Boltless Wheels

[John Dupre]

I see in a professional aircraft maintenance magazine that Goodyear (I think) has gotten a contract to produce boltless wheels for the C 130. The new wheels will use a large snap ring. Haven't we been through this before? Didn't they go to bolted wheel halves when there were too many failures of retaining ring wheels? Has the ring technology gotten better?

[Robbie Roberts]

I see in a professional aircraft maintenance magazine that Goodyear (I think) has gotten a contract to produce boltless wheels for the C 130. The new wheels will use a large snap ring. Haven't we been through this before? Didn't they go to bolted wheel halves when there were too many failures of retaining ring wheels? Has the ring technology gotten better?

As I recall, that was the case...

Robbie

[Holedigger]

....but the new ones are made in China and they are really cheap, what could possibly go wrong?!?!?

[IndyJen]

We've had retaining-ring wheels on the Harpoon for 65 years. No problems so far.

[Matt Gunsch]

We've had retaining-ring wheels on the Harpoon for 65 years. No problems so far.

We had them on Sentimental Jouney, until a flange let go and shot the retaining ring several hundred feet into the field while we turning to take the active at Chino for the airshow a number of years ago. It was real fun changing a main wheel on the end of the runway.
SJ now runs B-29 wheels, which are bolted together.

[Pooner]

SJ now runs B-29 wheels, which are bolted together.

Ugh, actually, No. Not even close. SJ wears Lockheed Neptune P2-V-7 wheels. 56" SC wheels with a 3/4" bi-halve bolt pattern. Meaning each half wheel is a bolt-together, split in the middle half section.

The Hayes 56" SC slip rings or "split" or compression ring wheels for the B-17 - B-24 - PB4Y-2 - B-29 really are a wonderful wheel and get something of a $hit reputation as a "dirty wheel" or prone to cracking, distortion, problems, etc. when this is really undeserved. Totally undeserved, in fact. Hot Stuff crew is dead-one right about wearing "snap ring" wheels and having no problems 65+ years later with said design type. Same for the TBM. PV-2. And several other types. Snap ring wheels are not inherently bad; it's incumbant upon those working on the a/c to continue to watch them and observe them cracks/failures/dings/wear. Pure and simple. All WWII era mag casting is prone to cracking/breaks/failures due to metalurgy from the time period.

The reason for the operative choice for the Neptune series wheel on the museum or touring a/c right now is for simplicity AND availability AND price. Two decades ago the aero scrappers were flush with Neptune wheels and it ain't the case no more. Supply versus demand, baby.

It's certainly easier to knock down a bolt-together wheel half and change a tire versus busting one's stones trying to demate a tire skin that's fused its bead to the large half of one of the WWII pattern Hayes snap ring. One having to do this alone might even call it a "bitch." Probably can't say that on WIX.... Neptune -7 was a heavy a/c and built for operable weights similar to that of our beloved wartime B-17s. Fat boy here has done more than one of these and LOVES changing -7 wheels/tires versus -29 types.

Can't malign the "snappies" when used and maintained properly. Prettiest sight in the world for a "tire and wheel guy" was CF's B-24J "Dragon and His Tail" when she wore a set of WWII shoes - PLUS the original wheel covers. I love my Lockheed stuff, but sight of "restored" a/c wearing wrong "shoes" is like seeing a supermodel in coveralls. Guess that'd be an acquired taste.....

(Rant over from the tire, wheel and brake fanatic).....

Last edited by Pooner on Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[flyboyj]

Here's a link for the C-130 mod.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zht ... highlight=