H1 magnesium PITA beadlocks

[gwinn]

This whole H1 wheel thing is a pita! I finished the wheels up a while back, but had been working on the mag beadlocks as I found time. I now have the runflats cut off and the beadlock gound smooth.
Last night I was ready to mount the new 39.5X13.5x16.5 IROK radials on to the wheels.....wrong! The beadlock is too wide to squeeze it and both tire beads on the rim. :mad: I've got a lot of time into those f* beadlocks, but then opted to leave them out.... wrong! I couldn't get the beads to seat on the rim (sidewalls are stiff as a board). I even tried the old starter fluid trick and all I accomplished was a burning tire.
I am obviously going to have to use a beadlock to pressure the tire bead to the rim's lip (or whatever you call that part). The magnesium beadlock has a steel piece on the edge to flatten the contact with the tire's bead. Is it possible to remove that piece, grind off a half inch or so off the magnesium, then reinstall that edge? Or should I just say f* it and buy something plastic from USA6X6? I hope these magnesium pieces of s* can burn, because I bought them with my firewood money and my house is getting awful cold.:mad:

[fulsizjeep]

Heya Tom. That sucks. Why not unload them and just get some steel spokes and call it good? I buy them. I figure if I trash one on some rock, then a new one is easy to find and relatively cheap. We just split a couple cords of wood here. It was free for the picking when we got it. If you were close by, you be welcome to a few sticks. :thumbsup: We be waiting on snow here and balmy 40 degrees.

[JeepsAndGuns]

That definately stinks! Mine didnt come with the mag inserts so I cant really help there. I have the PVC inserts from USA6X6. They were a PITA to get in the tire. I ended up useing a small bottle jack and some 2x4 wood blocks (as spacers) and placed them inside the beadlock and jacked it up untill the thing was shaped like a long egg. Then cussed them into the tire. I havent gotten my wheels back from the shop (getting new centers welded in) So I havent test fitted them yet. But I hope I dont have the same problem your having.

[FSJ Guy]

Whatever you do, don't buy ANYTHING from USA 6x6. Daniel (the owner) is a liar and a no good thief. Ask around on the M715 forums and they'll tell you what a jerk he is. Crappy quality stuff, if you even get your stuff at all.

[Stuka]

Has anybody ever gotten some thick rubber (like 1/2" thick) and then riveted it together after trimming it down? Would make it a whole lot easier to get into the tire (and back out again) and would not cost very much.

[Dmntxn77]

Has anybody ever gotten some thick rubber (like 1/2" thick) and then riveted it together after trimming it down? Would make it a whole lot easier to get into the tire (and back out again) and would not cost very much.

Yeah, someone on here used some conveyor belt ruber (IIRC).. You can probably find it with a search.


gwinn... To seat the beads without the insert, all you need to do is wrap a cargo strap around the circumference of the tire and ratchet it as tight as you can get it. The tire will collapse, and the bead will seat right under the ratchet. I had to use 2 straps, with the ratchet on opposite sides, for 3 of my tires, and 3 straps on 1 of my tires.

Dont forget the soapy water sollution in a spray bottle. Spray it liberally around the wheel lip and tire bead. It will help the rubber slide on the metal, and will assist with the initial seal.




Oh yeah, sometimes a rubber mallet is required.. It does not help seat the bead, but it will help relieve the frustration.. :D

[Dmntxn77]

One more thing... Lube the O-ring with Vaseline. I have read that other greases will cause the O-ring to swell and become too loose on the wheel.

[Casey]

A few guys told me what a PITA the mag inserts could be so I got my plastic ones from Stazworks. Unlike the above endorsement I'll say good things about John (owner). He did what he said he would, when he said he would do it and even cut me a deal for buying 10.

http://www.stazworks.com/

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v189/rcasey/Two%20Dogs/beadlockinserts012.jpg

I don't have the tires yet but I'm lusting for the same size (bias) IROKs you have. I'll admit to being jealous. :D

FSJ guy, I take it you've done business with usa6x6? They have the chrome H1 centers I want to use and was hoping they would fix their problems. Yours isn't the first bad report I've heard, that's why I called them to ask about parts. When I didn't get a response I called Stazworks and gave them the business.

[Desert Beast]

yup the iroks beads are super thick. and the mag runflats need to be shaved about 3/4" to fit.

i also went w/ the stazworks HDPE inserts and told him that i was running iroks and he makes them accordingly. real stand up guy.

[JeepsAndGuns]

I am probably the one and only person that got good service from 6x6. I ordered new centers and the pvc inserts, and got them pretty quick and with no problems. After all I read about them, I probably wont order from them agan. Dont want to push my luck.

[Hammer]

If pirate4x4 BANNED him, that alone has to tell you something.

As for the inserts, yeah, pull the extra ring off and cut down one or both sides, then put the ring back on.
This is a fairly common issue for the tires like yours with the BIG beads.
This has been covered adnauseum on pirate, so there is plenty to search on there.

The stock H1 inserts are still very good for some people (like me), because you can unbolt them and EASILY take them in/out of the tire. They were included with my rims, so cost wasn't a factor.
And H1 rims are cheap and plentiful. So getting spares for them are easy. Unless you have them recentered. Then all bets are off (be wise to have 5 of them and not just 4).