best way to lighten up rear wheels.

tallpa

Member
How much weight can you loose from cutting sections out of rear wheels? Where is the best section on wheel to cut at for a3500 to 4000 pound tractor and still be safe. I have seen them cut on different parts, just looking for advice or pictures from guys who have done it. Thanks for your help.
 
If your real serious about light rims this is what I do. I usually find narrow rims 9" (JD B, OLIVER, COCKSHUTT ETC.) they were made lighter as they were made for light duty work. Remove center and cut away as seen in photo plus add a 8" hole. When I widen rim I use lighter gage steel (.80" est.) 16" wide for 15" tires mounted tubeless. Rims with centers weigh around 100#. Ron
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That is extremely dangerous!!! With the Sharp cut degrees, pointing to the hubs.... I hope that who ever made them has a good source for liability insurance....
Bryant
Garland
 
Don't make them like the set that folded up at Columbia last weekend! Leave more material around the center hub.
 
The wheels pictured look good to me Ive been making them similar to them for years now. I like to cut the beads off with a plas cutter and roll 16 gauge for the center. As for the welds cutting the tube, spoke bike or motorcyle tubes use a rubber band to protect the tube as do tubes in split rim truck tires. A little grinding and mabie cover the welds with duck tape and you will be fine. Aluminum wheels are the best but id rather spend that money under the hood!
 
In my personal opinion if you want to go lightweight get the aluminum rims or spend the money you would spend on aluminum rims on some motor work and leave the pressed steel centers alone. All of the pressed steel centers that I've seen cut up, look ugly as heck! Just my 2 cents.........
 
I got to agree they sure look like crap and it really has to take a lot of strength away from them. Maybe you could just find a skinny guy to drive the light class if weight is an issue.
 
I have already busted a massey 101 hub, why would I want to put myself or others in danger pulling with wheels like that?
Safety first!
My 2 cents!
 
A large radius (1 1/2 inch radius or more) at the bottom of those V-cuts would reduce the stress at the point of those Vs. Those sharp corners are real stress risers, especially for the two bottom Vs that point to bolt holes.
 
I normally don't sell them...I just make these for my self....because I am good friends with pete and don't want to compete with a friend selling hub centers....I could see what I have in material and time and let you know they are a lot lighter than the cast centers but still have weight to them....I also have weld on hubs that I made for m as well...1st pic is of weld on hub and 2nd pic of my H with a set on it...The H just has clamp on hubs, but weld in centers
kelly
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I like those center on the massey. Thought bout making me some AC emblems like those for my WC. Cap bros center are very nice too.
 

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