Rebuilding a caster

[signcrafter]

Can it be done? I have an older blackhawk floor jack that one of the casters is shot. The ball bearings are all missing and one of the plates is cracked. I have searched for a new one and they just don't exist, found one source for a new one but it was something like 80 bucks a caster because they were new custom machined. The caster is a post style that has a 1/2" or so post that goes into the bottom of the jack.

All the parts of the caster are slide onto this post and then the end is pressed or staked to hold it all together. Can I just grind this staked end off and rebuild the caster with new bearings and then drill and tap the post and use a bolt to hold everything together? Or is there a way to weld something to hold it all together? There has to be a way to do this but I just don't know what will work or what won't.

 

[Hiball]

It's a floor jack, not a Ferrari.. Grind that staked portion off, straighten the top and bottom race to prevent the new balls from exiting, add some bearing grease, reinstall and either re-stake the stud or hit it with a couple spot welds, Keep it under 65mph and call it good..

 

[Packard V8]

Yes, no problem. Done it many times, including on the floor jack I'm now using. Hardest part is finding new balls of the correct size.

jack vines

 

[SLOCOBRAR]

or you could junk the jack and sell me some parts

 

[Hiball]

Yes, no problem. Done it many times, including on the floor jack I'm now using. Hardest part is finding new balls of the correct size.

jack vines

Mcmaster carr has every size under the rainbow...

 

[SLOCOBRAR]

i just picked up a mcmaster carr catalog, hav'nt looked at it yet. the wheels on my plomb toolmobile are shot too.

 

[signcrafter]

Thanks guys. Will dig into it this week. Just didn't want to do something that would end up trashing the caster.

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

if they are loseball. depending how big they are you might try going to a bike shop. I "rebuilt" a hub one time on a mountain bike and lost most of the ball bearings. took it to the bike shop. and they set me up and even rebuilt it for me for the cost of parts. but bicycle bearings are generally pretty large at almsot 1/4" or so.

 

[reptilezs]

if they are loseball. depending how big they are you might try going to a bike shop. I "rebuilt" a hub one time on a mountain bike and lost most of the ball bearings. took it to the bike shop. and they set me up and even rebuilt it for me for the cost of parts. but bicycle bearings are generally pretty large at almsot 1/4" or so.

most bike shops carry 1/4 3/16 5/32 1/8 7/32

 

[E.T.Privott]

tractor supply should carry what you need to fix your jack at a good price !!

 

[Rory Bellows]

i just picked up a mcmaster carr catalog, hav'nt looked at it yet. the wheels on my plomb toolmobile are shot too.

Where did you pick up the catalog? They seem to be a rare item. I've only seen one at a Will Call area of Mcmaster Carr. My last employer ordered extensively from them and they still had an outdated catalog.