Reply for tuning a diamondback forge

[DSW]

Rims aren't all that tough to locate. Tough part is dealing with attached tires. The mechanic usually wants a couple of bucks to dispose of old tires. My guy would probably dismount a tire if I wanted because I get enough work done there, assuming he isn't too busy. You can do it yourself with a few tire spoons or tire irons. The bigger the rim, usually the easier it is to dismount a tire. Wheel barrow tires and tires for small equipment like Bobcats are usually the worst. Big back hoe tires are easy by comparison.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=hanger+bolts+image&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI1--N_PeIyAIVDHySCh0TPwcy&biw=1280&bih=645

This is what hanger bolts are like. You can drive them in by double nutting the bolt. Works well on wooden items when you need to be able to take things apart frequently. For steel, standard bolts will do.

You don't NEED to be able to weld. One option would be to get say a 2" pipe flange and bolt it to the rim. Then you can thread a pipe into the flange and attach a plate to the top with another pipe flange. Down side is large pipe flanges aren't cheap. Lowes/Depot will thread pipe to any length you want, so you don't have to have a threader to do this. For cheap flanges, look for someone upgrading their 275 gallon oil tank. They usually use 1 1/4" pipe for legs and floor flanges for feet. 1 1/4" is a bit small for a single leg, but 3 or 4 would work to support a top you can attach the vise to. At the bottom, use a piece of 3/4" plywood to fill the rim. Bolt the plywood to the rim and the flanges to the plywood.

You could bolt a 6x6 to the rim as well. Bolts into end grain don't hold as well though. There are a number of options you can use to deal with this in varying ways. #1 use really long bolts. 6-8" lags won't strip as easily because of the length and the bolts need to bend to start to strip. Another option wood workers do is to drill across the grain and glue in dowels. This way when the lags go thru the dowels, they are holding in cross grain, not end grain. It's a lot like those barrel fasteners in knock down Ikea furniture. If done in wood, the top isn't all that hard, just some 2x's on the sides with some glue/liquid nails and some screws with a board on top to hold the vise.

I'll keep my eyes open for a rim. I know one place I can probably get one if push comes to shove, but I'd have to give the scrap guy something for it. He's a small scrapper and you never know what he trash picks, but he gets rims reasonably frequently. Occasionally I run over to Jersey for work down at the shore. It's possible we could hook up if need be. I've also got a small stick welder and if need be we could weld up the pieces if they were prepped and ready. I can probably run 3/32" 6010/11 from a 110v extension cord if need be. Down side is they just raised the tolls on the Tacony and Burlinton/Bristol bridges. It's now $12 for me to take the truck over the bridge, so I don't want to unless I have to.  At least fuel is down right now, at 6MPG fuels adds up fast. This is a busy time of year as people try and bang out their projects before the holidays and cold temps. Things free up the closer to December we get. I have to get down to the shore a couple more times this season to try and get a house ready for next summer, before it gets so cold I have to shut down the plumbing, so maybe we can hook up if we can match schedules and you can locate the parts.