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poor_driver
Senior Member
162 Posts |
 Posted - 02/24/2005 : 6:25:27 PM
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Is it better to have the spoke rims or stee?...
One of my mechanics says that it's better to have steel rims because when they are places back on a bus after servicing, the wheel is easier to be set straight in place.
I notice( by looking a school bus pic websites) that most schools from the north are still buying buses with the spoke wheels, can you tell me if there is a regional difference because of weather or something? also why do some nothern (states) school districts still buy gas buses? |
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raytobe
Advanced Member
USA
293 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2005 : 7:36:47 PM
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| I can tell you that I have been in the southeast working on school busses since 1976 and I have NEVER worked on a bus with spoke wheels-- we just don't buy em. I have worked on them when they were on medium heavy trucks and do agree that they can be difficult to get aligned properly. I normally use a block of wood or something placed on the floor next to the bottom of the tire and spin the wheel and check for evenness. |
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wagonmaster
Top Member
USA
2298 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2005 : 06:11:18 AM
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Use steel disc (not spoke) wheels. Several reasons;
1. have 10 lug nuts instead of 5.
2. much easier to mount on the hub, and don't require extra effort to make them straight or "true".
3. usually lighter than the cast spoke wheels because the cast iron "spoke" isn't necessary. Less unsprung weight means more can be hauled on the chassis and remain within the GVW restrictions of components...ie: legal and not overloaded.
4. if you have a choice get the hub piloted wheels, as opposed to stud piloted. Less parts (no inner lug nuts) and better clamping force with the nut flanges.
There you have it.
I've read where some of our northern states have issues with them rusting in place and being hard to remove, but in my experience with a very large truck fleet that runs in ice/snow conditions this isn't a real problem very often. The benefits far out wiegh the problems. Your mechanic is correct.
Joe |
Joe
Land of the Free, because of the Brave! |
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ModMech
Top Member
USA
948 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2005 : 12:16:13 PM
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We run spoke (Dayton) rims on ALL the units with Hydraulic brakes, we NEED all the cooling we can get. On those with air brakes, we run disc (Accuride/Budd) rims and outborad mounted drums to avoid replacing wheel seals at every reline.
There are some VERY significant advantages to spoke wheels:
-Run cooler
-Lighter rims (less injury during tire changes - we do our own tire work).
-My opinion is, if you cannot install a spoke wheel so it is true, you shouldn't be in this business.
Disc wheels (w/outboard drums) are MUCH better for anything with drum brakes as you can reduce you reline times by up to 75%. Aside from that, I do not find they are an advantage. |
If you want customer service, you NEED an International! |
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raytobe
Advanced Member
USA
293 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2005 : 6:21:44 PM
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[quote]-ModMech-]My opinion is, if you cannot install a spoke wheel so it is true, you shouldn't be in this business.[quote]
I can do it of course but it's still a pain in the ass sometimes. I can't remember the last hydraulic brakes we had and I don't miss that mess one iota :-)
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wheel rim choice
