Thanks Ari. I thought the wheels must be poor as Pelican has some nonsense about a short distance test that seemed insufficient.
They should use skate wheels that are available anywhere new or used.
Originally Posted by Ari
Thanks Ari. I thought the wheels must be poor as Pelican has some nonsense about a short distance test that seemed insufficient.
They should use skate wheels that are available anywhere new or used.
Tin Can
Randy, I bought replacement luggage/rollerblade wheels for the 1510, 63mm in diameter, which is the largest correct size that will fit.
Only problem was they were too wide for the Pelican's wheel well, moreso once I added the bearings, so I'll have to look elsewhere.
The idea was thanks to this guy: http://www.davidfearn.com/blog/2013/...1510-wheel-mod
If you find wheels that fit, please let us know. I'll be looking at Wal-Mart next.
That looks good Ari, but since I don't own a wheeled Pelican, I'm not buying one now!
Unbelievable Pelican uses crappy wheels and bearings. The bearings should be sealed and standard. Most bearings throughout the world are standard, except China makes one offs which are so non-standard you cannot fit new bearings. I think they mix and match bearing parts when one supply runs out. Saw that last year with Greg Hindy's pull trailer wheels. A bearing type that was unique unobtainium.
Maybe Pelican bearings are standard but you cannot beat skate wheels and bearings, why try....
I watch those 4 wheeling suitcases glide silently through airports...
Tin Can
For those interested in doing the wheel mod, here are two sources.
In the US: https://www.amazon.com/Luggage-Suitc.../dp/B01BOGP9AO
In Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Eastar-Luggage...t+Wheels+60x18
You want to get 18mm-wide wheels, anything wider won't fit.
Randy, I have a larger Pelican, unsure which number it is, but the wheels are much better on it than those on the 1510.
Not sure why they chose those wheels for the 1510, it turned out to be a very popular case.
What's wrong with the 1510 wheels? I wheeled mine all over Arizona and it seemed fine. It's not the smoothest casters ever but it got the job done.
Do they fall apart or something? I noticed they were kinda plasticky. Good to know a simple replacement if so - those should just drop in?
Bryan, the stock wheels do hold up to regular use; the problem is that they're made of (cheap) hard plastic, so rolling your case on a hard surface sends an awful lot of vibration back to the case and its contents.
The replacement wheels I linked to are rubber, much like rollerblade wheels, and absorb a lot more vibration.
I don't know yet if they are easy to swap, but I'll update this thread as soon as I get the wheels I ordered.
Ah, I remember now that they did seem to be a rough ride on asphalt. I read that article more fully that you linked and he mentions he had some unexpected repair. If this is indeed a possible thing perhaps I should preemptively replace the wheels, especially considering it's only $13. I'll wait to hear if they fit well though, thanks Ari!
I have some other Pelicans but none of them have wheels sadly, despite being bigger. The medium-sized one is just 1 inch over the line for maximum carry-on size, hence the 1510, but the 1510 was so small I couldn't fit anything but my DSLR/lenses and video rig so I couldn't bring any film gear to AZ. But I would not have wanted to lug my big case sans wheels anyway!
What about Underwater Kinetics? I have an old one and a large Pelicase, both are excellent. However, I don't know what it costs today, because they are no longer available in Europe.
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