2.2 Bead-locks, the Good the Bad and the Best Damn 2.2 Bead-locks available!
Ah yes, the 2.2 bead-lock rim. Remember when we all had to glue our tires to plastic rims only to strip out the hex of the rim on the first obstacle we attempted. We eventually ended up gluing the hex into the rim and then would just strip out the hex itself. I don’t know about you, but having to throw away $60 in wheels away before the shine was gone off my new tires, really pisses me off.
Well, along came RC4WD, and the aluminum 2.2 bead-lock was available to us crawlers. HURRAY! Oh wait they are over $100 a set. This price tag was a bit shocking to us. We were used to paying $10-$30 for a full set of rims, so at first they weren’t that popular due to the price. We quickly remembered, Oh yeah, the plastic rims are crap, so we eventually accepted the $25+ a rim and started seeing more and more bead-locks on rc crawlers. And they were great.
But wait what rim am I getting? What is the offset? What is the width? BL25, BL35, BL50, BL2000 WTF!!!??? Hey I didn’t get enough screws! Hey this isn’t the rim I ordered!!! I only got 4 lock rings with my order!!! When am I getting my bead-locks I ordered them 5 months ago? Some of my holes to mount the rings aren’t milled deep enough and a few aren’t even threaded! Why do I have to drill out the holes in my rims so I can mount them? Oh this rim is so thick that I can’t tread the wheel nut on my axle! This aluminum is crap! I guess I need a big washer to mount these rims because the bolt just passes through the rim hole! WTF!!! One rim is ¼” narrower then the others!!?? WHAT!!!! My Masher just slips right out of the bead!!! - So, even with the extreme variety, poor quality control, confusion in the rim models and just plain apprehension to even order the RC4WD 2.2 bead-locks, we had no other choice and we all wanted and bought them, (even I have owned and used about 5 sets) all the while, wishing for something better.
Then came the promise of the new Axial 2.2 Bead-locks. Oh Yeah! We waited and waited. A few others sneaked in to make and sell some “better then RC4WD 2.2 bead-locks”. Some were good and some were great, but they didn’t stick around for one reason or another, except for one that I will mention later.
Sweet we have spy shots of the new Axial 2.2 bead-locks and look they hold onto a Masher. Wait they are plastic… Oh crap it has a beefy hex, sweet! It looks like our prayers are answered. When can I get a set? ….waiting …waiting …waiting.
They eventually were released and people ate them up, and still do. I picked up a set of white ones and excitingly mounted them up on a set of new Mashers, as I planned in my head to replace all my RC4WD 2.2 bead-locks with these great new Axial bead-locks. Well the mashers just slipped right out on me so I had to use O-rings under the rings to get the mashers to stay in. the hexes were nice and beefy but I did strip at least one ring bolt per ring, and no I didn’t torque hard on them. I ran them in one comp and promptly sold them and ordered some Erickson 2.2 bead-locks from Montana Scale Design.
Shipping was fast. Upon opening the box and fondling the Ericksons, I knew they were going to be exactly what I have looked for in a 2.2 bead-lock. The rim is milled from a solid chunk of black Delrin, sexy, and they are super beefy with a quality, milled finish. The hex is actually part of the wheel dish, meaning it is milled flush with the rear surface if the rim, it doesn’t stick out like all the other bead-locks. I don’t think these will strip out… ever. The rings are sturdy, I mean, STURDY. They match perfectly with the beef of the Delrin rim.
Mounting the Mashers onto the rim was pure heaven. I couldn’t get much easier. With the 3 x 13mm button head screws and the pre-threaded ring mounting holes in the rim they went together like butta. I then tugged in the Masher to see if it would slide out like all the other 2.2 bead-locks out there. My apprehensive little tug tuned into a full-blown, red faced, heaving pull. I pulled on that tire so hard I was afraid I would tear the sidewall of the tire. It didn’t budge, the bead help fast.
The Erickson 2.2 bead-locks are by far the best available. If you are serious about crawling you should be running a set of these, no questions about it. Everything good people are saying about the Erickson 2.2 bead-locks is true. These are the best. I will only be running the Ericksons on my comp crawlers from now on.
Erickson 2.2 bead-locks have earned the Reign Products seal of approval.
Pick up your Erickson 2.2 bead-locks from
www.montanascaledesigns.com. Make sure you tell Unimoger that PinchFlat sent you. :lol:
-PF
Some pics for you:
