If anyone has any or knows anyone with a rig that's late 2018 and up or a trailer that vintage and up equipped with light weight Alcoa aluminum wheels better take a good look and or keep an eye on them. The wheels are easy to spot, thinner web/disc area where those bolt up. We have had five crack from bolt holes to large vent hole opening. I have also heard of others that have cracked. I found two on different tractors broken on the steer, one on a drive and two on trailers. Easy to spot, but you do have to look. Alcoa warranties wheels for five years, and the wheels have date of manufacture stamped on them. Warranties can be handled by any truck tire shop or dealer.
That could end up being a very bad day.
Very true, At this point I know of zero acknowledgements that there is a issue from anyone. But if this keeps up-a E-Mail to NTSB will probably be in order. Those wheels are all over the U.S. and else where.
Thanks for the safety reminder, Truck Shop. I’ve been discovering what you described on a few newer Alcoa 22.5x8.25. I blamed it on overloaded 2800 gallon tank trucks, but a quick looksee on the popular trucker forums indicate a lot of chatter about the issue.
In my years I haven't seen this many Aluminum wheels this new broke before. A wheel 10 to 15 years old yes. But these wheels are thinner in the disc area than any other wheels Alcoa produced. It was obvious when they first came out, Compare a new wheel to a 8 year old wheel, you can see it with the naked eye. I don't do truckers report--that is a total BS forum.
I’ll compare new vs old like you said. Interesting.
not to doubt anyone, but are these genuine ALCOA or counterfeit knock-offs?
Genuine Alco original equipment. Difference in thickness the old wheels are 1" at bottom of vent hole the late wheels are 11/16". I will post some photos of early late wheels. Nothing better than a class action law suit, makes me smile.
Considering 99% of pre-trips involve leaving the cab, taking a leak and then driving off, this is a bit worriesome.
Thanks for the heads-up. I am all steel all the time, but yesterday one of the plumbers texted me a picture of a lug nut he found in the bushes next to the shop drive. I had looked on the pre-trip and had all my nuts in place, but it was helpful. There is a 53' delivery truck for the business next door missing a lug nut, I am sure.
Older and new style below. First photos old style then new style. The old style can be spotted by the dish relief cut into area near edge of rim near bead. The new wheels don't have that.
You would have to have a pretty clean truck to spot a inside dual, with a crack between that vent hole and the stud. A lot of my stuff usually has a fine layer of dirt and grime on the inner wheels, it could go quite a while before I think I would spot that. The new thin wheels are probably a cost savings + weight savings = it looked good on the engineer drawings - but not so great in the real world.
There was a reason the early style wheels were made to those specifications. The weight removed was minimal, the savings was in the amount of material used to cast a wheel. Inside wheels, can be checked but easier when clean. {everybody should be washing their equipment anyway}. But if the truck is equipped with inertia wheel balance hoops sandwiched between outer and inner wheel, then it will be tough to spot. Plus some wheels will crack in the drop center area, but that will be found because of the loss in air psi. Knoown as a----------flat tire.
Not to change the subject but what's your opinion one those wheel balancing hoops? A couple of our trucks have them on the steers, I don't really notice a difference driving them.
Someone likes them-the guy who sold them, Tire Industry Association has a video that blows holes in that idea.
Aww don't say that. I was getting ready to try a set, Atlas ones. Same but a little bit different.
Any chance you can post a link TruckShop? I had a look at the website but couldn't find anything. I do like the idea of inertia balancing, but not if it's snake oil. Thanks
I don't know a single person who balances or centers their truck tires. Mount, install, go make money.
So which do we watch for, Budd wheels or hub pilots. The first pic shows Budd nuts and the thin wheels appear to have hub pilot flange nuts. I would assume the skinnies couldn't support Budd nuts in the first place. Thanks
For sure. I see a few line-haul, owner-ops around here that like to true and balance their steer tires. Michelin tends to provide the best chance for a tire thats actually close to being round.
I have a set of those balance hoops free if someone wants them. What about the beads ?
Those wheels that are stud pilot are ones I converted with a Bridge Port mill from hub pilot for my Mack. It's a early wheel works just fine. The ones that need to be watched for are late hub pilot, I used the ones I converted as a reference for the difference in thickness. see you folks on the 10th, maybe.
That must be a Canadian thing? Here some do the blows smoke and wheels roll test. They get in and it blows smoke. Then if the wheels roll it is good to go and they are gone. Worriesome!
Well before I said I was. Broke another wheel on a steer today-a 2021 with 36,000 miles on it. NTSB-Oh NTSB where are you. It would be great to see about 100,000 trucks all shut down and people wanting their food plus toilet paper. Rotten as hell ain't I-people have had it too damn good for too long.
I am headed to the store as soon as they open to stock up agin.
Phuck me, I have them on our 3 new ones also.
I have one on mine the rest are all the older wheels it’s an outside drive I make sure it gets a very close inspection any time I stop
So I have a trailer I was going to add Aluminum wheels to. the new Alcoa still have this problem? A guy should look at the Accuride brand maybe? I was thinking of getting Alcoa but than i remembered this thread. Anybody have any opinions about wheel brands? They will be 24.5.
Personally I would run 11:00 22.5 but that is just me. 24.5 is kind of on it's way out. And yeah Alcoa still has a problem of cracking, we have had 18 crack this year. But Aluminum wheels are becoming hard to get because of a shortage of magnesium. I bought up 16 extra wheels. Accuride is a ok wheel.
Ya I hear you on the 11-22.5. Some how I ended up with all of my trailers. except the detach, with the tall 24.5. Its nice to one have one or two spares that fits them all. I have one with rusty steel wheels on it. getting tired of looking at them. lol
Every thing we run is 22.5 low pro. How about just powder coated steel wheels.
Thats whats on it now 5 years old. The gravel roads chip the powder coat off than thay start to rust. They look like they are 20 years old. I suppose i could get the smooth wheel covers the fleet guys run to get better mileage. LOL
No don't do that, please don't do that!lol
Why low pro TS? Height issues or ?
My tire guy is having issues finding 24.5 also. Not impossible, just that they don't make as many anymore. They say its because all the fleets have gone 22.5, making the dump truckers and us poor guys still running the tall 24's kind of out of luck. The story I got for fleet use is - 22.5 low pro is lighter, cheaper, and gives less rolling resistance, which all = less $ / mile, which is the name of the game in fleet use.
Everything C.O. said above Plus with as many pieces of equipment as I have-can't have but one size. I keep 14 trailer 4 tag and 6 steers mounted ready to go. Weight is a huge factor, just the difference between 16 ply and 18 ply is a bunch. I run all 16 ply. Drive tires I keep in hand and are changed out when truck comes in for service.
Most guys around here run 24.5's and frown on 22.5's. Monkey see, monkey do. They don't realize that the fleets with the sharpest pencils use 22.5's because they can haul more payload due to the difference in weight over 8 axles( 30 tire/wheel assemblies) which equals a better bottom line
Height does play into it also. With the trailers and tractors spec'ed the way we have them for max weight you can't run tall tires. Trailers have a 24" pin setting, with the fifthwheel slid almost all the way up {except two notches} you have to have fifthwheel risers 5 to 6" high which gives 47" to top of fifthwheel plate fully laden with a overall height of 13' 6". Reason for that is with tall tires you will need a low profile fifthwheel to stay at 13' 6". With the trailer sucked up that far it will/can cause the tractor after frame to get into the trailer crossmembers at a steep loading dock. Our 53' trailers were spec'ed by Gayle and I for maximum weight and bridge with full tanks of fuel. Actually this company started a trend with three axle frozen spec trailers that everyone in this area buy. Tall tires and Budd/stud pilot wheels are a thing of the past. Less work and maintenance with hub pilot.
@Truck Shop didn't the lo-pro thing start back when FET was based on the actual weight of the tire?
Actually it is a European design that finally caught on here as far as hub pilot. FET had something to do with it yes and part of it was weight savings on the truck.
I learned something new today. Tho I like the look of 24.5 tall rubber.
Interesting comments. Gained some new information. Working from memory here, were the 22.5 steel wheels in the '80s a stronger wheel v/s the steel 24.5?
I've always liked the looks of 10.00X22 tall rubber on older trucks being highly biased towards Mack. That is what is on my B-61T but they are radial tires and new old stock. Never have been out in the sun so going to run them. Though 11R-24.5 are the same dimension in overall diameter, I like the taller sidewall look myself. To me aluminum wheels on 11R-24.5 tires look out of place and 11R-22.5 look better. Of course I like 10.00-20 rubber also for the same reasons, but obtaining them any longer is seemingly an exercise in futility, as are the old 10.00-22 size. I also don't like the "gap" switching from the tube types to tubeless has on Dayton hubs either.....
The same, two hand hole wheels are stronger. For most everyone on here running full size tires-well that's what you do and that's ok. But for me or the company everything has to be uniform everything the same. If a tractor or trailer needs a tire on the road 295/75 22.5's are the standard easy to get every tire dealer or truck stop has them. Plus I will move old useable steers to the trailer center axle and run them out.
We run 24.5 on all the trucks, (dump trucks, log trucks and lowboy trucks) and some of everything on the trailers depending on what they are (lowboy, log, belly dump, possum belly chip, side dump, tilt bed). That is what works best off highway around here, you need all the ground clearance you can get. We have a stupid amount of spares mounted up ready to go, I wish we just ran 295/75 22.5 on all the trailers.
Can anybody tell me what the manufacture of this wheel is? I picked up a service truck and would like to match the rears to this front but can’t find a stamp on it. It’s on a 97 Peterbilt 330.
Those are Pete wheels, go off the vin. But salvage yards should have some.
Parts guy say there is different versions of the Pete wheel. Depending on who made it. I thought they were all the same. going go check out a couple of salvage yards in a couple days.
I don't know that anyone would be able to see the difference in the pete wheels without being real close. Most are just going to see the oval holes and think "pete" wheels. I couldn't probably tell the difference unless they were laying beside each other.
Different by model years. IIRC the earlier ones have tighter curve at the ends.
New wheels from local Peterbilt store $660 each. Salvage yard for nice ones $220 Each. I took the salvage yard ones.
Buy a ignition key with the Pete logo-$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Hardware store will make one for cheap.
Speaking of needing a wheel my day didn't start to grand.
That ain't good.
That was one of them hard knock learning experiences ran over a bolt on the road or something the like.
I ain't no mechainic, but I think you're missing something there.
Have to agree on the missing part, think they are there to prevent damage to the rims!
Thats impressive. It got away without shreading the fender.
I had a steer go and took out 1/2 the hood & a bunch of other stuff in the wheel well.
It didn't pull of nothing I heard a thump and the tire was off to the races.
Yea what a shame, those lug nut covers ain't cheap
The center cap is also mia
Damn, Farmer. How many did you need? I'd have traded you two for a couple of normal aluminum ones. My one truck came with Pete wheels on the pusher. Problem is, it's a Binder.
I Just needed 2 Shimmy. Just fixing up a old served truck. The front has them already, the back came with rusty steel. How are things going over your way?
Busy truggin. All sorts of corn moving. I'm not a huge fan of winter time trucking, but I don't have a lot of shop work to do this winter, and trucking pays better, lol. I was able to buy this little girl from my dad before he sold it to someone else. We got it a couple years before I left, it's a 2000 model 9200 with an ISM and 13 sp. 650k total miles, 100k on a new engine. She will be my lowboy tractor for the construction side.