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M35A3 bead lock suggestions

Sgt Jiggins

Potato Peeler
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Hello All,

For those of us who are still struggling to find where Soldier B disappeared to...

I (along with couple buddies) was able to get a M35A3 tire mounted the other week. But man, it was no small effort to get that bead lock installed. Even with copious amounts of tire lube. Which leads me to ask: does any one have any practical experience/suggestions to share regarding how to get bead locks installed in the tires before mounting them on M35A3 wheels?

If that process were any easier, just 2 of us could easily roll through the rest of the tire/wheel mounting process.

Thanks,
SJ/JD
 

MAdams

Active member
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Location
San Dimas, CA
These videos are a little boring but there are a couple good tips, like using a high lift jack and the ratchet strap to the roof trusses. This is for the 16.00's but the concept is the same for a 14.5
 

sue

Active member
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Location
tulsa OK
We don’t understand,? We changed tires and with the wheels split we slid the tire down and the put the bead lock insert in, lubed up the o ring installed the other half of the rim and run the nuts down and done.
 

sue

Active member
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Location
tulsa OK
We don’t understand,? We changed tires and with the wheels split we slid the tire down and the put the bead lock insert in, lubed up the o ring installed the other half of the rim and run the nuts down and done.
Sorry just remembered to say we used a small tiedown strap to squeeze the rubber bead lock down to install in the tire first.
 

Sgt Jiggins

Potato Peeler
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Lynchburg, VA
Sorry just remembered to say we used a small tiedown strap to squeeze the rubber bead lock down to install in the tire first.
Going to be taking that approach with it this weekend.

Thanks to all for the helpful posts!

Cheers,
SJ/JD
 

hgun

Well-known member
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Leechburg, PA
Going to be taking that approach with it this weekend.

Thanks to all for the helpful posts!

Cheers,
SJ/JD
I just changed 14.5 to 395/85/20 used engine hoist to separate rims and put a chain around bead lock used hoist to remove then squeezed tie down and ratchet strapped it put it in tire spun lock around release strap positioned it in place and remounted wheel
 

HDN

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Location
Finger Lakes Region, NY
Speaking of bead locks - what are people buying for bead locks? I'm going to go through each of my wheels and replace them as needed as I do the tires. I see that Eastern Surplus has them for about $50 each (not including shipping), but I'm not sure what other options are out there.
 

glcaines

Well-known member
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Location
Hiawassee, Georgia
Speaking of bead locks - what are people buying for bead locks? I'm going to go through each of my wheels and replace them as needed as I do the tires. I see that Eastern Surplus has them for about $50 each (not including shipping), but I'm not sure what other options are out there.
What is wrong with the original bead locks? The ones on my A3 are in perfect condition. Also I have a set of forks on the front of my John Deere tractor. When removing the tire from the wheel it is very easy to simply press the tire down with the forks. I adjust the forks so that they are barely touching the wheel and then press down. Works great.
 

HDN

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Location
Finger Lakes Region, NY
What is wrong with the original bead locks? The ones on my A3 are in perfect condition. Also I have a set of forks on the front of my John Deere tractor. When removing the tire from the wheel it is very easy to simply press the tire down with the forks. I adjust the forks so that they are barely touching the wheel and then press down. Works great.
I'm not sure if there's anything wrong with them. I thought it would be a good idea to have a spare or two in case they got damaged during removal.

I've seen something similar done with an engine hoist, where the tire it put under the two front legs and the bead lock is chained to the hoist.
 

glcaines

Well-known member
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Location
Hiawassee, Georgia
I'm not sure if there's anything wrong with them. I thought it would be a good idea to have a spare or two in case they got damaged during removal.
I've seen something similar done with an engine hoist, where the tire it put under the two front legs and the bead lock is chained to the hoist.
Those bead locks are very tough. If you tried to damage them, you would have a difficult time.
 

HDN

Well-known member
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Location
Finger Lakes Region, NY
Good to know! I've never removed bead locks before but got a little spooked when I saw this video:

Perhaps @Gunzy can speak more about what happened here :ROFLMAO:

Maybe I'll hold off on buying bead locks. How much do they weigh? I know Eastern Surplus wanted $180 to ship two to my home...
 

glcaines

Well-known member
3,911
2,585
113
Location
Hiawassee, Georgia
Good to know! I've never removed bead locks before but got a little spooked when I saw this video:

Perhaps @Gunzy can speak more about what happened here :ROFLMAO:

Maybe I'll hold off on buying bead locks. How much do they weigh? I know Eastern Surplus wanted $180 to ship two to my home...
I'm guessing 35 - 40 lbs each. After watching that video I'm not surprised that you thought you needed new bead locks! Getting them out of your tires isn't that hard. Re-installing is simple if you have a ratchet strap to turn them into a figure 8 shape and simply place them in the tire.
 

Gunzy

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Location
Roy, Utah
Good to know! I've never removed bead locks before but got a little spooked when I saw this video:

Perhaps @Gunzy can speak more about what happened here :ROFLMAO:

Maybe I'll hold off on buying bead locks. How much do they weigh? I know Eastern Surplus wanted $180 to ship two to my home...
That is not a bead lock I removed there. That is a runflat and isn't the same as a bead lock. Bead locks are just a rubber or rubber/metal piece that forces the tire bead against the rim and will not allow it to slide in under low air pressures. Weight of a bead lock can be from 5-10 lbs. The runflat being removed here is around 200lbs and is designed to prevent you running all the way down to the rim if the tire is flat and you still need to drive. Bead locks are only necessary if you plan on off roading with very low air pressures. In civilian life I don't see a need for runflat inserts.
 

HDN

Well-known member
2,105
5,069
113
Location
Finger Lakes Region, NY
That is not a bead lock I removed there. That is a runflat and isn't the same as a bead lock. Bead locks are just a rubber or rubber/metal piece that forces the tire bead against the rim and will not allow it to slide in under low air pressures. Weight of a bead lock can be from 5-10 lbs. The runflat being removed here is around 200lbs and is designed to prevent you running all the way down to the rim if the tire is flat and you still need to drive. Bead locks are only necessary if you plan on off roading with very low air pressures. In civilian life I don't see a need for runflat inserts.
Learned something new - bead locks are different from run flats (y) That video is in my YouTube favorites list by the way :D
 

tobyS

Well-known member
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Location
IN
Beadlocks that say they are 11 x20 are the right ones for the A3 11" wide wheel....they measure 10" wide.

I have quite a few new beadlocks for the A3 (not run-flats).

Combat 5 ton rims are 10" and the beadlock is 9" wide. They do not interchange
 

Sgt Jiggins

Potato Peeler
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Location
Lynchburg, VA
I'm guessing 35 - 40 lbs each. After watching that video I'm not surprised that you thought you needed new bead locks! Getting them out of your tires isn't that hard. Re-installing is simple if you have a ratchet strap to turn them into a figure 8 shape and simply place them in the tire.
This man beadlocks!

Until I figured that out, I was really struggling to mount up a pile of tires on M35A3 wheels.

On a somewhat related note, I really hope the 395/85R20s I just mounted up on M35A3 wheels are going to fit on the M105A2. 🙏
 

HDN

Well-known member
2,105
5,069
113
Location
Finger Lakes Region, NY
I have a little update to share with my project - I managed to pull the bead lock insert out of the old tire with a floor jack, chain, two 3.5 ft pry bars, and a 4x4 wood block. I probably didn't even need the floor jack, or could've substituted it with another pry bar. I'll make a video when I move on to the next tire.

Now I'll get to see how hard it's going to be to put the insert in the new tire!
 
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