Wheel assembly including a solid tire

A wheel assembly having resistance to the effects of abrasion and capable of providing a controlled radial deflection under load, comprising:

• a solid tire comprising an abrasion resistant, resilient rubber composition having a predefined range of shore hardness, said solid tire having a generally semicircular cross section;
• a rim on which the solid tire is mounted, said rim including means for mounting the tire on a circumferential surface of the rim and a pair of lips formed around peripheral edges of the rim, extending radially beyond said circumferential surface, facing sides of the lips abutting against opposite sides of the solid tire and gripping it firmly when it is mounted on the rim to prevent it slipping about the rim under a tractional load;
• said rim further including a plurality of spaced apart depressions formed around said circumferential surface, between said pair of lips, into which the solid tire is deflected under radial load, the volume of each depression and the shore hardness of the resilient rubber compostion together controlling the extent of radial deflection of the solid tire under load, so that the radial deflection is within predefined limits.