AA wheel swap

[dlmims]

1929 AA has split ring wheels which a in rough shape and need replacing. This is a stake bed AA needing restoration but before going forward would like to get upgrade wheels. In addition it is getting almost impossible to find anyone to touch them. Does anyone know of a modern type wheel that I could put on this truck? Thanks in advance.
Don
Cumming Ga

[Bigsnapper43]

Give me a call. 740 658 3495 I will tell you what I did.

[Benson]

In case you do not know this:


Putting air into a split rim tire or removing wheels from the vehicle can kill you or seriously injure you if the rim is not installed correctly.

https://www.hsa.ie/eng/safety_alerts...ponent%20parts.

50 years ago I met guy who was "airing up" an AA truck tire when the ring came off and caught him under the jaw.

He lost most of his lower jaw and 1/2 of his upper teeth.

THERE ARE SPECIAL TOOLS and methods to do this work safely.

[spdway1]

Please don't be misled here. The AA wheels are NOT split rims. They are solid wheels with a retaining ring. They still have this very similar style today on new big rigs, heavy equipment, and buses here in the USA. ANY truck tire shop can assist you with this style AA wheel.

[Benson]

OK spdway1 thanks,

This fellow may not have been hurt with an AA wheel but it was a heavy truck wheel of some type.

So you are saying that the AA wheels are safe to "air up" with out safety measures and steel cages?

[J Franklin]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Check with a tire shop that services trucks as well as cars, they should be able to help you.

[1crosscut]

Originally Posted by Benson

OK spdway1 thanks,

This fellow may not have been hurt with an AA wheel but it was a heavy truck wheel of some type.

So you are saying that the AA wheels are safe to "air up" with out safety measures and steel cages?

It is best to air the AA tires up in a cage specially designed to do this. Once the tires are aired up and the retention rings are seated properly they are quite safe.

The problem lies in the process of getting them aired up and seated properly.
Have a professional tire repair shop do this for you.

[spdway1]

Use safety measures in everything that you do, this should go without saying. Yes, use a cage to air up. Just pay a truck tire shop to do your AA tire work, and you won't regret it.

[1crosscut]

I assembled mine (no air) and took them into a truck tire shop. They aired them up for me using a cage. When I asked them what I owed them he said for what? Air??
Nice of them to do it for free.

[Swingle]

I do my own tire changes on my AA truck. Wrap a chain around tire/rim, to catch anything that might want to go airborne.

[FordAADump]

These rims are very dangerous and yes, they can kill if not handled properly. The condition of the rim and ring are very important. You must use a good sold rim/ring (can be hard to find) free of any loose rust flakes and need to be thoroughly cleaned of such material. There is a very specific process to follow in order to properly seat the rings. I would also strongly suggest having a pro with a cage do them. Rings that blow off can take your head off and that is no exaggeration. Lastly, some people add bead into the tub to help balance the tire. I did not, and mine are fine. Remember, the top speed of a stock AA truck is about 35-37 MPH so it is not necessary to do so. Good luck.

[Risvip]

Hi truckers,

Steve here, first time posting on Fordbarn. Im getting my 31 stakebed AA ready for the Gettysburg MARC meet, and am going to try doing thr tire install myself. I spent a lot of time prepping and painting the rims, and hope not to scratch them up too badly getting the retaining rings put on. Anyone have suggestions on how best to make that happen?
Are there any videos, or instructions about this? (I did this job 35 years ago on my old 31 grainbed, but wasn’t worried about aesthetics so much)
Thanks Steve

[Joe K]

I spent a lot of time prepping and painting the rims, and hope not to scratch them up too badly getting the retaining rings put on.

It is possible to mount, place rings, and the "wind" chain around the wheel through the center hole.

Were it me, I might try 1" all-thread rod, buy a couple of 3/4" steel plates about 2' square each with a hole in the center, and "sandwich" the wheel.

But that is not "all encircling" like a chain or the Truck repair shop cage.

Jim Schild in his seminal "AA Truck - Supplement to Restorer's Model A Shop Manual" recommends a tire shop. You can do most of the other work of mounting (no tire machine required) and simply "roll in" the mounted rubber and ask that it be inflated. They may do it for the pleasure of keeping you safe - and to laugh at your result if it renders asunder.

Joe K

[Joe K]

If yours is the earlier 20" spoke wheel pattern, or the six-hole "dish" wheel, the mounting is "different" compared to the 5 hole "Budd" pattern wheels which started late in 1929 (and upgraded the truck to 1-1/2 ton)

Details are at https://aafords.com/aa-chassis/aa-1000-wheels/

Not only the wheels were changed late 1929, but also the hubs and nuts.

I have seen later AA Trucks with "modern" wheels. (I.e. not ring/rim) but one imagines a modern wheel with 6-1/2 bolt centers might need to have its holes "enlarged" to take the right/left threaded AA later lug nuts.

This conversion is NOT addressed at Neil Wilson's page above.

Neil may see this and join this conversation.

Joe K

[Neil Wilson]

Originally Posted by Joe K

If yours is the earlier 20" spoke wheel pattern, or the six-hole "dish" wheel, the mounting is "different" compared to the 5 hole "Budd" pattern wheels which started late in 1929 (and upgraded the truck to 1-1/2 ton)

Details are at https://aafords.com/aa-chassis/aa-1000-wheels/

Not only the wheels were changed late 1929, but also the hubs and nuts.

I have seen later AA Trucks with "modern" wheels. (I.e. not ring/rim) but one imagines a modern wheel with 6-1/2 bolt centers might need to have its holes "enlarged" to take the right/left threaded AA later lug nuts.

This conversion is NOT addressed at Neil Wilson's page above.

Neil may see this and join this conversation.

Joe K

AAFords.com provides information about original parts only. Original wheels and wheel nuts are all on the AA-1000 Wheels Parts Group page at https://aafords.com/aa-chassis/aa-1000-wheels/. I do not know of any other wheels to replace the AA wheels. If someone accomplishes this, then the AA is not like original (not my world).


All AA's were 1-1/2 ton. This was an upgrade of the 1 ton TT truck. The change to the AA-1015-C wheel was 1/30 (these wheels are date stamped).


There is a document regarding tire installation at https://aafords.com/aa-chassis/aa-1000-wheels/#t that I have used and consider the job to be save (no cage, no chains, just a one person job).

Keep on AA'en
Neil

[Dan McEachern]

If you don't want to scratch the new paint with a chain, you can use aircraft cable instead and lace it around the rim and snap ring. Just another way to skin the cat.

[nkaminar]

Many years ago, as a teenager, I worked in a truck stop. They installed a safety cage for airing up the truck tires. But the guy who's job it was to air up the tires refused to get in the cage with the tires.


Before anyone yells at me, this is a joke.

[Chris Haynes]

If you are indeed restoring it and not simply rebuilding you must use the correct original rims.

[[email protected]]

Changing to "modern" wheels could be a problem as Model AAs have stud piloted wheels and modern wheels are typically hub piloted. The two and their hardware do not interchange. On Model AAs the driver's side has left handed threads and the passenger's side are right handed threads. Ford uses "removable lock ring" wheels which are still available in some sizes today. Most new commercial trucks have tubeless wheels and tires and many tire mechanics today have never dealt with tube tires. The risk of inflating them can be reduced by keeping everything clean and free of rust or old paint, using a cage or wrapping a chain loosely around the rim, and using a clip on chuck so the operator doesn't have to stand over the tire when airing it up. Also when correctly assembled, the valve stem faces the side of the wheel the lock ring goes on. A local fellow mounted up 4 tires backwards so he got to take them apart a second time and remount them correctly.

[Joe K]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Changing to "modern" wheels could be a problem as Model AAs have stud piloted wheels and modern wheels are typically hub piloted. The two and their hardware do not interchange. On Model AAs the driver's side has left handed threads and the passenger's side are right handed threads. Ford uses "removable lock ring" wheels which are still available in some sizes today. Most new commercial trucks have tubeless wheels and tires and many tire mechanics today have never dealt with tube tires. The risk of inflating them can be reduced by keeping everything clean and free of rust or old paint, using a cage or wrapping a chain loosely around the rim, and using a clip on chuck so the operator doesn't have to stand over the tire when airing it up. Also when correctly assembled, the valve stem faces the side of the wheel the lock ring goes on. A local fellow mounted up 4 tires backwards so he got to take them apart a second time and remount them correctly.

Shadyside does well to get to the essence of the difference between earlier spoke or 6 hole AA Disk Wheels and the later "Budd" type 5 hole dished wheels.

I have seen "modern" wheels mounted on an AA variant. I can't tell you which type of variant but obviously to stay "true AA" one starts with the 6-1/2 CC hole mounts.

The only other thing that might have happened is "swapping out" Model AA axles/hubs entirely for the A axles/hubs and going with a modern wheel at 5-1/2 CC hole mounts - which in my mind kind of defeats the purpose of an AA truck.

I have seen MANY purported AA trucks on Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace with "modern" wheels.

The image below won't last but is typical of the adaptation. Obviously an AA but who knows what is under the front for an axle.



This KIND of looks like the earlier 28-29 AA axle (ref: the hub center) which the earlier AA accommodated by the wire wheel/hubcap, or "deep cup" hubcaps of the six hole wheel.

Given what I know of the stud-centered earlier hubs/wheels - this may be a kind of "by grace of a generous god" arrangement.

Joe K