MTFCA Forum

Howdy all, recently got my project TT ('25 closed cab) running/driving, but unfortunately got a flat on the rear left wheel after about 50 feet of travel. The split rim (23" Kelsey No. 118 or 119) is pretty bent up, wobbles slightly as it rolls, and didn't want to go onto the wheel in the first place. Is this normal/workable? Would running with a tube protective flap have prevented this flat, or am I dealing with a more serious issue here?

My understanding of the TT is that Kelsey made rims for the trucks for a time, but not wheels. Is this correct? If Kelsey didn't make wheels themselves, what other rims would have gone on that size of wood wheel? Would those be easier to come by than replacement Kelseys? At this point I'm all ears for advice, because tracking down parts for these things has been a royal pain!

Thanks,
- Brett

Our fire truck TT we cleaned the rims with a wire wheel, good primer coats and installed new flap and tubes with our new coker tires a couple years ago lots and lots of baby powder to keep rubber things from sticking together.

Brett, your situation calls for flaps. Flaps should be used on split rims like the 26-7 T's and on truck rims which have various combinations of lock rings. The tube goes in the tyre with the flap, and the assembly fitted to the rim. The flap keeps the tube encased in rubber, away from rim joins, lock ring grooves and any other pinch points, and the inevitable rust flakes that develop in rims which do not preclude water due to the method of construction.

Alan from down under.

In the 23 inch size TT wheel Ford had two main suppliers of complete wheels sans tubes & tires. The two wheel suppliers were Kelsey and Hayes. The two rims are not interchangeable. The Kelsey rim takes loose lugs and the Hayes has fixed lugs. The wheel fellos are different for each type wheel. The Kelsey fellos have a upset area for each lose lug and a metal ring plus a tab to keep the rim from slipping on the fello. The Hayes fellos use the fixed lugs to prevent the slipping. If you used a Kelsey rim and lugs on a Hayes fello the rim wouldn't fit correctly and could quickly break off the valve stem, like in the 50 ft you traveled.

Posting some photos could help solve your problem.

I think these are Kelsey felloes, but I don't know. Unfortunately I don't have a better photo on me of the rear wheels

Image: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... G_4537.JPG

What kind of crazy person owns a TT anyway ?

I looked at your posted picture with the red wheels. The wheel on the right side axle looks like Kelsey but the lugs look a little different, but seem to fit. The wheel on the left side axle, the one we see the back side of, l can't tell for sure. I can't see the lug upsets in the fello, but the rim looks bent at the split. Is this the rim that went flat ? The tube may have gotten cut at the split. Remount tires with flaps and patched tubes or new tubes. If the left side fello doesn't match the right side but the rim does then you have a mismatch problem.

There are shops in the business of fixing bent wheels. Maybe with a google search you can find a shop to fix your rim.

The shop that straightened this wheel for me made it good as new.

Steve, your Packhard rim was a prime candidate for re-rolling. that is the simplest form of rim straightening, and is most satisfactory usually. I wonder if the same can be said for straightening the variety of rim profiles used on various makes and configurations of truck wheels. I doubt They would be able to re-roll a wooden wheel felloe unless the wheel was stripped down, and then they would have to have/make rollers to suit the profile of the metalwork.
The lockrings are a different kettle of fish again. Most are tempered in some way, and if they are bent, they would likely have to be annealed before they could be re-rolled, and then re-tempered.
Finding a shop equipped/capable/prepared to do such work may be quite difficult. Transport regulations may well prohibit such repairs in commercial usage, thereby cosigning the equipment and skills needed to the bin of obsolescence.
But, truckers are known for their resilience, so there is no harm in going for it!

Allan from down under.