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VERY basic bead lock question

ericp351

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Hi all. I'm gonna sound like a bonehead here- Other tires I bought (Super Singles) had bead locks inside. For "bare tires" , do I squeeze bead locks inward , then install- pry ,tire beads wide to put in bead lock, or both? Lastly- can I reuse bead locks "almost forever" if they look OK? thanks!
 

gringeltaube

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.... do I squeeze bead locks inward
Squeeze or twist-and-screw in, depending on what type of beadlock we are talking about. Or are you referring to runflats?
..... then install- pry ,tire beads wide to put in bead lock
Often yes, especially if tires were kind of collapsed/compressed from being stacked in a pile.
.... can I reuse bead locks "almost forever" if they look OK?
Yes.
 

ericp351

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Squeeze or twist-and-screw in, depending on what type of beadlock we are talking about. Or are you referring to runflats?

Often yes, especially if tires were kind of collapsed/compressed from being stacked in a pile.

Yes.
Thanks! Figure I'd stand on old Bead Lock, bind it with twine or wire, and work it in. Just common Bead Lock "donuts"- bead size, not Run Flats...
 

gringeltaube

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I suspect you are talking about solid rubber runflat inserts, AKA "donuts" ?

.... like this one....... ?
20200117_181526.jpg

.... and not this type of full rubber beadlock .....?
14.00_r20_beadlock_insert_2_.jpg

....
or this other version, steel/rubber beadlock ???
2018-02-07 13.24.31.jpg
 

ericp351

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Full rubber bead lock. Middle photo. 1 piece Super Single "rubber Ring", with an "air Groove" only. I wondered if I squish it flat-ish if it would bounce back to round, or if I do something silly I may mess up a bead on an expensive tire. Cool photos, thanks.
 

ericp351

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Cool and will do. Thought that there could be a Trick, like those pre cell phone kids puzzles. I recall the one where you have a steel ring trapped between 2 horse-shoe shaped pieces and you have to get the ring out. I am getting faster at tire mounting otherwise. A young man's sport... thanks.
 

Defcon-1

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Got it! You all also have the best pictures too. Thanks.
Also as previously mentioned about lube, I used this stuff to break the bead and to assist with getting everything back in, it had plenty of working time, just a suggestion. I know some guys use Dawn soap too, anything to keep it slippery will help lol

1717841071014.png
 

ericp351

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Good tip. I have been using some black goo by the same company to dress beeds and )O Ring with soap + Mussel to break apart/ lube rim 1/2.
 

LCA078

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I've had trouble using the steel/rubber beadlock with 16.00s. The steel/rubber beadlock came out of 395s and were too wide to use on the 16.00s by almost an inch (it's been a while since I tried it). The only thing I could think of was the 16.00 Goodyear bead was thicker than the Michelin 395 bead and thus needed a small width beadlock. No clue if you can mix-match same size tires with beadlocks but I couldn't go a step higher.
 

ericp351

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Good 2 know! Wealth of info here. Small point may help another "new guy"- noticed S African, General brand came with bead locks that need holes drilled to get the air in. Hope for myself, military , etc. that #395 and 14.00 20's take the same parts as that could be a silly headache pending. Small progress for me, but I can now change a tire, demount, reassemble, and re mount in a day, by myself and with just hand tools and maybe my torch.
 

gringeltaube

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LCA078

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If I can find those beadlocks, I'll look for a NSN or PN on them. But yeah, I just gave up on using beadlocks on those set of 16.00 tires on combat wheels. Thought it was more than 1/4" of issue for me but it's been a while. I want to say I even tried to remove the rubber strips to help but I think I gave up and just went with 16.00s on HEMMT rims that came up locally on govplanet. Was mainly worried about beadocks on the front for steering...not so concerned about the rears. Good to know there's a size difference either way.
 
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