Score one for the weight police :)

kenzmad wrote:
Ok, got all the wheels pulled off this morning. Wheel rating is 3500lbs. Thats right where I am at weight wise. Only one wheel had any damage but yikes! 7 of the 8 spokes have cracks in them. 2 go all the way through. I am thinking that it may be a bad wheel. Some are hard to see but all cracks are in between the white lines.

A bad wheel...possibly. Or maybe that wheel took a hit at one point. I have no idea your ownership (did you buy the wheel, or did it come with the vehicle), so it is possible it was damaged in some way prior to your ownership.

Even if it was a new wheel, if it had been the bottom wheel in a stack which was improperly packed/shipped/stored, it could have taken a vertical hit against a lateral surface. In short, set the wheel on its side and impact the hub.

It is all guessing at this point. Glad you found it before it was a problem. Chalk up a point for preventative maintenance and inspection routines!

-Eric

I dunno what to tell you about those wheel and tire sizes. I'm running factory 20" wheels and the E load range tires are 3750#. BFG LT275/65-20 I believe. Maybe don't limit yourself to 16" and 18" wheels? Or maybe I'm not understand what it is you are asking/telling.

This is an issue that many of us worry about and based on what I have been able to find out the only sure fire way to get a wheel rated (3750 lbs or more) for the load many of us carry on our SRW truck camper is to go with 19.5's, but many of us don't want the ride 19.5's give. Notice I said wheel, since we can buy tires that have sufficient load ratings.

There are low pressure cast aluminum aftermarket wheels rated as much as 3650 lbs, but experience in our TC community has taught us that these cast wheels can break even when loads are within the wheel specs. Forged aluminum wheels on the other hand seem to hold up to the high loads much better, but I have not been able to find 16" X 8" 8 lug (8" width needed for 285/75-16 tires) aftermarket forged wheels with a load rating even close to 3750 lbs.

I would love to be able to find and buy my "perfect wheel" - forged aluminum 16" X 8" with 8 X 6.5" lug spacing, 4.5" backspacing, 0 offset, and 116.7mm hub bore (hub centric). Does anyone know where such a wheel might be found, even if it is lug centric and not hub centric? I would even change tire diameter to 17" or 18" if such a wheel could be found. If not, then I would like to get the opinion of our TC community on the feasibility of the the following, somewhat unique, out of the box, solution to my "perfect wheel". My thought has been to do the following, with cost not being a factor, only performance and durability:

Take two sets of GM stock PYO 16" X 6.5" forged aluminum wheels and cut / machine the outside rim lip off of both sets. Then weld the cut off rim lip from one set onto the wheel of the other set, sized to give an 8" rim width. This would create a forged aluminum wheel specifically designed to fit my 8 lug GMC truck, but with an 8" rim width to meet the 8" width specified for 285/75-16 tires.

Although the PYO wheels do not have an official weight rating, it is accepted by many that they can hold 3800 lbs. In fact, I have, as have many others, run stock PYO's and 285/75-16"s for over 60,000 miles with 6800 lbs on the rear axle (on and off road), which gives me great confidence that the PYO's can carry the load. Although I have not had a tire problem running 285's on 6.5" wide rims, and in fact, have gotten 50,000 miles out of my first set of tires running that way, I would really like to get a set of forged aluminum wheels that hit the midpoint width spec for 285's.

Your thoughts and feedback are appreciated. But please remember this discussion is about the feasibility, capability, and durability of my "out of the box" solution and not about the weight rating of PYO's. Thanks...Terry

Rickson makes a hub centric rim for aftermarket and for higher rated applications. They produce a great product but their shipping can and has been problematic.

Glad you and your family are alright. Most of all, you posting here so others might learn from your situation. Too many post about going beyond the specs of their tires/rims/axles/brakes/frames so having this come up is good information.

b

billtex wrote:

ticki2 wrote:
Yes it can and has happened to factory wheels . Here is a picture of my rear inner dually wheel that was never over loaded. The only reason it didn't fall off is the outer wheel held it in place . The only sign that something was wrong was a slight clicking when decelerating , no vibration or wobble . I thought it was the brakes , but this s what I found .

Bob...are these steel or alminum? The inner flange (minor id) looks thick like cast alum.

I have never seen steelies that thick...but I have never owned a dually!

Bill

Yes they are original GM steel dual wheels . The thickness is an optical illusion . The white ring you are seeing is the flat portion that mates to the hub . The center of the rim broke completely around the hub but about a 1/2" away from the bend , that is the white in the picture , compare the two wheels .

ticki2 wrote:
Yes it can and has happened to factory wheels . Here is a picture of my rear inner dually wheel that was never over loaded. The only reason it didn't fall off is the outer wheel held it in place . The only sign that something was wrong was a slight clicking when decelerating , no vibration or wobble . I thought it was the brakes , but this s what I found .

Bob...are these steel or alminum? The inner flange (minor id) looks thick like cast alum.

I have never seen steelies that thick...but I have never owned a dually!

Bill

Partial to this brand.

Many of us run these rims...

4500lbs each rim...

Along with that spec we run 19.5 tires, mine are Michelins 4500lbs each!

I would not expect to buy anything less!

http://www.visionwheel.com/specs.cfm?id=867



I have about 2500 lbs spare weight on the rear of my truck when I am fully loaded!

Jim

wvabeer wrote:
Centerline makes forged aluminum. and made in USA.

I looked at the centerlnes but could not find any with weight ratings more than 3200# .

Centerline makes forged aluminum. and made in USA.