Dome ring rollers

[el_draco]

Looking for solutions to this problem. Best I've found so far is a 90mmx 80mm poly pallet jack roller... Somewhat high in the $$ dept at $25 each. Any other suggestions out there? :shrug:

[JJDOBBER79]

Hi Rom,
Just saw your post and I had an idea. I just went to the boat shop to get a few new rollers for my boat trailer. This might work. They are very similar to pallet jack rollers (I also have one of these), and cheap. The soft rubber ones are no good but the rigid plastic ones (usually blue) that are for tinnies. They are only a roller and usually attach with a rod through the middle and split pins. Maybe this helps:shrug:

[el_draco]

Yep, I tracked these down:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/POLYURETHANE-BOAT-TRAILER-STRAIGHT-BILGE-ROLLERS-8-x-3-/121048244804?pt=AU_Boat_Parts_Acces sories&hash=item1c2f09a244

Somewhat cheaper but I suspect friction will be an issue unless I have some kind of ball-bearing set-up. With 8 rollers, around 500kg worth of weight in the dome, maybe 60+ kg per roller minimum. They'll never all be in contact with the ring at the same time, so it could be as much as 150+ kg on any particular roller, worst case scenario. :confused2:

[JJDOBBER79]

Weight shouldn't be an issue. They are used predominately for steel boats. These can be huge. The rolling on and off the trailer obviously happens in water so significantly less weight. Just a thought. This is more like what I'm talking about

[rogerco]

Just a thought, could you adapt roller skate or skateboard rollers?

[el_draco]

Nah, not really. The bearings in roller skate trucks are miniscule. The ring I have designed is an "I" beam 3m across and 150mm high; 200kg plus without the rest of the dome. Heavy sucker.

[julianh72]

What about heavy duty swivelling castors? You can pick these up at any hardware store, and they have ball-bearing hubs, and rubber tyres for smooth running. You could remove the mounting bracket from the pivot if you want, and just fix it straight onto your base.

E. G. http://www.bunnings.com.au/ambassador-75mm-heavy-duty-grey-rubber-swivel-castor-_p3941499 (The load rating is governed more by the swivel and bracket - the wheel and hub can take a lot more load than the bracket.)

[Pinwheel]

How about adapting the hard rubber mounts from car shock absorbers. Round, Plentiful, Cheap and if you went to a car suspension workshop they would probably give you the old ones.

[el_draco]

This may be an option. I'll have to play around with one. Thanks for the suggestion.

Rom

[el_draco]

I've played with a couple of these but they don't stand up. By the time I modify them it costs as much as a pallet roller and with those, I can run a 20mm shaft through with wide contact on the ring. Would have been a lot cheaper but I suspect constant work.