bead locks on a all purpose rig??

[cruiseroutfit]

Now on personal feeling regarding runnig them. I completely agree with you. I will be the first to admit, that I would not check every bolt before driving them long distances...

I guess I don't understand where this myth comes from?

I am yet to hear of a single beadlock ring dismounting from the wheel...

Lets look at the numbers (yes I am an enginerd )

My wheels have 36 3/8" bolts each, none of which have even come out...

Thats ~16 in ^2 of bolt cross section (Grade 8 BTW)

My wheels have 6 12mm lug nuts, none of which have never come out...

Thats under 4 in^2 of cross section.

So it would take roughly 4 times the amount of force to rip the ring off than the entire wheel... and thats assuming they are subject to the same forces, which is very untrue as the wheel studs see much more direct force and moment.

It would be reasonalbe to assume that I could lose over 1/2 of my beadlock ring bolts and still drive... In fact I know I could as I filled my tires with just 1/2 (every other) of the bolts in place when first mounting my tires. Although they had a slow leak, they held fine.

So, are you worried about your lugnuts falling off as you drive down the highway?

I think this "myth" comes from the fact that some of the initial beadlock manufacturers rcommended "tightening" the rings when driven on the street (though they didn't gaurantee their legality).. Of course they said those things, they didn't want the liability. Same reason a roll cage is marketed as a "sport cage", etc...

 

[Herzog]

I
So, are you worried about your lugnuts falling off as you drive down the highway?

I am FAR more worried about loosing lugnuts than beadlock bolts. I've seen what happens when lugnuts come off, and it seems to happen every once in a great while.

I've never heard of loosing a lock ring... My bolts never come loose either, but I do check them ever so often just as you check engine oil. Routine maintenance.

 

[Kris K]

My whole deal with beadlocks on the road is the balancing of them. Plus I don't have anything i want to put beadlocks on and then drive on the road.

There area alot of grey areas in the law I have to deal with everyday. Everytime I see a farmer i close my eye's and hope he dosen't stop.

 

[toys4rocks]

I have lost 2 tires, one front one back. One my fault (back), and one tire shops fault (that one sucked). I guess I would be worried that they would work loose and deflate in the event of maybe a ring failure or loose bolts wallering out the holes.

I am not so much worried about loosing the ring, and have it become a sort of chinese star and cutting another vehicle in half.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

My whole deal with beadlocks on the road is the balancing of them. Plus I don't have anything i want to put beadlocks on and then drive on the road...

Tell me again why they can't be balanced? Mine were put on the machine, spun, wieghted and tossed back on the Cruiser, runs smooth to 100 mph (ask bryson, he can vouch for the top end )

Once again the "no balance" myth comes from the same stigma that they are "dangerous". Most tire shops won't touch them, why? Because they are "illegal"... There are tire shops that will balance them, and they balance just as any other rim, I have always had the shops put the weights on the backside of any rim, beadlock or not.

Why would a shop not want to balance them? Liability...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

..I am not so much worried about loosing the ring, and have it become a sort of chinese star and cutting another vehicle in half.

No worse than some of the old heavy stamped hubcaps held on by SPRINGS

 

[Kris K]

So of course you know more about Beadlocks then me.

I guess i never though about the backside.

I never knew the U4WDA had anything to do with the lift law's guess i never cared just knew it was changed. Hopefully they can do something about beadlocks.

 

[toys4rocks]

No worse than some of the old heavy stamped hubcaps held on by SPRINGS

Hah, I forgot about Landau Monte Carlo Hub caps!!

 

[way2nosty]

its this

"(b) constitute a hazard to life, health, or property." that is the problem in the law, what it pretty well does is say anything the cop doesn't like on a tire instantly becomes illegal, unless it is superceded with an approved safety stamp ie DOT. You could argue this point if... say you had Nyloc Nuts on your beadlocks and used threadlocker, and also a centering lip on the inside lip so the tire couldn't slip "out of round" there is some caselaw supporting the illegality of beadlocks, the basis of the caselaw is the little white piece of paper that comes with them that says "not approved for street use." or "not DOT approved." it is vague enough, you could fight it, if you could demonstrate to the judge that it was actually safe.

 

[kobyhud]

I know you feel strongly about your street driven bead locks and all... I think a lot of us would argue that beadlocks are safer than normal rims on the road anyway. But that isn't the point either.

The point is that you cannot pass inspection because some guy down at the UHP decided that bead locks are illegal. So if you can't pass inspection you are illegal on the road. No ifs ands or buts about it. As for going to court over it. DO IT! You just might win. But even if you try my money is on the UHP winning in every single case, truthfully the only way to get this changed is to petition someone about it just as we did with the Lift laws.

You HAVE been warned... and informed that the beadlocks are not allowed the manual clearly states it. So seriously what is the question here?? Until you get that statement wiped out of the manual you ARE illegal because the UHP does have the authority to impound what they view as an unsafe vehicle. Their judgement IS law until proven otherwise.

Anyhow... I am hearing a lot of defiance and not a lot of action. What CAN I do to get involved and change something here? Truthfully my tendency has been to just bend over and take it so far and I would like to change that. I just don't know how to go about doing that.

 

[Hickey]

I got the no welds on rim's from the CVSA Out of Service Manual. Of course this book is for commercial Vehicle's. So it may not apply to regular car's or truck's.

Whoops for got the coode 396.3(a)(1). For some reason it dosent say welds on the website only in the OOS manual.

The book is referring to a weld that repairs a cracked/broken wheel. This type of repair would be seen near the lug holes on a wheel.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...I never knew the U4WDA had anything to do with the lift law's guess i never cared just knew it was changed...

You bet!

The law used to allow ~2.5" for say a CJ7 or Landcruiser, but now they can legally have 6+ inches providing they cover the tires, mudflaps, etc.

The old law was VERY confusing and hard to test, the new law is simple, 24,26,28" based on weight

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...As for going to court over it. DO IT! You just might win.

Why go to court? I have been running them for 4 years without an incident... Not gonna waste my time until trouble comes looking for me

...You HAVE been warned... and informed that the beadlocks are not allowed the manual clearly states it.

I have never been warned, and the manual is NOT law!

...Until you get that statement wiped out of the manual you ARE illegal because the UHP does have the authority to impound what they view as an unsafe vehicle. Their judgement IS law until proven otherwise.

Did I miss something, is the UHP inspection manual now State Law?

Their judgment IS NOT law, never has, and never will be in the democracy of United States.

...I am hearing a lot of defiance and not a lot of action. What CAN I do to get involved and change something here? Truthfully my tendency has been to just bend over and take it so far and I would like to change that. I just don't know how to go about doing that.

How about stick with the status quo. Everyone acts like we are smuggling immigrants here, I drive my Cruiser all the time, what more action do I need to do. As soon as I see a LAW, I would be glad to take some action, but until I even am convinced it is illegal, why raise a storm?

I'll give $20 for a copy of a UHP ticket for beadlocks!!!

 

[Kris K]

The book is referring to a weld that repairs a cracked/broken wheel. This type of repair would be seen near the lug holes on a wheel.

True, in the OOS handbook is says no welds on a steering axle. dosent say anything about around the lug holes.

But like you said almost 99% of the time the rim is cracked by the lug holes.

 

[Hickey]

But like you said almost 99% of the time the rim is cracked by the lug holes.

Those are always a treat.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

All being said...

IF someone does find the actual law, or IF someone can produce a ticket written by the UHP for "beadlocks"... then lets got some action going.

The "old school" crew from U4WDA would glady tell us how it is done (what procedures they used to get the lift law handled)

But if there is no SPECIFIC law and no tickets... then whats the point? I can think of alot better things to fight about (say the proposed Wilderness bill for the West Desert, 3 million acres )

 

[kobyhud]

Well I am going to be trying the screws method that Jim Christiansen suggests over at inchworm... so that way I don't have to deal with the bead locks all together .

 

[toys4rocks]

Well I am going to be trying the screws method that Jim Christiansen suggests over at inchworm... so that way I don't have to deal with the bead locks all together .

If you are doing what I think you are doing, and I was a UHP officer. I would impound the vehicle for that long before beadlocks.

 

[toys4rocks]

And at an average of over $200 per tire, I would just pay the ticket\fine.

 

[Todd Adams]

Well I am going to be trying the screws method that Jim Christiansen suggests over at inchworm... so that way I don't have to deal with the bead locks all together .

A number of competitors did this before beadlocks were readily available. All it did was ruin tires and wheels. If you think you need to be “Legal” and need beadlocks go with the internal beadlocks. http://www.desertrat.com/staun/staun_beadlocksys.htm I have never heard of anyone being sighted in Utah for having them on. We run them on our Jeep with no problems either.
Todd