID numbers.

1099 is the Ford ID basic number for a lock ring.

 

Mike - that chart started with me from a 1949 Budd catalog. I included it with a letter I wrote to Vintage Truck Magazine. Then it was picked up from VT and included in a tech article that now appears on the Stove Bolt.com Chevy web site. And that's probably where Google Images picked it up. In addition to those designs from 1949 there are many more that have been used over the years. If you want to see all that I've found, here's the link to my Photo Bucket page. Stu

Wheel Profiles pictures by truckdog62563 - Photobucket

Hmmm. Ok, computer smart people, why won't that link? Stu

 

That is indeed where I found the image. And to see the RH-5 section it made me feel good that my wheels do not match it.

My son had borrowed the truck a few weeks ago and had to air up the tires. It didn't bother me at the time but when you see the warnings about those RH-5s, I couldn't stop thinking about what could have happened...

You guys are great. I'm always amazed how much we can learn from each other!