Trailblazer wheel mod

flh69

Active member
Messages
36
Needed Material
2-- tires from HF
2-- pieces of 5/8 round bar a little longer than the hub you are going to use. Drill a 5/16 hole thru.
2-- M6-1.0 x 2 inch long bolts
Washers
2-- 5/16 bolts 3 inches long
2-- 1/4-28 threaded bolts
Several 5/16 inch flat washers
2--- 5/16 lock nuts
2-- pieces of square tubing about 4” long with a 1-¼ inch inside dia. (1/8 wall)
Drilled & tapped a ¼-28 hole thru one side
Drilled a 5/16 hole thru

Used the removed wheels & installed them on the other end of grill
253
254
256
 
Needed Material
2-- tires from HF
2-- pieces of 5/8 round bar a little longer than the hub you are going to use. Drill a 5/16 hole thru.
2-- M6-1.0 x 2 inch long bolts
Washers
2-- 5/16 bolts 3 inches long
2-- 1/4-28 threaded bolts
Several 5/16 inch flat washers
2--- 5/16 lock nuts
2-- pieces of square tubing about 4” long with a 1-¼ inch inside dia. (1/8 wall)
Drilled & tapped a ¼-28 hole thru one side
Drilled a 5/16 hole thru

Used the removed wheels & installed them on the other end of grillView attachment 253View attachment 254View attachment 256
Wow, this is amazing. You should market the parts as a kit. I would be your first customer!
 
Wow, this is amazing. You should market the parts as a kit. I would be your first customer!
Thanks for the compliment. That grill is amazing except for the wheels. I did this mod & it made a ton of difference. I can actually move the grill without worrying about it upsetting. As far as a kit, nice idea but not for me.
 
I know this thread is a couple years old, but I just completed a similar wheel mod with some different wheels. And, I’m already into modifying the original modification to replace the original Recteq wheels (repurposed on the opposite end ot the grill) with casters.

IMG_1790.JPG


IMG_1792.JPG


IMG_1802.JPG


I haven’t yet prettied up the small wheel mounting hardware since it is still a bit chilly here for spray painting. And, I’m already at work designing mounts for stainless steel locking casters on the small-wheel end. They will be a similar slip-on mount to the one used for the repurposed OEM wheels. Here’s a preliminary look.

IMG_1811.JPG


IMG_1814.JPG


This is what the slip-on mounts look like on the current set of wheels.

IMG_1794.JPG


IMG_1806.JPG


Pretty much identical to the ones made by the OP, @flh69 except my square tube is aluminum because that’s what I had on hand. I used the parts list posted by the OP. Here’s a link to the wheels I used.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XK8QQ68/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And, one for the casters I have purchased for the new version.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078L9X2KW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are a bit pricey, but are all stainless steel and lock both the wheel rotation and the caster rotation.

The caster mounts will be steel because they will need some welding and I don’t do aluminum welding.

I was really pleased at how the Trailblazer now wheels across the 40’ of lawn between the garage door and the patio; much easier than with the original wheel setup.

Special thanks to @flh69 for the inspiration and parts list.
 
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WOW! That looks GREAT! I'll have to plan on doing this.

Thanks
 
I know this thread is a couple years old, but I just completed a similar wheel mod with some different wheels. And, I’m already into modifying the original modification to replace the original Recteq wheels (repurposed on the opposite end ot the grill) with casters.

View attachment 14668

View attachment 14669

View attachment 14670

I haven’t yet prettied up the small wheel mounting hardware since it is still a bit chilly here for spray painting. And, I’m already at work designing mounts for stainless steel locking casters on the small-wheel end. They will be a similar slip-on mount to the one used for the repurposed OEM wheels. Here’s a preliminary look.

View attachment 14672

View attachment 14671

This is what the slip-on mounts look like on the current set of wheels.

View attachment 14674

View attachment 14675

Pretty much identical to the ones made by the OP, @flh69 except my square tube is aluminum because that’s what I had on hand. I used the parts list posted by the OP. Here’s a link to the wheels I used.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XK8QQ68/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And, one for the casters I have purchased for the new version.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078L9X2KW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are a bit pricey, but are all stainless steel and lock both the wheel rotation and the caster rotation.

The caster mounts will be steel because they will need some welding and I don’t do aluminum welding.

I was really please at how the Trailblazer now wheeled across the 40’ of lawn between the garage door and the patio; much easier than with the original wheel setup.

Special thanks to @flh69 for the inspiration and parts list.
does it still fold down ok?
 
does it still fold down ok?
Yes, it does still fold. The re-used original wheels on the other end are now on a slip-on/slip-off mount and I just take them off before folding. The only difference is that with the larger 10” wheels, the grill does not sit level when folded; the wheeled end is now 2-1/2” higher.
 
I know this thread is a couple years old, but I just completed a similar wheel mod with some different wheels. And, I’m already into modifying the original modification to replace the original Recteq wheels (repurposed on the opposite end ot the grill) with casters.

View attachment 14668

View attachment 14669

View attachment 14670

I haven’t yet prettied up the small wheel mounting hardware since it is still a bit chilly here for spray painting. And, I’m already at work designing mounts for stainless steel locking casters on the small-wheel end. They will be a similar slip-on mount to the one used for the repurposed OEM wheels. Here’s a preliminary look.

View attachment 14672

View attachment 14671

This is what the slip-on mounts look like on the current set of wheels.

View attachment 14674

View attachment 14675

Pretty much identical to the ones made by the OP, @flh69 except my square tube is aluminum because that’s what I had on hand. I used the parts list posted by the OP. Here’s a link to the wheels I used.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XK8QQ68/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And, one for the casters I have purchased for the new version.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078L9X2KW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are a bit pricey, but are all stainless steel and lock both the wheel rotation and the caster rotation.

The caster mounts will be steel because they will need some welding and I don’t do aluminum welding.

I was really pleased at how the Trailblazer now wheels across the 40’ of lawn between the garage door and the patio; much easier than with the original wheel setup.

Special thanks to @flh69 for the inspiration and parts list.
Looks good! Those new casters will be nice for steering.
 
Finally got around to finishing the wheel mod with the casters (buying a new home and getting the old one ready to sell sidetracked me).

IMG_2293.jpeg


IMG_2298.jpeg


They just slip onto the legs like the previous version and the set screws keep them from sliding off. The ease of movement of the grill has been vastly improved with the casters; no more picking up the end of the grill to change direction like with the previous fixed wheels.

if I were to do it again, I think I would just cut off about 1-1/4” from the existing legs and insert receivers for stem-type casters. Using stem-type casters without cutting the legs would have resulted in raising the grease drain end above level; not a good thing.

I didn’t want to irreversibly modify the legs if I didn’t have to, but fabricating the offset brackets was a bit more complicated than I would have liked. The end result, however, was very good. YMMV
 

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