A New Rim for Giant Pneumatics
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MHE Goodyear type K rim for giant pneumatic tyres is of interest alike to owners of new and old vehicles, as well as to potential purchasers. From the point of view of the owner of pneumatic-tyred rolling stock, its advantage is its complete detachability and the ease with which pneumatic tyres can be fitted to or removed from it. Owners of solid-tyred vehicles will rejoice to learn that it lends itself to a scheme for the replacement of solid tyres by pneumatics at a cost substantially less than is customary.
Discussing the K-type rim as a whole, from the point of view of detachability, it is designed with an inner cone to engage a correspondingly shaped outer cone on the wheel felloe, and is secured by a clamping sing as well as locked circumferentially by slots and projections which behave as key-ways and keys.
Actually, the rim is in two parts— a split-base section and a continuous
ring. The former division embodies about three-quarters of the fullwidth and can be contracted to facilitate its entry into the tyre. The continuous ring is wedge or cone-shaped in its interior, where it engages the split base.
It automatically locks itself into posi
tion when driven home, and is provided with projections fitting slots in the base, as has been described in referring to the connection between the rim as a whole and the wheel felloe. When desiring to remove a tyre the split base is first contracted, using a light jemmy for the purpose. This makes it possible to remove the continuous ring, when the tyre can be lifted off.
Reversing the process enables a tyre to be replaced. The ease with which this operation can be performed was demonstrated to us, when using a 13.50-in. by 20-in. tyre, which, in five minutes, one man fitted and removed with ease.
In cases where it is desired to substitute pneumatic tyres for solids, the fellers of the old wheels and portions of the spokes are removed by using an acetylene torch, a new felloe being welded in place, this felloe being of a type to accemmodate the new rims. The total cost, taking a Leyland R.A.F. model as an example, is about £20 less than the usual price.
The K-type 'rims are manufactured by the Steel Stampings Co., of Cookley, Kidderminster, and the dual rims for welding to existing solid-tyred wheels are made by the National Steel Foundry (1914), Ltd., Kirkland Works, Leven, Fife. The address of the Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co. (Great Britain), Ltd., is Wolverhampton.