CMP wheel details

[Lynn Eades]

Can some one fill us in a bit on the Kelsey-Hayes company. Being the manufactures of not only C.M.P. wheels, but also of the war time Jeep wheels, was this company originally a U.S. company or Canadian company? Was it a subsidiary of Ford or G.M.?

[Tony Smith]

Originally posted by Lynn Eades
Can some one fill us in a bit on the Kelsey-Hayes company. Was it a subsidiary of Ford or G.M.?

Neither, it was an independant specialist manufacturer, much like Budd. Kelsey-Hayes had an "alignment" with Ford (dating from the time the original Kelsey Wheel Co supplied the wheels for the Model T), but was free to supply to other vehicle and implement builders. Holley (Carburettors) and Warner (Gearboxes) were two similarly independant companies in the Ford camp. The Hayes and Hayes was a Brake and Clutch subsidiary spun-off in the late 40's. Ford CMP (indeed all Ford Truck and Bus) clutch pressure plates were also a Kelsey-Hayes item.

A quick Google search produced this:
"The Kelsey Wheel Company was formed in 1909 in Detroit, MI. Initially, the company specialized in wooden wheels for early automobiles but its product line expanded to include wire wheels and braking systems. In 1927, Kelsey Wheel merged with Hayes Wheel Co. to form Kelsey-Hayes Co. Since the 1950s, with manufacturing plants in the US and Canada, Kelsey-Hayes has been developing a wide range of automobile parts such as the anti-lock braking system, disc brakes and steel wheels. Kelsey-Hayes changed its name to VarityKelsey-Hayes in 1989 after being acquired by Varity Corp., and Varity was in turn acquired by TRW in 1999"

[Lynn Eades]

Thanks for that Tony, I've just been scrolling back through the thread and on seeing Bob's old tyre, I thought I'd head off on a tangent.
Years ago I read about runflat tyres. That tyre of Bob's should have had a "bead lock" in it,so the tyre probably was mounted on the rim, after the trucks military service.
I have seen run flats with RF2 and RF3 on them. I recall that one or the other was designed to be able to travel up to 100 miles, once deflated.ie with a bullet hole in it.
I had one on a Dodge rim (900 x 16) that had been driven on for some time with no beadlock (I guess it must have lost its air and they just kept using it)I guess it had been driven in 4wd because the wheel turned so freely in the tyre. Braking can't have been that good either.
Anyhow it was well worn at the bead, but of note was that it was very much thicker at the bead and in the sidewall than Bobs tyre appears to be. (The side wall did not deform under the weight of the vehicle. It weighed about the same as about 3 ordinary tyres.)
So the question is, who has the info on the various types,so that I(and others) might have my memory refreshed (and maybe corrected) on the subject of runflats.
Thanks in advance,
Lynn.

[jim sewell]

Lynn
According to W.A. Greggs Canada's Fighting Vehicles pp197, RF 1 , RF 2 and RF 3 each signify a different design , so whether each design has diffrent operating characteristics remains to be seen.

Regards
Jim S.

[david moore]

Thought that the Kelsey wheel experts would be interested in a detail I have just found on my Cab 12 F8 . Three of the wheels are marked Kelsey 1941 Canada as per my earlier posting in this thread.
The fourth wheel has a different marking - no year but the word WHEEL in the centre of the circle where the date year normally is - see (poor) picture attached. Also the stud welds are different - a manual weld circle instead of the parallel line (resistance?) weld.

I'm wondering if this is an early wheel- maybe the welding was not yet automated ....or late since it came as an almost unused spare. Maybe a post-war civvy after market version?

Cheers
David

[Ken Hughes]

lynn i have 4 run flats on my f30 13 cab they are rf3s
came of a gun tractor in very poor condition(the gun tractor that is) i will have a look at the tire details next w/end if you like