Hey guys - I have a 62" pioneer but last time I moved I broke one of the wheels. How would I go about fixing this. I thought about laying on its front but I dont know if that would hurt it. Any suggestions?

Thanks
Merlin

Aw heck! Just throw two creepers under it and live with it!

Merlin, what about laying it up on one side? I'm sure the packing materials said "This Side Up", but I don't imagine that (gingerly) turning it up on one side would break anything you haven't already been able to break with the amount of impact it must have taken to break the wheel.

If turning it on it's side bugs you, you might summon up the manpower to lift it up onto a piece of plywood (cut to size) with 6 or eight upside-down plastic milkcrates underneath it. (Make sure the crates are new, and not brittled from exposure to the elements.) Leave the corner with the wheel hanging off a little and work on your back.

If that's too much work just tilt it up against a wall, and work from there while someone "spots you". If you DO this, I would go to the trouble of fabricating a STURDY wooden wedge-shaped prop to keep it from slamming your head. (Although you could probably get away with doing a quick damage-assessment with only a couple of milk crates or something to save you.)

NO! Wait! You're Merlin! Just summon the Dragon! He'll fix it.

How about go to your local hardware store and pick up some heavy dutycasters , if need be screw a peice of plywood under it if you need something to screw them to .

Hi Kabster, I thought new caster/s were a foregone conclusion. I really didn't mean he should watch the set up on blocks. I just thought he was having trepidation about how to have a look-see, and then repair the set.

You could.....move it over to the steps, and let it hang sorta half-off, but make sure you use a piece of fishing line as a safety rope. Then get underneath it and see what your options for installing a new plastic "Big Wheel" wheel on it are. Hehehe, or just do what Sheik said....if you're REALLY daring.

I must admit, there is an inherent risk factor associated with summoning the Dragon.

OK Merlin, I was thinking you needed to elevate the set somehow, and inspect/repair the wheel. Bad Idea. Here's the most prudent thing you can do:

Go to the basement with a Milwaukee Sawzall and saw a circular hole up through the floor. (Use safety goggles.) Position the corner of the set with the broken wheel over the hole. It will be tight space to work in, so get a 7 year old to do the handwork.

No basement? Dig a tunnel from the edge of the slab to under the set and use a concrete coring tool to cut a hole under the target corner on the set. (Use safety goggles and a respirator.)

Use shoring in the tunnel, Safety First!

This message was edited by Sheik_Yerbouhti on 07/16/02 05:31.50.

I summoned the dragon to help me move it, he's the one who broke it in the first place. He has become very undependable. Thanks for the suggestions guys, I think I'll give the milk crate idea a try.

Use brittle crates, and then make the Dragon crawl underneath.

(If you know anyone with a restaurant, liquor store, or small market, you should be able to borrow enough "structurally sound" crates to do the job. I'd suggest you "temporarily requisition" them from the nearest loading dock, but then you might get caught and the Dragon would be watching your TV and throwing snacks to your kids while you awaited arraignment.)

In my highschool days I used one crate to hold up full size dirt bikes while I worked on them. I'll admit that when you threw a 4-stroke up there on a hot day, you'd better work quick or the crate was going to start sagging, but with plywood and enough crates to populate the entire area under your set, you should be more than fine strength wise.)

Dragon is lazy, I always have to redo his jobs. Then I punish him by making him watch reruns of the Golden Girls.

LOL Sheik

B-4 I bought a stand for my MX'r .
It was a HOT summer day and I needed to rebuild my front forks , so I pulled out the old handy Ador Farms plastic milk crate and threw that sucker up there.(on end)
I took off the forks and took them to a buddies shop.
It took me about an hour to put in new seals and oil, and another hour to b.s.(drink beer) and go back to my house . I drive up my driveway a happy camper. Peeked into the garage to see my new MX'r laying on the floor race gas trickling out of it and the milkcrate was all bowed , I bought a stand the next day.

Don't set the crate on end .

kabster, you are correct; on end is a recipe for disaster. In those younger days it was tough to get subsidized for much more than repair parts and fuel, so we made do. I finally bought a stand, but not before beefing up ye olde milkcrate with plywood and a few various wooden cradle contraptions to accommodate different bikes. Even had a wedge shaped jig for fork work, which was still used after the stand came on the scene.

OK, enough with "Ode to milkcrate". I think most of us have used it for other than it's intended purpose, and though maybe not ideal (small parts sifting through), the milkcrate is a stalwart companion. I got an honest streak and cleansed myself of all milkcrates about 10 years ago, because they weren't mine to hoard.

Footnote: It's fortunate for you kabster that Ador is not known nationwide - the spelling police are cracking down.