How do I get these wheels off my cart?
October 26, 2022 7:03 AM Subscribe
So having explored my cart options, I decided I like my current cart. I bought new wheels for it and have held them up to the cart, measured, etc, and feel reasonably confident I can attach them securely. But first I have to get the other wheels off. How do I get these off?
I have tried grabbing that head with pliers and bending/twisting. That does not work. These are strong. I am weak. It appears to all be one piece of metal, including both heads and the washer-like circle.
I have tried grabbing that head with pliers and bending/twisting. That does not work. These are strong. I am weak. It appears to all be one piece of metal, including both heads and the washer-like circle.
In your pictures of the wheel & axle assembly, the flatter part against the red painted frame is the head of the bolt or axle (it's probably smooth and not threaded). The other end, against the white part of the wheel, which looks like a hat, is the push nut. This is the removable part. Inside the push nut are some barbs that are angled such that they will "give" a little when pushing the nut onto the axle shaft, but will dig in and resist attempts to slide them back off.
The video linked above is basically how you remove these. Lacking vise-grips, you can often remove them using just the flat-head screwdriver, prying up, working your way around and around, a bit at a time. Sometimes, instead of a prying up or down motion, a little twist helps as well. You may need to insert something under the screwdriver as a shim to pry against, especially once you get the nut worked a little ways off the shaft.
Sometimes, the axle bolt will have a square profile near the head end (where it sinks into the red frame, in your pictures), to keep it from rotating. Or, perhaps the bolt head is sort of dished, to fit the contour of the tubular frame. Sometimes not. If you grab the push nut with pliers and twist it, does the entire axle bolt twist as well? If so, grabbing onto the head with vise grips or pliers to keep it from spinning, and wasting some of your effort. Just be careful not to scrape against the frame.
Push nuts are generally single-use, so not only should you plan to replace them when you reassemble, but also don't worry too much about mangling them during removal.
posted by xedrik at 9:28 AM on October 26, 2022
The video linked above is basically how you remove these. Lacking vise-grips, you can often remove them using just the flat-head screwdriver, prying up, working your way around and around, a bit at a time. Sometimes, instead of a prying up or down motion, a little twist helps as well. You may need to insert something under the screwdriver as a shim to pry against, especially once you get the nut worked a little ways off the shaft.
Sometimes, the axle bolt will have a square profile near the head end (where it sinks into the red frame, in your pictures), to keep it from rotating. Or, perhaps the bolt head is sort of dished, to fit the contour of the tubular frame. Sometimes not. If you grab the push nut with pliers and twist it, does the entire axle bolt twist as well? If so, grabbing onto the head with vise grips or pliers to keep it from spinning, and wasting some of your effort. Just be careful not to scrape against the frame.
Push nuts are generally single-use, so not only should you plan to replace them when you reassemble, but also don't worry too much about mangling them during removal.
posted by xedrik at 9:28 AM on October 26, 2022
When replacing the wheels on my cart, I was able to get the push nut off by mangling it with pliers. There was enough axle protruding that I was able to drill a small hole through the axle. Then I inserted and bent a cotter pin. This made it much easier to replace the wheels the next time.
If there is enough space, a washer between the wheel and the cotter pin would be good.
posted by H21 at 10:37 AM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
If there is enough space, a washer between the wheel and the cotter pin would be good.
posted by H21 at 10:37 AM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
I had the same problem, I ended up using a little pry bar and vice grips to pry it off, but a flat blade screwdriver would have worked as well. Once the wheels are off, measure the axle and get some push nuts. Put the new wheel on, set the push nut on the end of the axle and tap it with a hammer. Once I got my wheels off, it only took about 5 minutes.
posted by Marky at 11:44 AM on October 26, 2022
posted by Marky at 11:44 AM on October 26, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:20 AM on October 26, 2022 [4 favorites]