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My apologies for posting pictures some of you may have already seen, but I was advised to start my own thread so here goes.
Two weeks ago, a cousin told me a 1956 F-500 truck I remember seeing at my dad's farm was sitting in a shed in a nearby town. He also told me that the truck actually belonged to my father which I didn't know before.
With some fresh gas and a battery, the truck is now running.
A full set of tires will see me driving it back home in short order.
Once I get it cleaned up and sort out what needs to be replaced, I'll post my progress.
Glad to see another truck being saved! Before you invest in tires, be aware of the dangers and hassles of the true Widowmaker Firestone RH-5° rims.
*New tires don't make RH-5° rims safe to use.
*Using a cage, chain, or whatever doesn't make RH-5° rims safe to use.
*Inspection for rust/defects does not make RH-5° rims safe to use.
*Finding a shop that will assemble RH-5° rims does not make them safe to use.
RH-5 rims can and have failed catastrophically and split at any time, either when manipulated for service, by road conditions, or even just sitting static unprovoked due to the nature of their design. Keep in mind NHTSA with their recall recommendation, the various court proceedings with their judgments, OSHA write ups, and the fact that no reputable tire shop will service them is all written in blood and should be respected and not glossed over.
It is a myth that the only danger stems from service practices; that is in conflict with the NHTSA statistics that show at least 1/3 of separations occurred with vehicles being driven or parked as opposed to during servicing. One could even suggest that the statistics are somewhat skewed as there is more potent litigation and visibility to service accidents, but the ultimate reality is that a significant number separations occur outside of servicing and arguing pedantically doesn't change that.
The design is defective and can't be made safe. Even if the only issues were related to "incompetent service", they stand out proportionally to other designs, and if professionals can't reliably service them safely, it would be foolish to simply presume and advocate that the overall shadetree or DIY population like ourselves and forum members would do better.
Firestone Tire Rubber Co. vs Little
There was substantial evidence in the record to support the jury's finding of negligence on the part of Firestone - Firestone was negligent in ignoring the notice it had received regarding the problems with the RH5 degree or in failing to warn of the dangerous propensities of the RH5 degree wheel design.
Dorman vs Bridgestone/Firestone
This design prevents anyone who is servicing the wheel from being able to determine whether a proper lock between the two pieces has been achieved, whether before, during or after inflation. When the RH5° separates, the side ring is propelled off the rim base, as the rim base is mounted to the axle of the truck. The RH-5° does not have a safety device, which would keep the pieces “locked” together.
Also goes on to show that RH-5° wheels have disengaged whether they are new, rusted, cracked or bent.
Hale vs Firestone
The evidence in this case suggested that RH5° wheel rim is not "totally safe" even after it has been inflated. In pre-trial hearings, the Court became aware of numerous incidents where already-inflated RH5° wheel rims explosively separated while being rolled across the floor or mounted on an axle. Thus, there was a substantial risk of harm created by jostling and banging of the inflated RH5° wheel rim assembly in the courtroom.
Bus 30 incident
The front wheel exploded, launching the ring along the axle wiping out the hydraulic brakes. The exploded wheel and loss of brakes caused the vehicle to go out of control.
Mrs. Little
As for a bystander example, an old lady, Mrs. Little, was injured walking along the road when the side ring of an RH-5° from a passing vehicle was liberated explosively thus impacting her resulting in permanent injury.
HALE vs Firestone
And let us not forget the great inflated RH-5 in the courtroom spectacle from one of the most famous of the RH-5 cases where the counsel for Budd brought an RH-5 into the court room. There were objections and while the inflated tire remained in the court room, snide remarks were made akin to unnecessarily putting the jury at risk and such. Because of the infuriating remarks, Budd's counsel sought a mistrial. However, the court believed that Budd was in essence sneaking an inflated RH-5° wheel into the courtroom unethically for the purpose of showing the jury that there was nothing to be afraid of. The court, however, based on the evidence shown, stated that there was plenty to be afraid of and that the spectacle that unfolded was initiated by Budd's very own counsel and ultimately denied the request for a mis/retrial.
Additionally, let us be reminded that OSHA, Firestone, the NHTSA, and various state bodies (such as Utah) looked at recalls/bans in the 80's and determined that the effort was ultimately unwarranted, not because there wasn't a deserving safety issue, but that because since the introduction of single piece rims decades earlier coupled with the estimated service live of 10-15 years, the remaining population was insignificant and declining and essentially self-regulated out of existence. It has gotten to the point where these RH-5° rims are not in the living memory of truck tire shop personnel any more and so you will now find some shops quite innocently try to unknowingly service them! Then there is the opposite effect where these shops won't touch anything other than their brand spankin' new shiny stuff because of "scary stories". This leaves us hobbyist to watch out for each other. Many of us here have chosen to be responsible owners and operators and have addressed the issue for the safety of ourselves, those we share the road with, those who admire our trucks at events, and those who will care for the trucks in the future. he fact remains that these style rims were consistently and significantly among the top for incident, injury, and fatality rates. No one on this form should be advocating for putting other forum members, their families, or those our trucks are shared with in such danger. We don't want anyone to become the next grandfather to partake in actions that lead to their 7 year old grandson to suffer life altering brain damage or nearly take their own appendages: https://molawyersmedia.com/2011/09/1...f-injury-work/
A contributor to the insidious nature of the RH-5° is that the overall risks are minimal because of the small relative population leading to insufficient awareness, respect, and remediation. However, the risks are extraordinary to those exposed to that small population.
Just a fun tidbit about Firestone acknowledging their issue:
And an excerpt from a Radio/TV commercial script produced by Firestone in 1955:
"This evening, it gives me great pleasure to announce that Firestone engineers have developed a complete new line of tubeless truck tires and one-piece rims which America's leading truck manufacturers have adopted as standard equipment for their 1956 models. . . . With this recognition and endorsement begins a new era in trucking history, a step which means a new high in transportation safety and a new low in truck tire costs. . . . There is no danger of side rings blowing off."
It would seem to me that if Firestone mentioned rim separation in their advertising, it must have been common enough of an occurrence to quell.
Additionally, one should note that there are law firms still advertising today that they will take on RH-5° cases:
Ok,ok, enough on the defective design - what can one do about it?
There are 22.5 and 19.5 single piece rims out there from some vehicles in the 70's/80's such as Dodge/Winnebago motor homes that use the 5 on 8 bolt pattern. Just don't want to get to wide - want to stay around 6.75" or so for rim width to avoid rubbing on the fenders, and some 19.5 could have drum clearance issues.
There are those on the forum who have gotten new rims from Wheels Now, American Wheel, OTR. They have 19.5, 20, and 22.5 options with the 5 on 8 bolt patterns, but some of those have a different look to them. Not exactly click and order, but a call knowing what you need size and cosmetic wise with a big checkbook and order (and shared quite regularly around here already):
Wheels Now - https://www.wheelsnowinc.com
American Wheel - https://www.amwheelspecialist.com/obsolete/ - They specifically advertise 19.5, 20, and 22.5 solutions
OTR Wheel - https://www.otrwheel.com/ - their website doesn't list our applications. One would have to investigate specific options further.
Then there are safer 20" tube style locking ring rims found on all some types of all sorts of 40-60s larger trucks with the 5 on 8. Some members here attempt to collect sets to help others with remedying the RH-5° dangers.
It is hard to tell from the pictures, but your front rims may be of a safer style. Best to check all 6 rims and decide upon your remediation path!
