CT33 Had a Blowout!

[ccmviking]

Well not really a blow out but a what I'd call a wheel failure.  My 33 has been clicking it's wheels off for some time now when getting rolled.  I could see that the wheels were rubbing the lock mechanism but just today had enough time to explore.  You'd think I was driving this thing around town since it looks like it has so many miles on it.  The axles (plastic) that the wheels ride on is very worn, as is the inside of the wheels.  You can see in CT33_2.jpg that there is a lot of accumulated dust which I will assume is the plastic.  CT33_1.jpg makes it easier to see the small square holes that the square pin goes into when you activate the wheel lock.  The bottom side of the axle is very worn as is the wheel.  There was a lot of slop on each wheel and the wheels would constantly rub.  I cut a piece of UHMW tape to use as an axial bearing and spacer to keep the wheel from contacting the lock mechanism.  I also cleaned up and greased the wheel to help slow down the wear.  It rolls very smooth and quietly now...  Since popping off the hub cap to get to the single screw is so easy I'd suggest that you all think about checking and lubing your wheels before you end up with the wear that I have.  I would never had expected to see so much wear on these parts. 

 

[Bill in seattle]

chris
do you stack a lot of systainers on the ct when you are transporting it from place to place ? How long of a distance do you roll it with tools and/ or weight on it. nylon type plastics are tough but if you are putting reasonable weight of several loaded up systainers and rolling the ct for some distances, friction heat will build up and cause accelerated wear of the plastics. lubing them up will help but you might look into a syscart with heavy duty casters for the bulk of your gear on long hauls as a better means. I had the unfortunate experience of having the wheels''melt''off and go there own way on a ct mini with 3 sanders on it. I towed it about 1000 yds each way thru a warehouse till they fell off.  I was embarrassed to say the least but the warehouse people were actually  impressed it made it that far. They ordered one , and a syscart to put it on as it will make the trip several times a day.

 

[ccmviking]

Bill,

Thanks for the note... Really all I ever used to keep on the Vac is a Sortainer.  I haven't even had that on there for the last couple of months since I didn't ever use stuff out of it.  The  Vac does get rolled in and out of the trailer 2-3 times per week into customers houses and garages.  I guess it's really just more designed for "shop" use rather than "portable shop" use.  Some regular maintenance now on my part should keep it going strong (i hope). 

Chris...