Reply #4: Cheap truck rims

[htuttle]

I used to have to deal with them years ago at a garage.

They are in two pieces, and are pressed together. If they don't seat exactly right, they separate with explosive force. Decapitations or dismemberment are not uncommon when handling them, so most often you put the assembly in a strong cage when inflating (so if it explodes, the 'ring' piece doesn't go through you). We often used to wrap a chain through the middle, too.

The risk when using something like this after bouncing around on rough terrain is unthinkable. Unfortunately, I was reading on an Army maintenance forum somewhere (which had come up in a google search awhile back, the last time it happened) that the Army uses these 'split rims' on several common pieces of equipment (some trucks, for example). They don't often have a cage handy, and accidents are all too common.

Instead of split rims, the better-designed bolt-together rims should be used, but they cost more.

To be honest, after my experiences with them -- seeing one jump OUT of the cage and put a hole in a cinder block wall -- I try not to drive right next to a semi truck's tires on the freeway...