I LOVE my duck billed sledge for taking the split rings apart. Put a little soapy water around the ring, and the wedge will drop the bead down without going around the tire more than twice. Requires a little work to swing that sledge around, but I can completely disassemble a tire in 10-15 minutes.

I agree with you that this is a topic that should be talked about, as I see the most "mysterious" thing new people come to find on the M-715 is the split rims. Simply because its something most people have never seen or heard of, and if caution, care, and knowledge of how split rims work are not used then they can become frustrating and deadly quick.

I don't mind the split rims. I've worked on both the civilian style "widow makers" and the style found on the M-715. I like the M-715 much better. Its obviously not as safe as regular rims, but hey, I can mount, dismount, do whatever to my tires on the M-715 and not have to pay a dime to a tire store.