Method of making a wheel and wheel made thereby

A method of truing a wheel having a rim with opposing bead seats adjacent opposite side edges and a web extending generally normal to the rim and having bolting surfaces thereon, said method comprising:

• position the wheel with one side edge of said rim resting on a generally planar surface, forcing a first set of dies radially inwardly along a plane parallel to said generally planar surface and against a bead seat to true up said bead seat, forcing a second set of dies radially inwardly along a plane parallel to said generally planar surface against the other one of said bead seats to true up the other bead seat, and causing annularly disposed surfaces of said wheel to be formed accurately normal to said trued bead seat surfaces.

A method of manufacturing a wheel having a rim with opposing beads for supporting a tire and a web secured thereto, and which web has a bolting surface for mounting onto a hub, said method comprising:

• forming a rim of slightly larger diameter than desired, forming a web with a bolting surface of a thickness to provide machineable metal, attaching said web to said rim with an angular accuracy with respect to the rim falling within said machineable metal thickness of said bolting surface, spreading said beads to the desired spacing while also deforming said rim radially inwardly to its desired diameter, holding said rim in its deformed condition, and machining said bolting surface in fixed relationship to said deformed beads while the wheel is so held.

A method of manufacturing a welded wheel having a rim with opposing beads for supporting a tire and a web supporting said rim, which web has a bolting surface for fastening onto a hub, said method comprising:

• forming a rim of slightly larger diameter than desired, forming a web to fit inside of said rim, welding said web to said rim, sequentially moving two generally parallel bead deforming members radially inwardly against said rim to work first one side of said rim and weld and then the other before bringing both beads to the same diameter.

A method of manufacturing a welded wheel having a rim with opposing outer and inner beads for supporting a tire, and a web with a peripherally bent flange pressed into the rim, and which web has a bolting surface for fastening onto a hub, said method comprising:

• forming a rim with outer and inner beads of slightly larger diameter than desired, forming a web with an inwardly bent peripheral flange, pressing said web into said rim with the peripheral flange positioned adjacent the outer bead, moving two generally parallel bead deforming members radially inwardly against said rim with the bead deforming member that is adjacent said outer flange trailing the other of said bead deforming members before deforming both beads to their final condition, and machining said bolting surface of said web while said bead deforming members hold the beads in their final deformed condition.

A method of fabricating a wheel having a rim with opposing outer and inner beads and a web having a bolting surface for fastening onto a hub, said method comprising:

• forming a rim with outer and inner bead seats of slightly larger diameter than desired, forming a web that has inner and outer side surfaces to fit inside said rim, securing said web coaxially to said rim with its inner and outer sides adjacent respective inner and outer beads, deforming said inner and outer beads inwardly to a final reduced diameter condition, moving a first set of rotating cutters axially against said outer surface of said web to machine surfaces thereon, stopping rotation of said cutter in their final cutting positions to support the wheel, and moving another set of rotating cutters axially against said inner surface to machine the bolting surfaces thereon to within a predetermined axial spacing of said first set of cutters and assure the predetermined spacing of the opposing machined surfaces and their alignment with said inner and outer beads.