Identify plate

[Shorthaul]

Looking through the pictures of the truck on the index page, I'm curios what the plate with the hole and teeth and is laying on the tire is for. I don't recognize it from my 31 AA

P4180008what is plate.jpg (15.33 KiB) Viewed 4418 times

[Brian T]

Hello Shorthaul,
Maybe a crudely made spacer for Budd dual wheels? Certainly doesn’t look like anything Henry made.

[E.Moore]

That would make a good plate for a rear drum puller.

[rollingsculpture]

that sure looks like a reinforcement plate made for the late 30-early 31 budd wheels with the smooth face .they are not spacers they go on before the wheel is mounted for a single rear tire truck not as a spacer for duellies . ford came out with this as a solution to the great strain that was being put on the wheels by the people using the trucks the rims were cracking apart and this was a way to add strength .as we know the design change came in april 1931 with the raised hub seen only on 1931 wheels. i guess someone needed a gear on the wheel for something

[tiredtruckrestorer]

According to the January 1931 Service Bulletins, the adapter plate was used on the early 1930 single rear wheeled trucks with the scalloped hub design. The hubs were redesigned to provide a flat surface for the wheel to mount against, so these adapter plates would no longer be needed.

Keith

[Brian T]

In addition before the wheel offsets were changed , which was done to stop the dual wheels with 650x20 tires from rubbing together at the bottom causing overheating , spacers were a way to fix this , I don’t believe they were a Ford sanctioned fix ?.
Brian T.

[Chris Haynes]

Would these spacers have been used on an 1930/'31 express bed that only used a single wheel?

[tiredtruckrestorer]

Quotes from the Indy Service Letters dated 2-5-31:

"For trucks with the older type scalloped hubs and single wheels which are operating under conditions which will not permit the use of dual wheels, we are providing a flanged steel adapter plate, AA-1123R, which is to be installed next to the hub, using dual wheel nuts,"

"Please bear in mind that these adapter plates are to be installed only on single wheel trucks and are not used on dual wheel equipment, inasmuch as there has been no trouble experienced with this equipment."

" . . . on a truck with dual wheels, check your stock and if scalloped hub assemblies are on hand, use them on such units without the adapter plate."

The AA-1015C (Budd wheel #18596) wheel was used from January 1930 to June 1930. In June, the AA-1015C wheel (new Budd #18596-H wheel) was made heavier in the bolt flange area. In January 1931, the wheel offset was increased by 1/8 inch which increased the distance between dual rear wheels 1/4 inch. Budd wheel number stayed the same (Budd #18596-H). In April 1931 wheel AA-1015-C2 (Budd wheel #23597) was introduced with the reinforcement bead stamped around the outside of the bolt hole area. As you can see, changes were made in the wheels to increase their strength and increase the distance between the tires in dual wheel applications. At no time originally though, were 650X20 tires used by Ford on the AA's with dual wheels. The BB's were the first to use them but on different wheels again.

Keith

[Shorthaul]

Thanks to all for the response. I guess I don't have to try and find two of these items.

Terry Mc