MTFCA Forum

Im getting ready to respoke a set of wheels for our 25. The old spokes are removed, and im looking to order new ones.
I want to make sure that this is not a ford felloe, but a hayes, needing the slightly longer spokes.
Im holding an old spoke up to a new spoke in my 22's wheels, which has the slightly longer spoke.
I'm 80% sure they are hayes, just want to make sure before we buy spokes.
Thanks.
I should add that I do know about the slight difference in sizes between the two, I measured the felloe and it is basically a toss up between which one it is. There isn't much difference.

The Hayes wheels on my car have a makers mark with a patent date on the inside of the steel fellow. You have to remove the rim to see it. If I remember correctly it was stamped close to the hole for the valve stem. Hope this helps.

The felloe shown has reliefs in the outer edge to accommodate the foot on Hayes rim lugs. However, I do not know if it is a Hayes rim or another maker's attempt to make it interchangeable. The Hayes wire wheels I have all have rolled in outer edges with depressions at the bolt holes to accommodate the lug foot. It makes no sense for Hayes to have made two different styles of felloes for wooden and wire wheels, so my best guess is it is not a Hayes made rim. None of this helps with differences with the diameter and size of tenon.

In my experience, the difference in length of spokes comes with the type of rim mounting. The loose lug rims on our Canadian produced cars, used up to 1925, have felloes with a shallower profile, needing longer spokes. The 1925 felloes to take fixed lug rims have a deeper cross section and these have shorter spokes. Many Aussies have found this out to their detriment when buying US supplied spokes, where the shorter spokes for the more common fixed lug type wheels are the norm.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.
PS. Some of the Hayes wire wheels I have are branded Hayes in a circle around the valve hole on the outside of the felloe.

I have both rolled & straight edge 23" Hayes felloes - the straight edge seemed to be more prevalent in the 21" though here in the States.

All of our 21" wheels have the straight up outer edge on the felloes. i have never seen that on a 23"rim here. where Kelsey in Canada seem to have been the major/only supplier.
Interestingly, 21" Hayes wire wheels have an outer edge of the felloe rolled to the outside, making the relief for the lug foot even more interesting.

Allan from down under.