Genesis 1000 Wheel Upgrade

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DouglasW

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For anyone looking to replace the wheels on a Genesis 1000 (or other grill with a 3/8” diameter axle) with more robust wheels/tires, consider this good option. These are generic lawn mower/hand truck 8” wheels, and they actually have fairly heavy-duty airless rubber tires that absorb considerably more shock than the original Weber wheels.

The axle hole in the new wheels, however, is 1/2” diameter, so you need to purchase a 3/8” ID x 1/2” OD sleeve bearing to go inside each new wheel’s axle hole. Also, put two 3/8” fender washers between the grill frame and each of the wheels to prevent rubbing between the tires and the frame.

Throw away the Weber hub caps that retain the old wheels onto the axle and get a set of stainless steel shaft collars with a 3/8” bore. They fasten with a set screw, which makes it much easier to remove the wheels in the future. Someone else on the forum posted the shaft collar idea a while back.

Here are links to what I purchased:
Wheels
Sleeve bearings
Shaft collars
 

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Those do look nice if you are not particular about keeping your grill "original".
I certainly am not.
 
At the risk of completely raining on your parade, these Broil King wheels are airless rubber as well and look a heckuva lot better IMO without having to worry about a different bore size or using a shaft collar. The Broil Kings are the same diameter and bore as Weber and a whole bag of cap nuts are cheaper than a pair of shaft collars on Amazon.
Broil King Wheels
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Yah, I wish I had known about the Amazon deal. Free shipping makes it reasonable. It is hard to find them anywhere at the 3/8" size especially. The Ebay ones are great if you are just doing a personal grill, but at $1.50 each, that makes it tough to put them on a rehab.
 
Yah, those damn cap nuts have usually been on there for 20 years or more already. They work well, but they are hell to pull off and once you do, they are usually destroyed. Some cheap replacements for rehabs would be nice. Also, for rehabs, I think the OEM look is a better even though for a personal grill, I would love a set of the BM or other aftermarket wheels. I just don't want to pay the money when the wheels I have on there now are already on there and work fine. Maybe if I find a really good deal on some aftermarket wheels, it will prompt me to pull the trigger and go through the replacement process for my personal grill.
 
I lean most toward the OEM original look, especially for classic older Weber grills. But I would be quick to say they are not the best rolling wheels. If moving my grill across a long yard or driveway was a regular event, I might vary from that formula. That would especially apply to a customized, personal use grill. There are a number of options as we have seen here already.

I bought some 8” wheels at Harbor Freight for a Broilmaster restoration. Since Broilmaster used various wheels that all had a generic look with no logos, I was not as fussy about what wheels I chose. Heavier duty, easier rolling wheels with rubber treads do seem nice for any grill, though.
 
Last edited:
DouglasW said:
Someone else on the forum posted the shaft collar idea a while back.
Click to expand...
I did for a Weber kettle, but I used nickel plated ones.
They were a bear to slide on the 3/8" axle because of the plating ( I think.)
Did the SS ones slide on with no problems?
 
timothy said:
I did for a Weber kettle, but I used nickel plated ones.
They were a bear to slide on the 3/8" axle because of the plating ( I think.)
Did the SS ones slide on with no problems?
Click to expand...
Yes! It was your post that I saw with the shaft collar idea. A great solution. Thanks for posting!

The stainless shaft collars slid onto the axle easily. But before installation, I had cleaned up the entire axle with a wire wheel loaded into my drill press. Alternatively, I would at least clean up the axle ends with some fine grit sand paper.
 
DouglasW said:
The stainless shaft collars slid onto the axle easily. But before installation, I had cleaned up the entire axle with a wire wheel loaded into my drill press. Alternatively, I would at least clean up the axle ends with some fine grit sand paper.
Click to expand...
Yep, that's what I had to do.
 
If nothing else, this thread has prompted me to throw out my accumulation of “flower power” Weber wheels as I like to call them. I quit counting after about a dozen in the bin and can’t imagine why I ever bothered to save them in the first place. They are just so awful ugly. All I need now is a discussion on swing up and side tables to light a fire under me to purge a tote or two of those next.
IMG_3307.jpeg
 
TomRc said:
If nothing else, this thread has prompted me to throw out my accumulation of “flower power” Weber wheels as I like to call them. I quit counting after about a dozen in the bin and can’t imagine why I ever bothered to save them in the first place. They are just so awful ugly. All I need now is a discussion on swing up and side tables to light a fire under me to purge a tote or two of those next.
View attachment 77913
Click to expand...
I agree they were not an improvement, but I would take them any day!
 
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