The black WT rings look really bad really quickly. Chewed up a set of used silver rings, then went with SFRs Scratchuatch segments.
How difficult are the rings to remove?
Some people seem to have problems, but I didn't. I believe it's a T-45 bit (someone correct me if it's TP-45). One of my bits had a larger chamfer on the front which minimized fastener engagement, so watch for that. Push firmly to keep it engaged. I used my Milwaukee impact driver and they all came out as would be expected. I was able to reuse all the fasteners, even the ones with heads beat up by rocks.
If you're going to do Windrock regularly, I'd just leave the trail damage
… they come in different sizes…
I would leave them on; they are there to protect the wheel flange from damage. That being said, use the right tool and remove with hand tools, they have thread locker and this can cause some to be a nuisance. Seems like a lot of the reputation started from this power tools and the wrong bit. You need a trail set and a daily if you are worried about feeling pretty. if you come to windrock some more you will get over the pretty maybe
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That is my plan... put the scared ones on for the trails.I would leave them on; they are there to protect the wheel flange from damage. That being said, use the right tool and remove with hand tools, they have thread locker and this can cause some to be a nuisance. Seems like a lot of the reputation started from this power tools and the wrong bit. You need a trail set and a daily if you are worried about feeling pretty. if you come to windrock some more you will get over the pretty maybe
I have a hodge podge collection of tools, some are far better than others. On one of the T-45 bits I had, there was a large chamfer/relief machined on the front edge at the arrow in the pic below. The bit bottomed out in the fastener head, but there was minimal engagement with the outer periphery of the fastener torx detail. That particular bit could have stripped out the fastener heads pretty easily considering the Loctite and other crude in there. The fastener torx detail did seem a little shallow to begin with, maybe because of the button head configuration being lower profile. Just suggesting to be careful of such things if you don't have all top shelf MAC or Snap-On tools. If that Torx detail gets stripped out, the fun of alternative extraction techniques begins!
Hey, I see a bus…
Yeah, I thought I counted six doors.
Along with what has already been mentioned, I highly recommend removing the thread lock from the bolts with a wire wheel, then applying a dab of anti-seize compound prior to re-installation. Also a good idea to use some compressed air to blow out the holes in the wheels. Do this, and swapping rings will be a piece of cake.
