Artillery wheels history

Ok I know what these look like but was the original modeled on an artillery wheel or di people get real artillery wheels?

 

Damn..... Stupid question? Or no one knows?

 

I think it's a style of wheel that many manufacturers installed. Probably was a supplier who sold them per design to the mfgrs. Hope that gets you started on your search for history.

 

I suspect they became more popular / standard as new cars got heavier and had more power and cornering speed... when the then spindley wires were not up to the job any more. Wider wire wheels with more spokes would also be very expensive. Trucks, trailers, heavy off road / military vehicles and some large autos all came with spoked metal or solid wheels back in the day. Race cars after WWII turned to solid wheels and then mags, leaving all their bent wires and blowouts in the dust. Gary

 

I'm just wondering if the period correct thing is the manufacturers "artilary" wheels or if there was really military surplus stuff...... Yes I think too damn much. I love the style and wan to put them on my 32 tudor.

 

I think it was Dodge brothers that did first? Mind you i did have 7 of them on one car lol.

 

So that's a dually with a spare?

 

Wooden wheels go back to the Egyptians chariots.There were many different kinds of wheels made over the years.

Artillery wheels were a new design invented in the 1800s made of interlocking pieces, each piece being one spoke plus a segment of the hub. The spokes ended in pie shaped wedges with mortise joints that interlocked together like a jigsaw puzzle. Then the hub was reinforced by a steel or iron plate on each side, bolted together. This made a very strong unbreakable hub.

They were first used on field guns or artillery pieces. These guns were very heavy and had to be pulled over rough ground and taken anywhere. Then when they were fired it put a terrific strain on the gun carriage and wheels. The wheels would often break under the strain. The new design of artillery wheels was stronger than the old hub and spokes style, and not prone to bending over sideways and breaking.

Buggies used a different style wheel. It was slightly cone shaped. The axles were bent on the ends so the spokes pointed straight down to the ground, while the upper half of the wheel was at an angle. If you looked at the buggy from behind the wheels splayed out slightly at the top. This made the wheel more flexible and kind of springy but it was not strong enough to hold up a car.

When they started making cars, you had a choice of wire wheels or artillery (wooden) wheels. The wooden wheels were better for everyday use, they were flexible, you could hit a big rock and they would bend away then spring back. A wire wheel would more likely break a spoke or bend a rim.

Wooden wheels were better at absorbing jolts, noise and vibration. One old time car designer liked to ask, would you sooner break rocks with a wooden handle hammer or a steel handle hammer?

Better roads, better suspension and smaller diameter tires made artillery wheels obsolete. Last ones were on a few 1932 cars. By that time the spokes were only a few inches long.

Some steel wheels in the 30s were stamped out in an imitation of the artillery wheel.This was partly for looks or style, although the stamped spokes were stiff and light weight and less prone to "ringing" than the flat disc wheels of the twenties.

 

theres a thread on here somewhere from a few years back,do a search

 

Surprisingly enough..... The Artilleries were considered to be the cheaper rims in this early rim ad.

 

Shows what a dumb *** I am.... I ***umed t was like belly tankers where it was was surplus. Thanks for straightening me out.

 

Yes sidemounts and a spare behind the rumble seat. 36 dodge D2, can never have enough wheels??? Thanks for the info Rusty.

 

Cool reply, all we wanted to know and more! gary