DIY beadlocks

BigClay

BigClay

Knower of useless ZJ things
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Location
Winston-Salem
What is the best manufacturer of weld on bead locks? What are the best rings to use?
 
As I see it, a Weld on bead lock is, a Weld on beadlock. Not a lot of difference in them. Inside rings are basically the same in all of them. The outside ring is where you get creative. You can go plain Jane, or let your imagination go ramped.
We have several folks right here on NC4X4 that can make them, Keep you money inside this community!
My first thought is Scott Sills, of Mudpro Just inside Alexander County across the 127 bridge
Jeremy Lail, Zukduk on this board,
I am sure there are others
 
I always like keeping money local :)

I guess my quesiton should have been, are weld on bead locks worth having and are there any problems with them.
 
BigClay said:
I always like keeping money local :)
I guess my quesiton should have been, are weld on bead locks worth having and are there any problems with them.
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i had a set i bought off a guy they worked great i just made sure to use plenty of rtv on the pinch side so i didnt have any leaks around the welds(i didnt weld them) lol
 
sometimes the welds can be porous and let air leak out slowly. What I do is weld them up and paint them. Then before mounting the tire, lay a good size bead of RTV around the outside of the wheel where the tire will rest. Then clamp them down. I haven't done this in the past but will definitely do it now but put a fanbelt between the two steel rings to make an anti-coning ring. Make sure to use thread locking nuts and you'll be good to go.
 
Ive got beadlock rings from Scott Sills (mudpro) on my scout and would buy more from him if I need more. I got some of his standard ones but from what I saw up there he can cut you just about anything. They fit the inner lip of my wheels perfectly. I had them TIGged on and they have no leaks. I welded some nuts that were just a little smaller than the tire bead on to the inner ring for a anti-coning device and they worked OK. The only thing is I didnt balance them too well. I put 12oz of airsoft bbs in them and found out that was not the right amount. Hope this helps
 
How about any anti-coning items?

How does the fan belt qork for anti-coning?
 
Where the two rings smash the bead of the tire there's a gap left that, if tightened up a lot, will cone the outer ring in towards the center of the wheel. You need to put something in that gap to keep the outer ring from doing that. The fan belt fills that gap.
 
JC said:
Proper tightening sequence and strict adhearance to torque settings can help prevent some of the coning on good quality rings. Thinner material needs to use something like the fan belt tip.
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not always John. I've never used anything less than 1/4" rings and on my first set I was extremely annal about tightening but they still coned slightly.

you can definitely run them without anti-coning stuff. I've done it for years without any issues.
 
I used a 1/2" rolled piece of 1/8 steel for the anti coning ring. works good.
I have seen the nut used, and the fan belt. I prefer the steel.
 
I have a set from mudpro with toyota emblem cut into them. They look great. I welded mine up and bolted them together without any rtv and none of the five have lost air in over 6 months. I use some pieces of 1/2" round UHMW for an anti coning material and has worked great.
 
upnover said:
I used a 1/2" rolled piece of 1/8 steel for the anti coning ring. works good.
I have seen the nut used, and the fan belt. I prefer the steel.
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X2, it holds up and keeps the dirt out. I would never run DIY beadlocks w/out the anti coning ring, seems like you hear of alot more problems with people that don't run them.
 
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