Buggy: Kite Trike

Problem: When I attach the front wheel I have to tighten the nuts enough to make it not fall off but then it restricts wheel movement. The axle is one piece with threaded ends for the nuts. There are spacers on each side of the tire.

I put locknuts on to try to gain more control of the issue but I still can't spin the wheel without force.

Any ideas?

There needs to be a spacer on the inside of the rim to keep the proper distance on the bearings. Check and make sure there is a spacer inside.

Susan

The spacers are there and they seem to be the problem. The force of the nuts being tightened are causing the spacers to press on the bearing on each side of the wheel.

Would a larger or smaller spacer help?

Then if you have all the spacers that would be 3 of them 2 outside the rim and 1 inside the hub then the spacer inside the hub is to short and when you tighten the axle nut it puts too much pressure on the bearings to cause the wheel not to roll freely.

Make sure that the spacers are the right diameter. The need to be touching the metal part of the bearing and not any part of the dust cover.


Susan

I had a similar problem with my homebuilt buggy, easy solution, get a normal rim that uses a removable bolt and proper bearings, the spacer should only contact the centre part of the bearing, not the outer race. Put a bolt through the front tire with a lock nut on one end of it. Make sure the nut is on the right side sitting in the buggy, the spinning of the wheel will tighten it down if anything. Put it on the other side and it'll self loosen.

or add a small shim ...that being a washer the same size of bearing outside of the rim or inside of the 2 member{spacer} inside of the rim.

you should not try to wrench to hard tightening a wheel... finger tight and 1 & a 1/2 turn of the wrench{unless you have girly man hands}... if you wrenched on it way to hard could seat the bearing a little further back than normal into the plastic rim{which sound like it if axle is fitted with nuts on both ends}