Spirit 200 wheels coming apart


 
J

JoeSchweighofer

New member
I've been finding hard rubber pieces and parts on the patio around my Weber Spirit 200 and it's from the casters wearing out \ coming apart. I can replace the wheels easily enough, but the real problem is with the supports under the base where the wheels attach - one or more of those attachment points (they're made from just thin sheet metal) have gotten bent over time and the grill is now wobbly. Looking under the base, straightening the supports would likely be just a temporary fix. Weber wants about $125 + shipping for a replacement base, and when I add the cost of the wheels and my time to replace those parts, I might just as well buy a new grill. Any ideas \ suggestions to fix the problem (new wheels) without buying a new base ??
 
JoeSchweighofer said:
I've been finding hard rubber pieces and parts on the patio around my Weber Spirit 200 and it's from the casters wearing out \ coming apart. I can replace the wheels easily enough, but the real problem is with the supports under the base where the wheels attach - one or more of those attachment points (they're made from just thin sheet metal) have gotten bent over time and the grill is now wobbly. Looking under the base, straightening the supports would likely be just a temporary fix. Weber wants about $125 + shipping for a replacement base, and when I add the cost of the wheels and my time to replace those parts, I might just as well buy a new grill. Any ideas \ suggestions to fix the problem (new wheels) without buying a new base ??
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I would get some casters with a flat top for mounting and bolt them to the Spirit base. They should be tall enough to protrude from the concave base.

You can get casters from Amazon or harbor freight
 
Yah, some photos of the current design would help with suggestions. But, yah, if it comes down to buying a new base, it might be better to move on from it.
 
Just ran across these and got me thinking.....
go.harborfreight.com

HAUL-MASTER 1-5/8 in. Solid Rubber Swivel Caster for $1

Buy the HAUL-MASTER 1-5/8 in. Solid Rubber Swivel Caster (Item 41519) for $1 with coupon code 16687801, valid through October 30, 2024. See the coupon for details.Compare our price of $1.00 to IRON…
go.harborfreight.com go.harborfreight.com

You could try and attatch them directly to the the grill or just make a 'dolly' that it would sit on --- maybe with some minimal fastening --- to keep it running and mobile.
 
Rumor has it that Weber will be announcing a new Spirit line. Prop yours up and see what they offer or if they discount the current line. If you go new, I strongly recommend you consider a model with the sear station. It adds a new dimension to your grilling.
 
"You could try and attatch them directly to the the grill or just make a 'dolly' that it would sit on " - this is what I will probably do as soon as the current propane tank needs to be changed - that's when I usually give the grill a thorough cleaning.
 
My propane tank is near empty so I removed the tank to give it a thorough cleaning, look more closely at the underside of the grill, and examine the wheels. I've attached a few pictures. The wheels were coming apart - I wasn't interested in replacing the original wheels with replacement Weber wheels for the grill because of the poor quality of the original wheels - for a grill at that price point, they could have used better quality wheels - and an alternate set of better-quality wheels (casters) would have had problems with the mounting screws not matching up correctly with the original wheel mounts on the grill. Also, the 4 places where the wheels mount onto the underside of the grill were just thin sheet metal and they were all bent, and thus the wheels were lopsided - new wheels of any quality wouldn't have made a difference. So, I decided to remove the wheels and the mounting section and try and put the grill on a cart (on order from Amazon). VERY disappointed with the quality of this grill, given the price point - a grill that lasts a year or three before being thrown away would have been a better decision.IMG_8637.JPGIMG_8636.JPGIMG_8632.JPG
 
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