Stigian 1,234 #1 Posted August 17, 2013 Wide rear Wheel Horse wheels? As most of you will of noticed (I know all you UK guy's like to look through ebay a lot ) I am selling the wide wheel I made for my 312 years ago.. I'm getting a lot of interest in them, way more than I thought I would and that has got me thinking.... Is there a market for them.. I could widen them as much as is required, or even narrow them should people be weird that way.. I'm not asking "anyone want some wheels widened", I'm just trying to get a "feel" for if it would be a worthwhile and interesting way of bringing in a few extra pennies.. Any thought's guy's? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,127 #2 Posted August 17, 2013 Based on the quality of your work you've shown us here Ian... I would expect there would be a huge market for your custom wheels. I wonder what shipping fees would be from you to NY? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,570 #3 Posted August 17, 2013 I think we need to see what they fetch and gauge after. It's the supply of 27 12 12 tyres that's the really expensive bit... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #4 Posted August 17, 2013 Based on the quality of your work you've shown us here Ian... I would expect there would be a huge market for your custom wheels. I wonder what shipping fees would be from you to NY? Thanks for that Craig, kind words indeed. I expect shipping a pair of rims to me would cost far far more than it would for you to have them banded locally. I think we need to see what they fetch and gauge after. It's the supply of 27 12 12 tyres that's the really expensive bit... I wasn't thinking about selling rims with tyres/tires, just maybe a wheel widening service. To sell wide wheels I'd have to find a stock of standard wheels first! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #5 Posted August 23, 2013 Well, Ebay was interesting.. I was quite shocked that the wide wheels with tyre's sold for £192!! After the weekend (I'm taking the 6X6 and maybe the GT if it will fit on the trailer to "Tractorfest" a local show this weekend), I'm going to start work on making another pair of wide rims (no tyre's) and see how they sell. My brain is slowly working out ways of widening wheels faster and easier, and I've already started to collect parts to help speed things up. It's quite handy that a Wheel Horse wheel hub fit's on the end of a Kohler KT-17 crankshaft Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Smith 142 #6 Posted August 23, 2013 I think the wheel widening service would be a good idea, although I think it would only be us wheel horse guys in the UK that brought them, because I should imagine posting to the USA would be quite scary. Also..... Ian, ill say once again thanks for the grip, it's all on and looks amazing. And is that tractorfest any good? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,570 #7 Posted August 23, 2013 Do I take it you bought the wheels Charlie??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neil 2,409 #8 Posted August 23, 2013 I wouldnt mind a set of widened wheel rims for one of my tractors Maybe try making a set & see how much they make on ebay , this will give you an idea of the market I think its a great idea , Show them pic with a new widened set on a tractor , this will give them an insight of the overall look of them Great idea Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #9 Posted August 24, 2013 I think the wheel widening service would be a good idea, although I think it would only be us wheel horse guys in the UK that brought them, because I should imagine posting to the USA would be quite scary. Also..... Ian, ill say once again thanks for the grip, it's all on and looks amazing. And is that tractorfest any good? Morning Charlie, full reply coming soon, a bit busy this morning.. No idea what Tractorfest will be like, I think maybe this is the first one?? http://www.tractorfest.co.uk/ More replies coming at some point guy's, I'm trying to work out if I have everything for the show Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevebo-(Moderator) 8,330 #10 Posted August 24, 2013 IMO there is a market but the price point will not be worth the effort... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 21,300 #11 Posted August 24, 2013 How many individual bidders did you have to get to the final price Ian? That's how many folks were interested (thru E-bay at least). If you had 10 bidders then that's an indication of the number of potential buyers. Plus I wouldn't even count the bidders who bowed out after it crested $50, they are never going to cough up anywhere near the final bid. Mike.............. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pmackellow 12 #12 Posted August 24, 2013 Tractorfest has been very good so far, weather has been crap but it has the makings of a good show... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #13 Posted August 29, 2013 I think the wheel widening service would be a good idea, although I think it would only be us wheel horse guys in the UK that brought them, because I should imagine posting to the USA would be quite scary. Also..... Ian, ill say once again thanks for the grip, it's all on and looks amazing. And is that tractorfest any good? Morning Charlie, I was only really thinking of UK guys because of the postage costs abroad... That being said if anyone want to pay daft amounts of money to have a set shipped abroad... Glad your happy with the grip You can see the Tractorfest picture here.. Do I take it you bought the wheels Charlie??? Nope, it wasn't Charlie, the wheels are off to a chap in Shropshire. I wouldnt mind a set of widened wheel rims for one of my tractors Maybe try making a set & see how much they make on ebay , this will give you an idea of the market I think its a great idea , Show them pic with a new widened set on a tractor , this will give them an insight of the overall look of them Great idea Thanks for the encouragement Neil I will make a set and see how they sell. I might use a photo of my 312 with them fitted in the ad, it will give people an idea on how they look and it will save me having to by a pair of tyres a they are not cheap! IMO there is a market but the price point will not be worth the effort... How many individual bidders did you have to get to the final price Ian? That's how many folks were interested (thru E-bay at least). If you had 10 bidders then that's an indication of the number of potential buyers. Plus I wouldn't even count the bidders who bowed out after it crested $50, they are never going to cough up anywhere near the final bid. Mike.............. I'm not out to make a fortune making these wide wheels, but a little extra cash would be handy.. Plus I like dealing with Wheel Horse guy's and girl's, your all such a nice bunch I only had 4 bidders, but I had a starting price bid of £60 after only 24 hours! The wheels still have 15 watchers just in case I re list them! I'm finally going to get the chance to dig a pair of wheels out the shed today to make a start on widening them, we shall see what happens.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #14 Posted September 6, 2013 Morning all, it would seem that fate is having a hand in this wheel widening malarkey... But were get to that in a little while... Behind the scenes things have been quietly happening with a bit of fabrication work going on.. A Kohler KT-17 crankshaft end welded to a bit of angle... As luck would have it the shaft end is just the right size to slot on a wheel hub... The bolt on the end of the shaft stops the hub from coming off and it also controls how fast the hub can turn... You can guess what's coming next This simple device will make life much easier when it comes to welding the wheels back together... No having to stop and un-clamp the wheel from a vice to turn it around... Welcome to the wheel widening bench... It's amazing what space could be found in the shack with a bit of moving stuff about Cutting on the left.. I will make a proper bracket thingy to hold the grinder at the right height and level. And welding up on the right.. I just need to bolt the big old vice (made in 1916) down to the bench. Some more bench space was found for this orange box... Now you know why I have been asking questions about blasting media I just need to get my compressor working now... Expect a pm Mark.. So, I now have a way of cleaning the wheels, cutting them, and something to make the welding easier... But I still need something to aline the parts of the widened wheels... Take a length of rather thick steel and mark 66 slot lines on it.. Lot's of sparks, swearing, a smoldering t-shirt and a bit of bending later....er.... After a little bit more swearing and hammer work things were looking quite a bit rounder. Still a way to go, but it's getting there.. The idea is this heavy duty sleeve thingy will be used to aline all three parts of the wheels for tack welding.. Soooo, why has fate had a hand in all this? While at the Tractorfest show a local gent offered me a Kohler Magnum 18hp engine for a rather good price, and last Saturday my wife and I went to collect it... I didn't collect the engine in the end due the the weight of it and the track to the place looks like it has been bombed.. Let's just say the car bottomed out more than a few times! I will get the engine when I can get a lift in a vehicle with more ground clearance.. But I did walk away with 4 Wheel Horse rear wheels for a very good price, the gent in question say's he gets them in quite often, so guess who he is going to ring first Having enough wheels to make 3 pairs of wide ones has spurred me on to get serious about wide wheels.. If the wide wheel market doesn't happen then at the very least I have an extra bench in the shack, a way of widening wheels should I need to, and a handy blast cabinet Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #15 Posted November 3, 2013 Morning all, due to a mixture of circumstances and a lack of funds this wheel widening lark is taking a lot longer to get going than I hoped.... But.. Things are well and truly on the move now Can you guess what it is yet? This might help a bit.. Yep, it's a cutting for wheels... Just turn the grinder on and gently turn the wheel against the cutting blade. The first cut.. It's interesting watching the heat line grow inside the rim.. Ta-Daa, cleanly cut into two.. Have a sparky action shot taken from my up and coming "How to" video Steel has been ordered to do the "widening bit" which should be here by Tuesday at the latest, so fingers crossed I should have the first pair of wide wheels done by the end of next week.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pmackellow 12 #16 Posted November 3, 2013 Looking good Ian you will soon have production in full swing Having visited the shack last week we were very impressed, theres some good stuff coming out of there !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #17 Posted November 3, 2013 Thanks Paul, it was a pleasure to have you and Wendy (I hope I have got her name right ) visit the shack.. Your be pleased to hear the power did eventually come back on late in the afternoon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robins 26 #18 Posted November 3, 2013 Looks good Ian And im glad to hear theres another video on the way Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #19 Posted November 7, 2013 Looks good Ian And im glad to hear theres another video on the way Thanks Daniel, the wheel widening video will be a little while yet until it appears on MooTube, but I have just uploaded a couple more vids. Remember this er... Inner sleeve thingy? Well, after a day spent hammering and bending steel it now looks like this Not a perfect fit in the wheel but close enough to do the job.. I'm just glad I've finally got this part made, it's the thickest steel I've ever had to shape without using a lathe! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stormin 9,981 #20 Posted November 7, 2013 You could do with getting your hands on a set of rollers, Ian. Make things a lot easier and quicker. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #21 Posted November 14, 2013 You could do with getting your hands on a set of rollers, Ian. Make things a lot easier and quicker. I'd love a set of rollers, would they handle the 3mm thick steel I'm using to widen the wheels? Well, wheel 1 almost made.. I say almost as my grinder started to self destruct when I was cleaning up the welds inside.. I've taken my time making the first wheel, working out the best way of doing it as I go.. No 2 should be a lot faster. My wheel widening video should be appearing in the "how to" videos section of this fine forum over the next day of so, but if you can't wait it's up on my YouTube channel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,570 #22 Posted November 14, 2013 looking great! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coadster32 793 #23 Posted November 15, 2013 Really awesome fab work!! You spare no expense and cut no corners. The fixtures you come up with work perfectly for how you go about things. Impressive. (not to mention the videos you make...quality, educational, and funny as S**t!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robins 26 #24 Posted November 15, 2013 Excellent Ian nice work. You said in the video a professional tyre changer is to expensive, have you thought about a manual tyre changer like these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEALEY-TC960-Manual-tyre-changer-and-tyre-lever-bar-new-car-van-/251068798836?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3a74ddd774 I got one a while back, very handy bit of kit. Not to expensive as theres a couple second hand ones on ebay at the moment aswell Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #25 Posted November 15, 2013 looking great! Thanks Mark Really awesome fab work!! You spare no expense and cut no corners. The fixtures you come up with work perfectly for how you go about things. Impressive. (not to mention the videos you make...quality, educational, and funny as S**t!) Thanks Chris, I'm not sure about no expense spared, I tend you use what ever I have kicking about the shack at the time which will work. "quality, educational, and funny as S**t!".. I think it was the last of the four words which made me laugh the hardest Excellent Ian nice work. You said in the video a professional tyre changer is to expensive, have you thought about a manual tyre changer like these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEALEY-TC960-Manual-tyre-changer-and-tyre-lever-bar-new-car-van-/251068798836?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3a74ddd774 I got one a while back, very handy bit of kit. Not to expensive as theres a couple second hand ones on ebay at the moment aswell Hi Daniel, it's funny you should bring up those tyre changer thingys... I was watching a Murray Mayhem video on YouTube the other day and he was using the same sort of thing.. Which got me thinking about making one.. Any chance of a few photo's and measurements of your kit (oo-er) so I can make something similar? I'm proud to say my wheels widening video is now up in the "how to" video's section, so pop over and have a look.. It might inspire some of you, it might make some of you say... "That looks like too much work" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
