Lift, deflate, and torque
Sometimes it's a juggling act trying to keep all of my rigs in working order. It's often the small items that can be easily forgotten and/or overlooked. I recently wrote an article about beadlocks. After I turned the article in, I realized that it has been a little while since I last checked my JK's ATX Slab beadlock bolts.
I try to be as safe and thorough as possible when it comes to my wheels. So today I broke out the torque wrench and made my rounds. Some people have their own method for checking bolts, and mine is as follows:
- With the Jeep on level ground raise (floor jack) one wheel at a time. Just enough so the tread is barley off the ground.
- Set a fixed safety jack under the axle
- Remove the valve core and allow the tire to deflate completely
- Chock the wheel you are working on
- Work your way around the beadlock ring with your torque wrench in a clockwise motion. I usually make a few passes to make sure everything is torqued evenly.
- Remove the chock
- Re-inflate (I don't like inflating beadlocks beyond 30PSI. I run my 37-inch Falken Wild Peaks at 28PSI)
- Remove jack and lower
- Repeat on each wheel.