Functional Bead lock Rings

[Jdcline78]

So after two months I finally received my functional bead lock rings. They are heading to the powder coating shop today. Yes I know the are not street legal, I don't care. I know I will not use them very often, yet i don't care. I know they require maintenance, still I don't care. Sorry if I sound like a jackwagon but I have been on this and forums like it for years so I know how it goes and I am looking for some answers to questions hopefully without all the trolling .

Before I take them in for install I have a couple questions from those of you who ACTUALLY OWN these bead locks.

What did you pay to have them installed?

What anti seize did you use?

How often have you re-torqued?

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[Razorbak86]

Before I take them in for install I have a couple questions from those of you who ACTUALLY OWN these bead locks.

What did you pay to have them installed?

What anti seize did you use?

How often have you re-torqued?

I installed them myself, so I didn't pay any installation costs.

I did not use anti-sieze, per the instructions, but if you use it, be aware that it alters the torque spec, so you will have to adjust accordingly.

I check the torque every month or so, but most of the bolts are still fully torqued at spec.

I personally would never powder coat these beadlock rings, because they are aluminum, so they won't rust, and any coating gets destroyed by rock rash almost immediately when I use them off-road. Nevertheless, that's just my personal opinion, and I realize that others' opinions will differ on this subject.

 

[Jdcline78]

I installed them myself, so I didn't pay any installation costs.

I did not use anti-sieze, per the instructions, but if you use it, be aware that it alters the torque spec, so you will have to adjust accordingly.

I check the torque every month or so, but most of the bolts are still fully torqued at spec.

I personally would never powder coat these beadlock rings, because they are aluminum, so they won't rust, and any coating gets destroyed by rock rash almost immediately when I use them off-road. Nevertheless, that's just my personal opinion, and I realize that others' opinions will differ on this subject.

RazorBak86

Thanks for the response,

I was considering installing them myself, the last time I installed bead locks I had access to tire machine which made it fairly easy.
Did you install your with a machine or just on the ground? if on the ground how long did it take you?

 

[Razorbak86]

RazorBak86

Thanks for the response,

I was considering installing them myself, the last time I installed bead locks I had access to tire machine which made it fairly easy.
Did you install your with a machine or just on the ground? if on the ground how long did it take you?

On the ground using a BeadBuster, tire irons, lube, and the large compressor in my garage. It took a while to get all 5 installed, but it can be done over a weekend, and I’m much faster now than I was in the beginning.

 

[Copperhorse73]

At the shop we use soapy water and the fat guy to install beadlocks

 

[Razorbak86]

At the shop we use soapy water and the fat guy to install beadlocks

I resemble that remark.

 

[RagnarKon]

Don't have my Bronco yet (), but I did help a buddy install his rings this past spring.

Our story is much like @Razorbak86's story. Installed them ourselves, no anti-seize, tire irons, lube, and a compressor. Only difference is we didn't have a BeadBuster, so we built a contraption using some 2x4s and a jack.

I won't lie, the first tire took us a good hour and a half, had a heck of a time breaking the bead. After that it was about 25-35 minutes per tire. Four hours total, but there was some beer drinking involved and we weren't exactly in a rush. It wasn't hard once we figured it out, but installing the bolts for the rings is a very tedious process overall.

---

We did go to two local shops to get quotes before we went about this on our own.

One tire shop wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole. The second shop was willing to do it for us, but they wouldn't mount the tires back on the truck after the rings were installed (legal reasons). Since neither of us had a pickup to carry the tires back home after they were mounted we decided to do it on our own.

 

[Razorbak86]

installing the bolts for the rings is a very tedious process overall

I made a template out of some corrugated box material, and that helped speed up the process. Now I use the template every time I mount a ring.

 

[Felix808]

We did go to two local shops to get quotes before we went about this on our own.

One tire shop wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole. The second shop was willing to do it for us, but they wouldn't mount the tires back on the Bronco after the rings were installed (legal reasons). Since neither of us had a pickup to carry the tires back home after they were mounted we decided to do it on our own.

Yep, you will find very few shops willing to install them. Oh & the whole "they are not street legal" thing isn't quite right. It varies from state to state. Read the vehicle code for your state. Even in Commiefornia there is no definitive vehicle code stating they are illegal.

Maintenance is the key to success

YMMV

 

[Jdcline78]

Don't have my Bronco yet (), but I did help a buddy install his rings this past spring.

Our story is much like @Razorbak86's story. Installed them ourselves, no anti-seize, tire irons, lube, and a compressor. Only difference is we didn't have a BeadBuster, so we built a contraption using some 2x4s and a jack.

I won't lie, the first tire took us a good hour and a half, had a heck of a time breaking the bead. After that it was about 25-35 minutes per tire. Four hours total, but there was some beer drinking involved and we weren't exactly in a rush. It wasn't hard once we figured it out, but installing the bolts for the rings is a very tedious process overall.

---

We did go to two local shops to get quotes before we went about this on our own.

One tire shop wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole. The second shop was willing to do it for us, but they wouldn't mount the tires back on the truck after the rings were installed (legal reasons). Since neither of us had a pickup to carry the tires back home after they were mounted we decided to do it on our own.

Great info Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RagnarKon]

I made a template out of some corrugated box material, and that helped speed up the process. Now I use the template every time I mount a ring.

Oh, dang... that's a WAY better idea than what we were doing.

We just used a sharpie and marked the numbers on the rings itself. Once the were mounted, rubbing alcohol to remove the sharpie marks.

 

[MrGreen55]

what torque wrench would you guys recommend to use to torque the bolts/retorque the bolts?

 

[Jdcline78]

what torque wrench would you guys recommend to use to torque the bolts/retorque the bolts?

I have a digital kobalt that i tested against a snap on and it was exactly the same reading. Craftsmans digital is also a good one.

 

[RagnarKon]

Yep, you will find very few shops willing to install them. Oh & the whole "they are not street legal" thing isn't quite right. It varies from state to state. Read the vehicle code for your state. Even in Commiefornia there is no definitive vehicle code stating they are illegal.

Maintenance is the key to success

YMMV

In most states it isn't strictly illegal. They just defer to the federal FMCSA and US DOT regulations. Those regulations say they must be tested in accordance to specific safety standards. And since Ford has specifically stated that the beadlock setup has not been tested according those standards, they are effectively automatically illegal for public on-street/highway use.

what torque wrench would you guys recommend to use to torque the bolts/retorque the bolts?

I use a Tekton torque wrench personally. Just a normal mechanical torque wrench.

A lot of people use digital torque wrenches nowadays, but I personally haven't been able to justify the cost... yet—working on coming up with an excuse.

 

[RagnarKon]

If the company make the rims dot approved you should be fine right or is that only if you don't use the rims in bead lock mode?

If the company that manufactured the rim had it tested with beadlocks, and it meets SAE J2530_202109 standards... then you're good to go. There are a handful beadlock setups that have passed these standards and may be used on roads.

But the vast majority of "beadlock rims" out there are actually hybrids (like the Sasquatch wheels) that can mount tires with beadlocks OR with the the traditional bead flange mounting mechanism. And usually only the only passed the standard with the traditional J-type bead flange.

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