The GMC CCKW

I promise Jim a rim when I got home and found one that didn't have a tire on it,very nice no cracks between the lug holes,no wore out holes,no rust between the rim parts,only problem there was no lock ring,I have around 40 tires in various states and conditions,some on vehicles some just on axels to help move them around,so I looked for a tire that was flat and didn't look like it would be too tight at the bead,bare in mind I've never done this before,I read the manual so I thought I was ready,I layed the tire down under the bumper of a 2 ton truck I have at the house,then put my handy man jack between them and smashed the tire down,but it wouldn't go down very far,so I put a piece of trailer tounge on the other side and drove my truck up on it,then with a five pound hammer I proceded to pound a bar under the lock ring to get enough room to get the lock ring free,even though the tire wasn't touching the ring anywheres it still wouldn't come off,so I took a sawsall and cut the bead wires and cut large sections out of the tire so I could have room to hammer on the bottom of the ring,3 hours later and a minor mental break down I realized there were sections of the ring that didn't have a lip,once I figured that out it popped right off,next time I will take it to the truck stop and pay them to do it. I know there must be an easier way!

I dissmounted one tire and that was enough for this old man. I now take the tires and rims to a big truck tire place to get it done and they do in quick.

Years ago I had a 3 Ton Canadian Pattern Ford V8 Tipper and could not get the halfs of the split rim appart so I took them to the local Firestone Man, after 2 weeks of using their heaviest of gear they had the 4 wheels in parts. When I picked them up they gave me the contact details of the opposition company on the other side of town and fairly nicely told me never to return.

I have also tried pulling appart GMC wheels that must have been together since new. The one I did get appart sent the locking ring accross the floor of the workshop and made a hole in the wall.

So my recommendation is to take them to a heavy tire company that services big trucks, they have the kit to do the job safely as you never know just when those wheels will let go when you are trying to dissassemble one.

regards
kev

Guy's be carefull with those tires. always take the airvalve out of the tube so you are sure there's no compressed air in the tire. only then its safe to remove or work on the tire. We have changed 11 tires and it was a enormes work some tires we workt a day to get it of off the rim. The tube and tire where glued to the rim even when the ring was off the tire stickt to the rim we think these tires were about 40 years on. When inflating again use two peaces of chain put these around the tire tru the rim and bolt them togetter so when the ring springs it can't go anywhere. For pictures of tire change see

http://home.hetnet.nl/~gerards_j/banden_1_en.htm

Rik

I have always woked in the automotive bussiness and have been told so many stories about what happens when the ring comes off,that I never plan on mounting my own tires,when you look at the small amount of material that actually holds a CCKW lock ring onto the rim,it down right scarey. One shop I worked at that still did two piece rims had a remote tire inflater,thet put a regulator inline so they could hook it up and let it inflate without ever getting close,ususally they put the tire beneath the car hoist,even chain would be questionable. From talking to old timers that used to work for the saw mill he said the CCKW lock ring were probably the worst to remove but not nearly as scary to install. But I will never do another, I have too much too live for!

Time for a Story....

I have a big old (1957) Hough Loader that I was given because it would hardly run and the owner did not want to put anymore time in it. The motor had previously just failed and was replaced with a used JXD motor from a Searchlight Generator (so there is HMV relevance here). He used it to plow his dealership parking lot and bought a newer model.

I found the thing did run poorly and the plugs were frozen in the head. A squirt of PB Blaster every day and a 1/4 turn on the plugs had them out in about 3 weeks. A compression check revealed poor compression in #2 and 3. Off came the head and I found a blown head gasket. A new gasket and she runs good. A deal for under $50

Now the story.

2 years ago December (about 35F temperature) I was out moving big junk around the yard. I was rolling up to my next load when I heard a huge bang and was violently thrown up in the cab of this loader until my head hit the inside roof. The rear end of the loader crashed down with a bang. What the heck was that? A quick look around while turning the key off revealed no smoke or flames.

What happened is that one of the Wheel rings let loose on the inside wheel.

These are 4.5 foot high 24" loader tires. Thank Goodness the Ring was on the inside as all it did was slice the steel brake line to the wheel in two. The remains of the retaining ring were bent like a pretzel.

The resulting noise brought the whole family out of the closed up house...they thought a bomb had gone off outside.

Thank goodness no real catastrophy with this. Just a scared "Sheetless" loader operator who had to clean out his pants.

I would hate to be on the wrong end of one of those going off and flyling across open territory

Bill

I have a Bear truck tire changing machine (16"-24" wheels). Some of the old ones come apart very hard, The machine literally rips tham apart if it cannot get them away from the bead.

Never use a chain in place of a safety device. Put the tire on the truck, ring in and tighten all the bolts to spec. Use a remote inflator if you have one and hearing protection if you don't.

They do go back together a lot easier than they come aparty in general.

Hi Guys!
Just in case anyone is interested, I have some NOS outer lock rings available for sale here. They are in perfect condition...mint! I think from memory that they are Firestone brand.....WWII dated. Email me for a price if you want. Thanks mate!