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beadlocks: weld-on vs $$$

In the last 15 years I've done a dozen or so weld on beadlocks. Honestly in the end it cost the same. It really boils down to how much time you are willing to but in to them. Weld on you have the cost of the wheels, beadlock kit, hardware (nuts and bolts), paint, valve stems, balancing beads, welding wire and a grinder. What is a weekend worth to you? Welding is a key skill need. A fair about of prep is needed.

Personally I'm not ever going to recommend someone do dyi beadlocks. For the average individual, it dose not pencil out.
 
Then use it -- my 1st welder was a little Lincoln weldpac 100 -- always ran .035 flux core thru it

That little welder did a ton of work -- if my material was too thick I'd weld a pass, grind out half of the weld, and make another pass -- also bevel the edges of your work pieces prior to welding if you need -- good prep makes for good,solid welds
in 2004 I ran the same welder. I built a every thing on my chebby with it. I definitely got my money out of it.
 
I probably have $130/per wheel (15") into my diy beadlocks, but also an entire weekend if not more of my time invested into them. I ran the cheap steelies for a while without beadlocks so I was able to split up the total cost and not do it all at once.
 
fourxdoctor.com has 17 x 9.5 allied wheel bead locks for $217.00 , depending on the lug pattern you need , 17 x 8 is even less cost.

6x5.5 is BP I'll need. those look like a good option. If I can find wheels for 200'ish, I'm in. I understand the time commitment involved. just trying to keep from shelling out $1500 for a set of jeep wheels that will surely get trashed in the long run.

haven't been street legal for several years. my 37s are radials so I can get to and from local trails. any concerns with them not being DOT approved? getting back to street legal is where I'd like to end up
 
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I'm running waggy axles also. They are narrower than stock XJ axles. With 3.5 backspace wheels I'm running 3in spacers in the back and 2inch in the front. Just an FYI
 
I'm running waggy axles also. They are narrower than stock XJ axles. With 3.5 backspace wheels I'm running 3in spacers in the back and 2inch in the front. Just an FYI

thank you for that. I figured I'd need some sort of spacer, but didn't realize I'd need an extra 6" in the back.
 
Coming from DIY beadlocks, I'd never build another set. I've had several sets. I've always fought them. They stupid heavy. They leak like no tomorrow. They're a pain to bolt the ring on.

There's several aluminum wheels on the market for awesome prices.

Dirty Life wheels from Dan McPherson (DMR Offroad) being the cheapest at like $235 each.

I paid $279 each for my Raceline Monsters with aluminum rings. Like $1100 to my door.

the dirty life ones are cast aluminum , the reason for the lower cost. steel will bend , cast will shatter if hit hard enough.

:/ I guess that's why most folks with big boy rigs run aluminum wheels. If you hit a wheel hard enough to shatter it, you have bigger problems."

i have no worries

I worry constantly but not about shattering my wheels. lol
 
Then use it -- my 1st welder was a little Lincoln weldpac 100 -- always ran .035 flux core thru it

That little welder did a ton of work -- if my material was too thick I'd weld a pass, grind out half of the weld, and make another pass -- also bevel the edges of your work pieces prior to welding if you need -- good prep makes for good,solid welds

.035 is what I'm using as well. getting it figured out, but good prep and beveled edges make a big difference! just got done rebuilding front bumper mounts and they came out pretty good.

What cleaner is best? alcohol?
 
Coming from DIY beadlocks, I'd never build another set. I've had several sets. I've always fought them. They stupid heavy. They leak like no tomorrow. They're a pain to bolt the ring on.

There's several aluminum wheels on the market for awesome prices.

Dirty Life wheels from Dan McPherson (DMR Offroad) being the cheapest at like $235 each.

I paid $279 each for my Raceline Monsters with aluminum rings. Like $1100 to my door.

:/ I guess that's why most folks with big boy rigs run aluminum wheels. If you hit a wheel hard enough to shatter it, you have bigger problems."

I worry constantly but not about shattering my wheels. lol

This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you Lowrange. This is looking more and more like something I should pony up to pay for and be done with it.
 
This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you Lowrange. This is looking more and more like something I should pony up to pay for and be done with it.

My Racelines came from Scott GoForth at GoForth Tire in TN.

Definitely worth the extra few bucks. The nutserts in the wheel (Raceline) vs having to hold the nut with a wrench on the back makes all the difference in the world.
 
I've never had leaking issues with mine, but the tires I mounted to them were brand new and I put silicone on the inside of the bead as a precaution. I would definitely agree that they're a huge pain to mount, and they're super heavy. If you can swing the extra cash for sure go aluminum. It just wasn't an option for me.
 
anybody used Method or Dirty life beadlocks? 20 and 24 bolt applications, just curious if they hold the bead as well as a 32 bolt rim
 
i ran the ultra 103 beadlocks. its a high pressure casting. made by the same guys who make walkers. and super light. measured my old ones (15x8) at 24 pounds with hardware. the 44 is an upgrade and all, but its not bullet proof. i think the lack of rotating mass is what helped mine live a happy life. and price on those wheels has come down a LOT since i bought mine.

concerning DIY... my time is money. once you factor in all the consumables and your time, you really arent coming out ahead by much, if at all. ill pay a little extra just to have a warranty.

youll never regret buying a quality beadlock until you go to tons. lol.
 
Well that's not going to work! How would you cut the wheel straight/true?

Looks like you've not looked into this in a while. There are locks out there that drop into the front lip of the wheel and weld in.

A 120VAC wire-feed welder is plenty to do this, so long as it will handle the material. I used fluxcore with my Lincoln 3200HD and it worked a treat.

Honestly, I am pretty sure you could do it with a 120VAC inverter stick box. I may try that, as I have a set of wheels to build.

BTW, they don't cost $100 each, either. TMI's product (the best I have found in this product) are $50 each. Put them on a steel wheel, brand new, you're looking at $100/wheel, complete assembly. Less if you use old wheels (I am using old "trash" wheels that had a bit of rust).

I wouldn't use the diybeadlocks.com product if you made me, not due to the product itself (though it IS inferior!) but due to the way the owner comports himself. Complete asshat.
 
Then use it -- my 1st welder was a little Lincoln weldpac 100 -- always ran .035 flux core thru it

That little welder did a ton of work -- if my material was too thick I'd weld a pass, grind out half of the weld, and make another pass -- also bevel the edges of your work pieces prior to welding if you need -- good prep makes for good,solid welds

There really is no need to grind out the first weld if it's sound. That's just wasteful, and doesn't exhibit knowledge of the process.

Bevel the parts. Maybe leave a gap for a good root pass. Leave a good root pass, clean that up (wire brush or better yet a wire cup on a grinder) then lay in weave passes on each side of the first bead, sewing the root into the sides. Repeat on each side, and if needed to cap it off.

As long as you are properly preparing the weldment and welding properly, it's that simple.
 
I still wouldn't use shielded wire, it burns to hot which leads to warping. It doesn't take to re-starts without some cleaning to avoid air leaks. I don't even use CO2 very often, I use mostly 75/25 CO/Arg mix mostly with the occasional Arg/Hel mix or a similar mix for TIG.

I've welded all of mine with either fluxcore, or fluxcore with CO2 (dualshield welding). I understand your concerns, but they are unfounded.

My beadlocks don't leak. They are straight. Tack the wheel ring in place in 8 places, then weld as you would anything else you don't want to warp- short sections and watch your tie-ins. If you had a positioner you could tack them in place and just burn in one run.

Lots of worry over nothing.
 
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