A fix for hubcaps that fall off.

[timothy]

I wheel my Weby's in and out of the garage when using and usually a few times a year one or more of the caps fall off and get lost. I've been thru at least a dozen original Weber replacements and a few others.
Nothing seems to last, until I tried some 3/8" metal shaft collars. They have a set-screw which really digs in and holds.
http://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/fasteners/miscellaneous/specialty/3-8-shaft-collar-1-pcs/p-1445349-c-9545.htm

The ones I bought were zinc-plated, but SS ones are available from Amazon or an Industrial supply house.
3/8" is a tight fit. I had to use a ball peen hammer to tap mine on, but reaming it with a HS metal bit like a 25/64" should make it easier to slip on or remove.
Not the best pic, but at least I know my wheels aren't falling off.

Tim

 

[Dave O]

Cool idea, that will make it easier to take the wheels off when you do a major cleaning, I also lose or break those hub caps when wheeling my keetles around

 

[Craig H]

That's a pretty neat idea. I also like using the metal push caps like on the old 50s and 60s kettle wheels. They stay on much better than the plastic ones.

 

[Bob Ketchum]

Great idea just ordered 2 sets. Thanks for posting.

 

[Justin NE Iowa]

I wheel my Weby's in and out of the garage when using and usually a few times a year one or more of the caps fall off and get lost. I've been thru at least a dozen original Weber replacements and a few others.
Nothing seems to last, until I tried some 3/8" metal shaft collars. They have a set-screw which really digs in and holds.
http://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/fasteners/miscellaneous/specialty/3-8-shaft-collar-1-pcs/p-1445349-c-9545.htm

The ones I bought were zinc-plated, but SS ones are available from Amazon or an Industrial supply house.
3/8" is a tight fit. I had to use a ball peen hammer to tap mine on, but reaming it with a HS metal bit like a 25/64" should make it easier to slip on or remove.
Not the best pic, but at least I know my wheels aren't falling off.

Tim

Fantastic! Ordered them and that should do the trick. I've been through several of the plastic ones. The smallest things like this drive me crazy. Now I'm a little less crazy. Haha.

 

[JimZ]

I epoxied mine. Never have come loose since

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

My kettles in the big carriage never cool enough to move!

 

[Steve K - MN BBQer]

Final fix for Weber wheels falling off

I made a permanent fix to Weber wheels falling off. I drilled a small hole about 1/2 inch back on the axle, placed the wheel on so the hole is outside, then put a small nail through and bent it. Then place the end cap back on. No more pressure on the cap.

I didn't have a cotter pin, but a nail works. I'll find a stainless pin some day.


https://twitter.com/YourSteve/status/1146820381484838913?s=19

 

[BillSmith]

Welcome to the forums, Steve K. Would love to see more pictures of your BBQ setup. For those who don't want to click on the Twitter link, here's the fix he's suggesting.

Going through your Twitter feed, I came across this:

Wow, that looks impressive. Can you tell us more about this?

 

[Steve K - MN BBQer]

I know, right! I built that beauty two years ago. The fire box is actually a Lopi fireplace insert from a friend's house. So, built-in venting. The bricks are from our home remodel. I cleaned a few thousand by hand. The stone caps match stonework on our house.
The entire smoker is heavily insulated. 5 adjustable shelves inside to easily hold 15 racks of ribs flat. Two professional Tel-Tru temp gauges. Smoker body is 3/16, the front and door are 1/4. All high temp painted. Even a built-in rotisserie from the left side!
I took almost 4 years designing every feature until I could afford to build it. Stainless stack & brackets, the cover is a forged aluminum fence cap. The thing works amazingly well. I just smoked 36 racks two weeks ago for a grad party. I smoke pert near everything. Venison is my new favorite.

 

[Steve K - MN BBQer]

How can I post more pictures? I have several that would be great to share.

 

[Steve K - MN BBQer]

I found small hitch pins for my Weber axles today. Work great

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

I've always got to cut the push nuts off, myself. I don't really wheel mine around though.

 

[Steve K - MN BBQer]

https://twitter.com/YourSteve/status/1118188686330540033?s=19

 

[BillSmith]

How can I post more pictures? I have several that would be great to share.

When you create a post, click on the icon with a picture and enter the URL of the image. You can preview your post by clicking on “Go Advanced” to make sure it’s displaying correctly.

This link might help you.
http://authorbookpromotion.blogspot.com/2015/09/getting-twitter-image-url.html

Personally I like to host my images on imgur.com

 

[Steve K - MN BBQer]

https://twitter.com/YourSteve/status/1052978940560777216?s=19

 

[Steve K - MN BBQer]

https://twitter.com/YourSteve/status/1147894806250758145?s=19

 

[Chris Allingham]

How to post a photo on the forum: https://tvwbb.com/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_postphoto

 

[timothy]

Final fix for Weber wheels falling off

I made a permanent fix to Weber wheels falling off. I drilled a small hole about 1/2 inch back on the axle, placed the wheel on so the hole is outside, then put a small nail through and bent it. Then place the end cap back on. No more pressure on the cap.

I didn't have a cotter pin, but a nail works. I'll find a stainless pin some day.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1146820381484838913

I just saw this. Next time start your own thread on your method.

 

[Chris Allingham]

I just saw this. Next time start your own thread on your method.

I don't see any reason for this reaction. A thread that features two or more methods for fixing hubcaps is fine.

What should have been taken to another thread was the unrelated photos. A gentle reminder of this to the member at that time would have been appropriate. It slipped under my radar.