Hello all.

Just wanted to post a bit of info after finally giving what I think was a very decent test of the Richmond wheels I was sent earlier in the year. The story goes, for those who don't remember, a representative from Richmond Wheels and Castors posted on the forum saying the company sold wheels appropriate for landyacht use. These wheels look very similar to the cheap wheelbarrow wheels that we know don't work so everyone was a little unsure of them. To prove they were good for landyachts, he sent a set of wheels to a member of the Seabreeze group (Me!) to test.

So...

I installed these Richmond wheels on my miniyacht (the red one) and have been trying to get sailing ever since (my local saleyards have been closed to the public due to hoon activity so it hasn't been so easy). Finally, I was up in NSW at my clay pan again a couple of weeks ago and gave them another really good run.

Results; I can't break, damage or flex these wheels no matter what I do. They appear and felt just like I was running the Fallshaw wheels. I bent an axle trying and my ply/glass seat is now in three pieces, these damages due to me trying to transfer maximum pressure possible to the wheels (by doing some stupid stunts involving a dam bank and the odd saltbush clump). Wheel balance was comparable to the Fallshaw wheels.

I have come to the conclusion that these wheels will hold up to normal miniyacht use and will even take a bit more.

This said, Im 95% sure these wheels aren't as strong as the Fallshaw brand, though I have no actual evidence to support this conclusion, and wouldn't fit them to a class 5.




Pics are from a testing session earlier in the year, I was too busy sailing to get some of my recent trip.

Thanks for that lachlan.

I believe the Richmonds are a quality item at a competitive price and there seems to be not much between them and the Fallshaws.

I don't think any of the plastic wheels are good for more than 35 psi tyre pressure.

The Fallshaws have more spoke web between the hub and rim edge as is quite noticeable in your second photo but the rim edge of them is thinner.

Balance is more affected by tyres than rims.

Hard to pick which is the better unless you did a chemical analysis of the plastic compound in each but that would cost $$$$$$$$$$.


Edit:- One thing the Fallshaws are really good for is getting your fingers in the webs to pick up the front wheel and pull your yacht along behind you.

great to see that they have stood up to all the tests. the important ones would have been side loads on the tarmac,balancing,and tyre wear. the bearing setup looks great.
fantastic result

LINK to the original Richmond Wheel thread with availability, specs and pricing:

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Yacht-Sailing/Construction/wheels-tires/?SearchTerms=Richmond

Bugger! So NZ outlets don't import any of these wheels or just your local dealer? Surely they could get some in in the next shipment...though might have to wait...

This is straight from a email from sheppards who are the main importer of fallshaws.
"we can supply a 400 x 8 plastic centred wheel
fitted with a 480/400 x 8 ribbed tyres (straight groove), 4 ply, bearing
will be 1' ball bearing bushed down to 20 mm with a plastic reducing bush.
The bearing is a deep groove, metal shielded, with a pressed housing.

Price per wheel is $65.09 plus GST"

gst is 15%

Hey Wok- last time I bought a couple of sets of ribbed tyres, they came from Mullins Wheels in Belmont,
IIRC they were $16.00 each tyre and tube.
Just make sure all the tubes are the right size- a couple of tubes in mine were 3" instead of 4".

stephen

has anyone tried the richmond bearing adaptor (metal adaptor) in a falshaw wheel instead of the plastic adaptor?

just curious to see if the fit/ work.

kiwiboy said...
This is straight from a email from sheppards who are the main importer of fallshaws.
"we can supply a 400 x 8 plastic centred wheel
fitted with a 480/400 x 8 ribbed tyres (straight groove), 4 ply, bearing
will be 1' ball bearing bushed down to 20 mm with a plastic reducing bush.
The bearing is a deep groove, metal shielded, with a pressed housing.

Price per wheel is $65.09 plus GST"

gst is 15%

rubbish bearings!!!!
what you need is a 6004 2RS or 6004 2RS with the relavent adaptor
6004INSERT or 6204INSERT

They are just about the most common size bearing you can find,
6004-2rs or 6204-2rs?
They are a standard sealed bearing of 20mm inside diameter,
O.D. of the bearing will depend on the adaptor size (falshaw have 2 different adaptors)

Last time I bought bearings, they were only a couple of dollars each
(IIRC, around AUS $24 for 6 bearings inc. tax)

a fair while back, one of our KIWI 'breezers was bragging about how cheap Fallshaw wheels were in New Zealand, compared to over here,
what happened?