I have seen the T-34 road wheels mixed with rubber tires and steel rims on them. Has anyone seen where they have three or more different style road wheels on one vehicle? I have also see Panther wheels mounted on one or two.

Yes. Front wheel replaced with a dished rubber rimmed, then all steel and last is a pierced rubber rimmed. I think any way. It was one I did years ago for a project. That one with the Panther wheels has got to be a rare one. I have the pictured and would love to know the story behind it.

There are several photos of all steel wheeled versions, and 3 steel wheeled bracketed by two rubber rimmed ones for WW2. You've got the early style with the solid rims, the all steel version, the pierced ones with six or so holes, and the later spiderweb versions on the WW2 models.

Apparently from what is stated in Schiffers book on Captured Russian Tanks under German Flag, the versions with all steel wheels ( STZ version, I'm thinking ) suffered from excessive vibrations so they switched back to a couple with the rubber rims when rubber was shipped via Lend Lease.

The spider pattern appears in 44 or 45, I believe. The two Osprey books on the T-34 ( New Vanguard ) are very good, also the Concord book on Soviet Mediums 41-45, and the Schiffer title on captured Russian tanks.

I've also seen several Soviet photos of tanks with missing road wheels as a result of mines.

As far as post war tanks go, there are some great photos in Concord Pubs new title on Vietnam Armor: Asian armies. There is one with 3 styles of road wheels on one tank, starfish, spider and solid. All of these are rubber rimmed. I've never seen a post war tank with the steel wheels. The starfish pattern were common on the post war T-34/85s after T-54/55 production started. I've seen that style on the Mid-East, Yugoslav and North Vietnamese versions.

I'm just stating from memory. I encourage you to pick up the two Osprey modelling manuals on the T34 as well.

Most definitely. Even though most T-34s left the factory with one or at most two wheel types, the types were interchangable. Once in the field, between losses from mines or wheels just wearing out, they were replaced with whatever wheels were available. So, there are photos of T-34s with three wheel types on one side, and I'd bet money that if a photo exists of the other side of the same vehicle, there's a different arrangement on that side.

The other thing to keep in mind, of course, is that most T-34s were never photographed, so if there's even one example of this practice, no one can prove you wrong on another case.

P.S. I believe the later 'starfish' wheels, for T-34s at least, date from about 1969.

Danny Egan
President
AMPS
Certified T-34 nut
http://www.amps-armor.org

Actually there were several 'Spider Patterns' seperated into HALF and FULL Spider pattern. First (half) appeared in 1942, the latter ones in 44-45.

The '60s 'starfish' wheels were, in many cases, re-manufactured T-54 wheels...