It must have been brearing day yesterday. I asked Rosco and Dave to check over my yacht yesterday as everyone was leaving me for dead on the down wind leg in the lighter winds.
Turns out one of my wheels wasn't spinning as freely as it should. At first they thought it was just on too tight, but when we took the wheel off the bearings were really stiff. The instructions they gave me below are old news to you guys but thought I'd put them in for any other newbies like me:
1. Remove bearings and remove the seals. 2. Soak in petrol and remove any gunk by tapping them on their side. 3. if there's no rust apply sewing machine oil 4. spin them up on a drill to wear them in if they're new like mine. 5. If there is any rust apply brasso and spin them up on the drill to remove it 6. then clean in petrol and oil as above. 7. Refit seal to outer unprotected bearings only.
Unfortunately after doing this my bearings spun really well, but after putting them back in the suspect wheel they almost seized again. Turns out the tube going through my wheel is not perfectly round and must be putting uneven pressure on the bearing. So I have spent all of last night grinding out the tube with a dremmel to try and make it round again. Its better but still not perfect so I think I'll have to get a new wheel.
Oh BTW mine are steel wheels, I guess you wouldn't get this problem with plastic ones.
The plastic Fallshaw whels weve been using have developed a little ideosyncacyof thier own. on a hot day if youleave them on th ground, one of the bearings will jump out! when you push it back in it comes straaight back out. We had to build a little portable bearing press to take to the lake
Bazl, I hope that wasnt one of steve Zocs wheels. were you running with a 2" OD bearing or the smaller bearing with a Nylon insert?. At least you can recycle the wheel at the Kerbside!
