Safely fill tires

After researching split rims further, it is not illegal to use them. But illegal to work on them with out proper equipment. Cage! Make sure you place the split side away from you.

 

It's really awkward to hold the ring on a three-piece in place with the tip of your tire iron, when it's faced that way. Just sayin'

 

I know the pic you're talking about. We used what were called hi-packs and lo-packs when I was in AF. Lo-pack being like a regular 150 psi compressor or something along those lines. Hi-packs were much higher pressure for pressurizing landing gear. You never use hi-pack on tires. That idiot did and paid the price for it

 

Back when I was a teenager in the 70's, I worked at the gas station in my town that was the closest thing to a truck stop we had. I used to fix flats all the time. They were all split rim back then and just starting to see a few tubeless on the steers.
We had a car lift, the old style with a single post in the middle and we'd just raise up the lift, set the tire under it, lower the lift so there was just a couple of inches of clearence and air that puppy up. I never had an incident and being a typical teenager didn't see why all the fuss. But, I did it anyway cause the owner of the gas station clearly let me know if I didn't do that, he'd fire me. In retrospect, I'm glad he said that, got my attention and that I did. Aww those were the days!

 

Before I joined the Air Force in the mid-70s, I worked for a tire recap shop, and they did a big truck business. I remember one day hearing a sound difficult to describe. I was just a kid who wasn’t allowed to do anything but sweep the floors really. All I know is the lock ring from the wheel reportedly went over 100 feet in the air and landed about 200 feet away on top of another building. Needless to say the tire was destroyed and nobody got hurt that’s the most important thing, but it was a mess.

 

My old 74 359 Pete and my 74 white road commander both had split rims on them.
I used to put a chain thru the rim and around the tire in two separate locations snap an air chuck on and walk away.
It still made your butt pucker when you had to go back over and remove the air chuck.

 

Same sort of setup at our station, circa 1980. They were doing a bus tire. When it let loose it pushed that hoist about a foot higher in the air. Something I sure remembered when I started trucking 5 years later.

 

I've had a normal tire explode. It was in a cage and it definitely did some damage to the cage. I was sitting a couple feet away. I heard a different noise coming from the tire, like a cord ripping or something and turned away from it just in time.

Its not often a tire blows but if you are working on a tire thats been ran flat or has a large patch or anything I would definitely keep your distance

 

Ran flat, or even very low, can Cause them to blow. Usually will hear some popping while airing up. I usually use the Truck, it takes longer, but I can leave it forever. Just get the chuck locked onto the valve stem. As long as both aren’t too old, it stays. Without having to hold it in place. Never goes over 110. Even though my govenor cutoff is set at 125. You have to be careful using Truckstop shop air. They’re often set at 175 or more.

 

Split ring wheels are still used and legal. They are safe. Millions of them around in the world still being used. There are 2 piece Goodyear or 3 piece Firestone/Alcoa style wheels.

The old R5 split wheels made by Firestone are the outlawed ones. They had two halves split down the middle of the wheel and very hard to keep clipped together when aired. Most were narrower 20” inch and smaller diameter wheels for class 7 and smaller trucks and tons of rv’s and never used on a big class 8 trucks. Military used them for a short while on the dueces. Those are the “widow makers”. I have a few still mounted at home. I will get pic later to show the design.

BE CAREFUL!
Brand spanking new tires can blow up while airing for the first time as low as 10 psi if the sidewall has an open ply splice defect during manufacturing or the bead wire is damaged.