Beadlock Questions

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So I'm going to guess that if i do homebrew rings on alloy Al rims I better make sur the welds are perfect...

Or go Stauns.. those are pretty cool.
 
IMHO Staun is the friendliest DIY product for the task.
 
IMHO Staun is the friendliest DIY product for the task.

Fact, although, if you do not install them correctly, you can't air the main tire down easily at all..

Just do it right.

BTW, off hand, I cannot think of anyone that makes a DIY AL beadlock anymore. If you have a good set of rims, send them off to Champion. My champion lock has not let a drop of air escape for a long time.
 
There are a lot of pirate vendors that offer diy beadlocks in Al.
 
Disagree completly.

X2

I've run 3 different sets of BLs and none of them have leaked. 2 of those sets were on daily driven rigs. Aside of wheeling trips, I would check the pressure @ home maybe once every 2 months.

2 sets of those were H1s and the latest set is Allieds. I always balance my tires with BBs. Both DD rigs I could get them up to at least 75 with no issues.

Yes I have heard of people who have leak down issues but IMHO it's either a bad welding job or a poor choice of wheel.

BTW, for me the real benefit of Beadlocks is traction. Most guys won't take a tire below 10PSI without beadlocks. I find the best traction from most tires down around 5-7 PSI. Snow for me is usually 0 and 2.
 
0 to 2 PSI in snow?! Wow. I usually stick to 4 PSI minimum w/o beadlocks. What about tire damage at zero PSI?
 
I'm guessing the 60 will have probably 2 front and back. Hopefully find out in a couple of months.

What do you mean by this? The cores in the schrader valves?
 
yeah, cores in teh schrader valves.

It also really depends on the tire size/type Sammy's need less psi than a 60 would with the same tire.

Who is making AL weld on beadlocks?
 
A few of the guys do custom orders. I looked at the prices and they are too $$$ for my blood. Looks like it will be completely diy or I might break down and buy new rims completely.
 
Yes I have heard of people who have leak down issues but IMHO it's either a bad welding job or a poor choice of wheel.

Another quote from someone who completely disagrees yet they mention they have heard of them leaking down and their opinion is that its a poor job or cheap wheel. This was my point exactly. When someone is asking about wheels for there cruiser, no one has to chime in and say weather or not the wheels leak. If it did you would take it back and demand new ones. Beadlocks on the otherhand require more attention and a great skill set in installing them.

IMHO, beadlock require more attention to detail and a greater skillset when it comes to installation.
 
Another quote from someone who completely disagrees yet they mention they have heard of them leaking down and their opinion is that its a poor job or cheap wheel. This was my point exactly. When someone is asking about wheels for there cruiser, no one has to chime in and say weather or not the wheels leak. If it did you would take it back and demand new ones. Beadlocks on the otherhand require more attention and a great skill set in installing them.

IMHO, beadlock require more attention to detail and a greater skillset when it comes to installation.

Nobody is saying that they are not something else to think of. But expecting to have to air them up every morning is silly. Monthly checkups perhaps.
If I bought a set of beadlocks and they leaked, I would take them back. There is no reason for a purchased set of beadlocks to leak (as long as the tire was in reasonable shape). If I made my own beadlocks and they leaked.. That is a different story, obviously there were holes in my weld and that would be my fault. I reccomend the silicone on the weld bead just as a precaution. It should not be necessary..

The skill set required for mounting tires on beadlocks is only slightly greater than changing a set of sparkplugs..
 
Does not matter if you buy ready to go wheels or do it yourself rings, these will not be an air up and check your pressure once a month kind of wheel. You will need to check the pressure each time you drive it. Not a big deal if you go wheeling each weekend as I adjust mine each time I hit a hard trail, but I didnt want to have to re-air each time I jump in and drive around town.


Disagree completly.

Nobody is saying that they are not something else to think of. But expecting to have to air them up every morning is silly.

Really. Cause when I read 'disagree completely", that to me mean everything you wrote is off base. Even though you said

Exactly, if you homebrew your beadlocks, it is very common for them to leak slowly. A bead of silicone typicaly helps.

All I am having an issue with is your blanket statement of "dissagree completey"

I too thinks its silly to expect to Air something up every morning, but I am fairly positive you wont find that statement in what I posted. Thats an assumption you jumped to. I have seen and read where folks have had leaks that required daily adjustments but I think the more common length of time is closser to weekly than daily with the ones that have problem.
 
Does not matter if you buy ready to go wheels or do it yourself rings, these will not be an air up and check your pressure once a month kind of wheel. You will need to check the pressure each time you drive it.

So what exactly does "You will need to check the pressure each and every time you drive it" mean to you??? I drive Bob every day. So perhaps I did misenterpret what you said. Donno.

I still disagree with what you said.

A good beadlock (one that was made well be it homebrew or production) should not need daily, weekly or even monthly air. It should be just as stable as a standard rim. Hell, I have seen more slow leaks on trail tires just from holes in the tire carcass itself than beadlocks.

If you are that concerned about slow leaks.. Then get some weld on beadlocks and use a tube in them..
 
Another quote from someone who completely disagrees yet they mention they have heard of them leaking down and their opinion is that its a poor job or cheap wheel. This was my point exactly. When someone is asking about wheels for there cruiser, no one has to chime in and say weather or not the wheels leak. If it did you would take it back and demand new ones. Beadlocks on the otherhand require more attention and a great skill set in installing them.

IMHO, beadlock require more attention to detail and a greater skillset when it comes to installation.

Does not matter if you buy ready to go wheels or do it yourself rings, these will not be an air up and check your pressure once a month kind of wheel. You will need to check the pressure each time you drive it. Not a big deal if you go wheeling each weekend as I adjust mine each time I hit a hard trail, but I didnt want to have to re-air each time I jump in and drive around town.

From your original statement, I disagree completely with the blanket statement you made. I do not have to check my wheels daily nor do most people I know. Like in everything, there are a few poor examples that do leak but I would completely disagree with the statement "if you buy ready to go wheels or do it yourself rings, these will not be an air up and check your pressure once a month kind of wheel.

Again this is based on my personal experience and not on a bunch of threads posted on the internet.
 
I can see the tire choice being a large factor in how fast they lose pressure. Most tires aren't designed with bead locks in mind. They're intended to seal on the "normal" side and ID of the bead itself. A beadlock moves this seal to the backside of the bead, which creates the potential for a tire & wheel that loses air faster than normal. I've seen some tires that have little beads of rubber on the inside of the tire that run slightly radially out from the tire bead. The lock ring would have to compress them completely flat to form a seal. I suspect that this is another variable in the wide range of reports on pressure holding duration.
Seems to me that with a bead lock, tearing the stem off of a tube isn't very likely, and that's the best solution AFAIC.

IME the Stauns are a great idea that results in a PITA when working with a mounted tire. Few tire store techs will know how to work with them. Not a big deal to the guy who does all of the assembly the first time since he'll get to see how it all goes together, but what about the guy in BFE who's never even heard of such a thing? A close friend tried them 5+ years ago and couldn't get a flat fixed in Baja because of them.
 
I ran military Humvee wheels on my Dodge until the tranny let go. The main issue with the military ones is the O ring. If you replace them when you replace the tire and torque the wheel to the correct torque they never leaked.

I will be recentering the wheels to run them on my 62. You can do this on your own or USA 6x6 will sell you new centers or they will even do everthing for you for a decent price.

My wheeling style is slow and steady, and the beadlocks help me do this even better.

My .02
 
Aren't military wheels REALLY heavy? I've heard they're killers on brakes and drivetrain. I've never met anyone with a 62 running them.
 
Adding to that is that when those wheels are re-centered they frequently get a flat plate center. I suspect that this is because there isn't a formed center that fits that is available. A friend of mine went the flat plate re-centering route and hated every minute of driving that truck on the pavement. The unsprung weight made for an awful ride even with Bilstein remote res shocks on it. Clearly not a good choice for a long distance driver (i.e. Western Deserts & Colorado from the Bay area).
 

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