Why did my roller luggage's wheels stop turning smoothly?

[12john]

Two weeks ago, my carry on worked perfectly. But last week the detachable wheels stopped rotating smoothly, when I tried to glide my carry on. The wheels budge JUST A TAD when you push them hard, but it should be EFFORT LESS! Please see two pictures below.

I see nothing jammed in the wheels. I ventilated wheels with my hairdryer. I hosed water into wheels. But nothing fell out. Wheels are still stiff! Why?

I bought this carry on for $350 USD. It is out of warranty. I can't afford buy new one.

 

[Baluncore]

I had one like that too, but the wheels fell off.
All plastics swell a bit when they get wet or are in contact with an oil.
The lubricant used might need to be something special.
The axle may have rusted.
Someone may have swapped their faulty wheels for your good ones.

You may have to disassemble the unit to identify why the wheel is not free on the axle.

Address an email to quality control at the manufacturer, asking how to fix them. They should reply, or maybe offer you an exchange so they can examine the fault and improve their product.

 

[Rive]

Wheels are still stiff!

By the picture, it's likely some cheap sleeve bearing, without dirt protection. If you can disassemble, clean and grease it it'll likely function for some more time, but don't expect miracles.

 

[anorlunda]

If you used it with some dirt in the sleeve bearing, it might have overheated to the point of partial melting. If that really happened, there is no recovery.

 

[Tom.G]

If you don't get a response from the manufacturer/distributor as @Baluncore suggested, you could try removing a wheel.

Shade-tree mechanic approach:
You will use two flat-blade screwdrivers to force a wheel off.

Referencing your first photo:

• pick one wheel to work with
• insert two screwdrivers between the wheel and the housing, one on each side of the axle
• aim them so they will not hit the axle as you drive them in
• using a hammer, alternately tap the screwdrivers into the space betweeen the wheel and housing, the wedging action should force the wheel off the axle. Don't get in a hurry, a tiny amount of movement at a time avoids breaking things!
• once off, clean, file, lube* the axle and the hole in the housing as needed
• reassemble. if you have small socket wrench slightly larger than the shaft diameter you can use it to evenly push (tap? pound?) the wheel back onto the axle. in general, you need to EVENLY apply force on the wheel to keep it straight on the axle. apply the force as close to the axle hole as you can, applying force to the outer edge of the wheel risks wheel breakage.

* Depending on the material, lube may cause more problems that it solves. Being that low to the ground and without seals, there will always be dirt getting into the bearing area. Lube will hold the dirt and become a grinding compound. Often these bearing types are run completely without lube, hoping any dirt will eventually fall out-- it usually does. If you Really want to use a lube, try a light coating of a Silicone based spray.

Professional approach #1:
Buy or make a gear puller to pull a wheel off the axle.

Professional approach #2:
Replace the assemblies.

Professional approach #3:
Take it to a shop that does luggage repair and let them sweat the details!

Cheers,
Tom

p.s. Please let us know what works.

 

[Baluncore]

I would like to know if the wheels on both sides stopped working on the same day.
Has someone played a practical joke on you with superglue?

Does the axle shaft rotate in the body, and/or do the wheels rotate independently on the axle shaft?
What was free to rotate, and is now not free to rotate?