Hutchinson Beadlock Wheels

[06 H3]

that truly looks awesome Mike. Really like the look! the chrome caps look good how they are IMHO.

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

They look great, especially now in day light.

I think some of these would look perfect
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUMMER-H3-C...es&vxp=mtr&hash=item5641039d89#ht_1968wt_1396

 

[Portager]

By the way how did they balance your new tire/rim combo?

I need to look at that. I don't see any weights on the outside of the rim. I think they put them all inside the rim.

I think some of these would look perfect

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUMMER-H3-C...es&vxp=mtr&hash=item5641039d89#ht_1968wt_1396

I was looking at those yesterday. If those look-a-like rip-off weren’t so expensive I'd have bought one or five just to see how they would look. I've seen the black bar on silver, but was there an OEM black bar on chrome? I'm still pondering painting the handle black and leaving the handle chrome. Mutaint's baby moons are growing on me also.

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

I need to look at that. I don't see any weights on the outside of the rim. I think they put them all inside the rim.



I was looking at those yesterday. If those look-a-like rip-off weren’t so expensive I'd have bought one or five just to see how they would look. I've seen the black bar on silver, but was there an OEM black bar on chrome? I'm still pondering painting the handle black and leaving the handle chrome. Mutaint's baby moons are growing on me also.

You are correct they are an aftermarket center cap. I didn't think they made a chrome with black bar but I did see a used OEM one eBay a while back. I can't comment whether or not it came like that or it was painted. I think you should paint the bars black on one and see how it looks.

 

[Portager]

Those are interesting inserts. ... Hutchinson must have had something in mind when they tapped those.

I called Bill O'Hara at Hutchinson and asked about the "Cover Mounting Holes". He said that the steel bolts will wear out the threads if you install and remove them very often. He said that since I plan to mount my rock rings at the trail head and remove them at the trail end it would be a good idea to install inserts.

Bebe: I also asked him about re-Powder Coating the wheels. He said that they don't use a low temperature powder coat process. He said that since the wheels are forged, the first time you bake the wheels it anneals the metal and actually makes them stronger due to stress relief. Re-powder coating the wheels will reduce the strength, but not very much, and the wheels have a 2x factor of safety. I asked about sending them to Hutchinson to have them redone but he said with the cost of shipping and their labor rates you would be better off getting a local powder cost shop to do it.

 

[Hunner]

So, I guess we need some inserts that will be 3/8 ID, which I guess means we would have to drill out the threads, re-thread that size hole to thread in the inserts.

 

[Portager]

Yes, and we need to select an insert that is shorter than the depth of the hole to assure it doesn't protrude out the back side.

There is also a wide variety of insert materials to choose from.

 

[Portager]

When Tustin Hummer installed my Hutchinson's they pointed out the small profile locking lug nuts that I had on my AR wheels wouldn't work on the Hutchinson's 60 degree cone face. Since I've invested a few $$$ in my new wheels and tires, I wanted to be able to secure them, especially the spare which has just 3 standard lugs nuts holding it on.

I looked around for locking lug nuts with a 60 degree cone face, but most of them are too tall to fit under the stock center caps. I finally found Gorilla Automotive model acorn open end nuts, part number 78631N :link: which are short enough to fit under the center caps, but all I could find were 4 packs. Even if I only used one per wheel I'd still need one more for the spare and I wanted them to all use the same key. I'd also prefer to have them all locking, so I wanted 27 plus some spares and a spare key. So I called Gorilla and they recommended a 24 pack (part number 78634N) and a 16 pack (part number 78632N) and request them keyed alike. This will provide 40 nuts (13 spares) and two keys. Total price $85. Being able to sleep at night (when Warmonger knows where I live) priceless.

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

Let us know how you like the lug nuts.

 

[Hunner]

I guess you have to order them that way because I don't see the kit for 30 which would allow 3 for the spare and 3 spares, but I thought there was one for 32 but did not see that in the kit with key with that part number. I would want the black impact keys thinking they would hold up the best.
Having all six lockers like that would be a bitch to remove with vice grips!! That should protect them.
I need to look some more on there. I would hope the chrome holds up after repeated impact removal and install. Black chrome would be nice for me instead of shiny. In the past I have had trouble with other types of wheel locks nuts that peeled.

 

[tomp]

The OEM locking lug nuts work on these wheels

 

[Portager]

Let us know how you like the lug nuts.

Since they are made in LA, they must be good! :wink:

I guess you have to order them that way because I don't see the kit for 30 which would allow 3 for the spare and 3 spares, but I thought there was one for 32 but did not see that in the kit with key with that part number. I would want the black impact keys thinking they would hold up the best.
Having all six lockers like that would be a bitch to remove with vice grips!! That should protect them.
I need to look some more on there. I would hope the chrome holds up after repeated impact removal and install. Black chrome would be nice for me instead of shiny. In the past I have had trouble with other types of wheel locks nuts that peeled.

According to this :link: they come in 20 and 24 packs, but not in the 32 pack. Probably because vehicles with eight lug nuts per wheel have larger nuts. I could have gotten two of the 16 packs which would have provided 5 spares, but I wanted a full wheel of spares so I over killed it.

I think all the socket keys are the black impact wrench type. I haven't found anything else yet.

Having all six nuts identical (i.e. all locking nuts) also, "Helps eliminate wheel balance problems and vibration".

The acorn black chrome wheel locks look cool and they would go nicely with my black wheels, but I was concerned they wouldn't fit under the OEM center caps.

I tried to find their warranty information, but I couldn't find it for the locking nuts. They do have "lifetime" lug nuts but they aren't locking.

The OEM locking lug nuts work on these wheels

That is useful information, especially to others who might have the OEM locks. I have none and I figured getting 27 OEM locks keyed the same might be an issue, so I didn't pursue that option.

 

[Timgco]

Late to the party! again! lol

Mike, they turned out great!!!

 

[Hunner]

I looked under key replacement and they showed some short ones that were whatever you call that yellow coating. I thought if you did not get a kit you had to order the keys separate.
I use one OEM lock on my spare but it came off my 06 as GM did not see fit to include one on my 08. Didn't they also leave off a TPM on the spares about then?
I had thought about getting 4 more but after they wanted $25 each for those tie down loops that fit in the roof rails I never bothered. I found those tie downs for a set of 4 for $18 shipped!

 

[Portager]

I got the first rock ring Monday morning. OMF Performance did an excellent job and they fit perfectly! I drove out to Riverside before work and test fit the first one. Then they machined the other three and shipped them Monday so I received them Tuesday. Great service and excellent work. I ordered 6 bolts for the test fit, but I guessed the size wrong, so I ordered 28 more (4 spares) from boltdepot.com.

Here is a picture of the first ring from the outside showing the 6 mounting bolt holes. I decided to go with Stainless steel bolts to minimize the dissimilar metals corrosion issues with the rim. The holes are tapered on the outside for flush fitting, flat head bolts and the outer edge is chamfered. I duplicated the valve stem cutout to improve the spin balance even though I only intend to use these off road.

The inside has 16 blind holes or pockets for the clamping studs. These fit over the plastic caps and prevent them from getting lost on the trail.

Here are a couple close-ups of the clamping stud pockets and valve step cutout.

Finally, here is the new DeWalt impact driver that I got to speed up the installation and removal. I decided to go with the 20V max driver because they are the newer line and the older 18 volt series will be phased out as demand decreases. Also, the 20V max very small and light weight. I'm thinking of making a storage case for the rock rings with the impact driver stored in the center.

Pictures of the locking lug nuts and rock rings mounted will be in the next post. The ones I took last night in the dark didn't turn out since I have the flash turned off.

 

[M22KLARS]

WOW! Nice! Cant' wait to see them on the wheels. :cheers:

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

They look great and look froward to seeing them installed. Should be a nice way to protect your investment.

 

[Hunner]

Do they make a 12v charger for that battery pack or do you carry an inverter?
When you get the mounted shot show us how far out they are from the rim.

 

[Portager]

Do they make a 12v charger for that battery pack or do you carry an inverter?
When you get the mounted shot show us how far out they are from the rim.

Yes, the DCB119 Vehicle Battery Charger. It charges both the 12V MAX and 20V MAX Lithium Ion Batteries :link:. Home Depot has it for $99 but Toolsandmore.us (I never heard of them before google found them) has it for $69 :link:.

I'll get both frontal and side views when I get them mounted again.

I was going to have them coated with black bed liner, but OMF Performance convinced me to leave them bare for now. The finish is just sanded, so if they get scratched up, I'll just take a sander to them. That should be easier maintenance than bed liner.

I weighed one on my digital bathroom scale and it said 4.5 lbs. I expect it is actually somewhere between 4.5 and 5 lbs, so I took one into work to weigh it on a more accurate scale. My calculations where that it should be less than 5.2 lbs (I didn't account for all the cut-outs).

 

[06 H3]

Those rock rings are sooo nice!

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[08SolarFlareH3]

Leaning toward black.

 

[ReconH3]

You won't regret it. They will give you a peace of mind when off the beaten path.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

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[3Hummers]

Agreed. I have the two piece Hutchinson wheels with beadlocks on all my trucks.

 

[Nacho]

:huh:...... Black or Argent? Leaning toward black.

Black.

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

Yea, I was thinking the same thing. So that brings up the next question.....tires



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