I still do several split rims a month. There are several types. The ones that are the most common now are the ones the railroad use on some of the chassis. The have the ring around the outside you just cannot see it and they are not to bad if they are NOT damaged. But I have seen some older equipment where the rim splits around the middle and you cannot tell if the are solid. These you sold NOT use. I have been doing truck tries over 20 yes so I have seen both types. I have heard stories of the split rims coming apart but you must you caution in everything you do. You could get killed crossing the street in front of your house if you do not look.!
BE CAREFUL AND GO HOME AFTER WORK OR PLAY ! ! ! !

It sounds like you are talking about the removable rim that is solid and there is a second locking ring that holds it on, so two "loose" pieces to the rim. These ARE known as "widow makers" and I agree, avoid at all costs! I don't think they were in use for very long because of this.

And the vultures are circling:
St. Louis Today Article



I wonder if the truth will ever be made public. If the case is settled out of court (likely with only $100,000 asked) there will be a non-disclosure clause.

Well, this is tragic, and also shows the importance of proper safety training. The suit is for a "minimum of $100,000, so the award could go higher. The article has some relatively unimportant information in it, such as the tube being new, and the lack of a pressure gauge (although with a lack of experience, that could be a contributing factor). It is true, this type of wheel assembly has a well-documented history of failing when not kept in good condition and not properly installed/assembled. I don't believe that using a sledge hammer instead of a rubber mallet would be a contributing factor posting.php?mode=reply&f=1&t=40417#other than the sledgehammer would mark the rim, and could deform it if handled carelessly.Sounds like one person assembled it, and the unfortunate victim inflated it.
Sad incident for the family, the fellow workers (especially his supervisor), the museum, and preservation in general (you can bet insurance companies will want more safety documentation from here forward. Not necessarily a bad thing, but higher rates and more rules will result).
It was mentioned earlier that one should change out all these rims for the modern drop center kind. I was just realizing that my TT truck has lock ring rims on the back wheels, and there is no way to "adapt" the drop rim on them. The one other option I would have would be to use the earlier wheel assembly with a split rim (one-piece rim that collapses to install the tire, then gets latched back together). Model TT rear wheels are almost made of "Unobtainium" so such a change would not be easy either. The earlier wheels also take a different sized tire, which is also a bit harder to find.

Prayers for the family and all involved. Yes, there's always the vultures. One of America's structural problems is a gross surplus of lawyers. In our area every third TV commercial is for one ambulance chaser lawyer or another.

Hope in my grandsons lifetime we'll adopt the British system of making the losing party in a civil suit pay the winners legal fees as I think that would greatly reduce a lot of the ambulance chasers??

Be safe. Ross Rowland

Is a woman who questions why her husband died, a vulture? If there are questionable practices taking place, then I can't see why she shouldn't sue. I'm well aware of the frivolous lawsuits that take place, but a woman's husband being killed unnecessarily is a little different from someone suing because their own negligence or stupidity caused themselves an injury.

I would suspect that the term "vultures" applies more accurately to the lawyers who make a lucrative living from such litigation, and hasten to encourage and instigate same.

Yeah, we've got one of those in Ohio who'll "Make Them Pay".

Hi,



Is an apt statement. In our society (not controlled in many ways by nothing more than supply and demand), if there were not a demand for lawyers and it did not pay so well, there would be fewer.

Multiple reasons for lawyers, all true - just some are ethical and some are not.

Doug vV

There's certainly a plethora. I know of a streetcar operator who is being sued by one. They were running a car in mixed traffic and got cut off at the last second while approaching a red light. Since they were already slowing down, there was barely any impact, but the attorney wants no less than $200k and no more than $1 million for damages and injuries.