Silver Surfer wheel broken

[fanofdmb84]

Has anyone else ever had this happen? This is what I woke up to today. Needless to say I'm pretty disappointed, this wheel is not old by any standards, and I'm not sure that it can be repaired. I emailed chinchillas.com about it, hopefully they will help me out.

 

[ticklechin]

I would be p.oed-chin could have been hurt or trapped under it!

 

[fanofdmb84]

I would be p.oed-chin could have been hurt or trapped under it!

Yeah for sure! Luckily she seems just fine and obviously wasn't stuck under it, but it probably scared the poo out of her!

 

[mistywaterwoman]

YIKES!! I have one of those!! I am going to take it out tonight and inspect it, just in case...

 

[fanofdmb84]

This is what they told me:

Thank you for sending the pictures. It looks like the bearing has failed. The wheel will need a new bearing. Are there any farm repair shops around your location? They will have to remove the four screws that attach the wheel running surface to the hub. Then they will have to press the old bearing out of the hub and press a new one back into the hub. The bearing is a R8ZZ, it is a common bearing. If you can't find one I can send one to you. If you take both parts of the wheel to the repair shop they will know how to fix it. Some hardware stores if they sell lawn mowers may be able to repair it for you.

Great. Because I totally know a million places that can just pop that sucker out for me </sarcasm>.

You would think these things would hold up to ONE 600g chinnie for more than a year. So much for that.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

yikes I thought they were good cheap wheels - glad I never got one

 

[fanofdmb84]

They are sending me a new bearing (no charge). I guess that's something. Of course now I'm paranoid. I did notice it making a HUGE racket the night before last, but I thought it was hitting on a cage bar. Now I think maybe it was the bearing going to heck.

So for anyone with a silver surfer, if you notice it get super noisy all of a sudden, take it out and inspect it!

As far as I can tell the bearing itself malfunctioned, not the wheel, so theoretically it could happen to any weal with this type of bearing.

 

[ticklechin]

Alot of auto repair shops have bearing presses, your shop may be able to do it.

 

[Pikaia]

Geez, that makes me wonder now. I have two of the silver surfers, but like you said it could happen to any wheel. I will have to keep an eye out for them. Glad your chins were not hurt though!

 

[chinnmyheart]

I am curious as to where you just end up getting it done.. Post updates I am curious how it all went??

 

[menagerie]

I think this was a freak occurrence. I have 5 Silver Surfer wheels that have been in use constantly for 5 1/2 years and I've never had a problem with any of them. One of them is in a cage of 4 chins, so it is going a lot of the time.