DIY wheel repair on a suitcase

In detail: do-it-yourself wheel repair on a suitcase from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

The indisputable advantage of suitcases is their capacity and mobility. Violation of the integrity of the wheels or legs significantly affects the usability of the product, in particular its movement. If you need urgent repair of suitcases in Minsk, and there is no way to go to the workshop, you can try to change the wheels of the suitcase yourself.

If the purchase of a new product is not planned in the near future, and there are no repair shops nearby or there is no budget for this, you should perform several, at first glance, simple steps:

remove a broken part or a wheel with a mount;
buy an identical product;
attach it in place of the old one.

By the type of fastening of the wheel itself, they are distinguished as solid (the wheel is soldered into the general structure) and prefabricated (the parts are untwisted, assembled separately without special tools).

Models of suitcases are available where the wheels are held by bolts or screws. This allows you to unscrew the damaged part with a screwdriver, and replace it quite quickly.

Wheels with rivets placed under the lining of the suitcase will require more complex manipulation. On the inside, an incision is made along two perpendicular sides. It is desirable that this be at the edges, since later non-factory seams will be less noticeable. Use pliers or wire cutters to loosen the rivets. The wheel is replaced with an old design or new holders are mounted. The lining is then sewn neatly.

In the absence of visible outer parts of the rivets or their breakage, the structure should be completely replaced and it is better to use the bolted method. Although it involves the same intervention under the lining layer, it will facilitate future repairs.

Often they use radical measures - they install new wheels with fasteners in a completely different place, and the old ones are knocked down.

Presentable appearance is just as important as the functionality of the suitcase; when buying new wheels, you should be guided by the principle of pairing (even if you need to replace only one) and identity (in terms of the location of the fastening, the sizes of fasteners and wheels).

Before changing the wheels of a suitcase, an old broken wheel is taken to the store. This will help determine both the dimensions and the style of the product, its color. Sellers will provide their recommendations, but do not forget that their goal is to sell at a higher price, and for the buyer the purchase principles are a symbiosis of strength, beauty, and affordability.

Video (click to play).

It happens that it is not the wheels of the suitcase that needs to be replaced, but the broken legs. In this case, you need iron or wooden corners, or special plastic legs, which are sold at any hardware store. The variety of such products implies not only the color scheme, but also the size, height and width of the leg.

You can also replace the legs at home with the use of improvised means: in the presence of thick wire, a tool and, of course, manual dexterity. The basis for the repair in this case is to recreate the exact geometry of the broken leg.

A century ago, travelers used chests, knapsacks and bags to transport things. Today a suitcase is an indispensable attribute for a modern person, whose life is connected with moving and business trips. It is also important for those who just travel a couple of times a year on vacation. The criteria by which you should choose it are the spaciousness and convenience of the handles.

When choosing a travel companion, you need to pay special attention to some parameters:

Volume.At the moment, in the largest suitcase you can put no more than 22 kg of things, in the middle one - no more than 17 kg, in the small one - up to 12 kg. Some varieties can change their volume by 1/3. Space is added by the zip opening that hides the entire compartment for household items.
The device of wheels and handles is designed for the corresponding weight and no more. Each model has its own specific gravity. This should be written in the instructions.
The handle is one of the main conditions for the convenient transportation of the suitcase. It should fit well in the hand and be rounded. Attached to the base with rivets or screws. The fasteners inside can be felt by hand, there are nuts, the size of which is usually several times larger than the size of the screws. The product on casters has 3 handles. One with a pull-out mechanism on top, the others are stationary - on top and on the side. The retractable one should have a comfortable length and the ability to fix it both in the extended and recessed position.
A good product has a plastic zipper, rather large, with 2 sliders.
Suitcases are made from soft (polyester and nylon) or hard (plastic with metal shavings) materials. The advantage of plastic over soft - in the ability to carry fragile things in it, the disadvantage is weight and susceptibility to scratches.

Sometimes the toughest looking suitcases break. If the model is branded and of high quality, then breakdown may occur due to improper operation, overload. Moreover, the fault of the breakdown does not always lie with the owner. Airport loaders may be negligent with luggage.

Handles break most often. Do-it-yourself repair of a suitcase on wheels, if the rivet that secures the handle breaks, proceed as follows.

you need to find a place to install the mount from the inside;

prepare the necessary tools - a screw M 4 with a conical head (or another suitable one), 2 nuts;

insert a bolt into the hole of the broken fastener, tighten it from the inside with a nut.

For reliability, tighten one more nut on top.

Dismantle the old one. To do this, you need to get access to the mechanisms of its fastening. If there is no zipper on the lining, you will have to cut it.

Inside, at the bottom of the suitcase, there is a fastening of 2 pipes for self-tapping screws that need to be unscrewed.

Unscrew the same screws from the top of the product, in the inner part (there can be up to 5 of them).

Pull the handle out through the top. Sometimes its upper part is attached to the suitcase with latches, they need to be disconnected with a screwdriver.

Instead of a broken handle, a replaceable part is installed.Sometimes the mounting holes of the new handle are in a different place, and therefore you have to carefully tighten the screws or bolts in the new places.

Close the lining.

Do-it-yourself repair of the telescopic handle is completed.

The algorithm for repairing a retractable handle of a suitcase with your own hands is as follows:

Unscrew the self-tapping screws on the sides of the telescopic tubes to remove the handles.

Drill holes in the corners with a drill equal to the diameter of the self-tapping screw or bolt used.

Drill through holes in the handle itself, in the places where the factory screws were.

Flush with the surface of the handle, you need to melt, using a soldering iron, a screw with a screwed nut. Before that, widen the hole for the nut so that it can hardly enter there.

Remove the molten plastic from the handle with a knife or file.

Glue the broken off corner with Moment glue.

Attach the corners of the handle with screws and washers.

Insert the repaired handle into the telescopic tubes and secure with a pair of self-tapping screws.

This sequence will help when the handle has broken off from the telescopic tube at the place of its fixation.

To avoid breaking the suitcase handles, you need to follow some rules:

load the suitcase evenly with things;

put the heaviest items down;

avoid overload;

carry a suitcase only by the stationary handle;

transport the suitcase by the telescopic handle only on a level road.

These simple rules and tips will help you restore suitcase handles on your own and avoid such troubles with further use.

When the handle breaks on the way, the beauty and durability of the repair is out of the question. It is important to do everything quickly and relatively reliably: so much so that you do not have to drag the suitcase in your hands to the very destination. And a real professional of express repairs - scotch tape will help us to do this.

So, the most common problem is a fracture of one of the retractable handle tubes. In terms of doing it yourself, the situation is very similar to applying a splint in case of a fracture in a person.

Find a rigid frame that acts as a tire. It might be a small metal pipe, but in the field you usually have to rely on a pencil, ruler or comb - the stronger the better.
An improvised splint is applied to the fracture site along the pipe.
Now the fracture site is wrapped with tape or tape along the entire length of the tire, or at least 5-7 cm in each direction from the fracture.

Of course, folding the handle with the tire back will be unrealistic, so if you still have to check in your suitcase, limit yourself to simply wrapping the break with tape in several layers.

Not everyone takes scotch or duct tape with them on trips (but in vain!), So the short-sighted will have to try to replace this irreplaceable product with improvised means: a handkerchief, cling film from sandwiches, stationery clips, if they fit.

By the way, this method can be used even if the handle is broken in several places, practically crumbling. You just have to find a tire a little longer or increase their number, and you will need to wrap it up with tape more reliably.

So you brought a broken suitcase home, and now you have enough time to slowly deal with the problem and try to repair the telescopic system with your own hands. Let's say right away: without experience in welding and polishing metal, it will not work to make the handle look like new, so all aesthetes will have to go to the workshops. But if you only need functionality from a suitcase, you can improve the way to strengthen the rift by replacing the tire with a pin.

Loosen the telescopic bolts and remove the broken part.
Insert a reinforcement of the structure in the form of a metal rod of a slightly smaller width than the cavity itself.
Secure the break with the same tape or tape.
Fasten the reinforced structure with the bolts back.

If a break allows, you do not even need to twist the pipe out of the telescopic holders, but it is important that the length of the pin is equal to the length of the handle itself, otherwise your reinforcement will dangle inside.

Another possible problem that you can solve with your own hands is the unscrewing of the bolts that hold the structure and, as a result, the handle dangling from one or both sides. To repair it, it is enough to tighten these or put new bolts and nuts in place of the old ones, for which you need to get close to the frame from the inside through the upholstery.

If it was not the telescopic handle, but the stationary handle that was unscrewed, you can also secure it with a bolt and nut, if it was not mechanically damaged (not cracked, not broken into parts)

Choose suitcases with telescopic, stationary and side handles so that in the event of a breakdown of one or even two of them, you have a backup transport option.

The second most common problem with telescopic systems after they break is jamming inside the suitcase. This is especially unpleasant if the suitcase is heavy: you won't be able to carry it on wheels!

First, feel inside the frame through the upholstery for the frame of the handle. Your task is to find holes with springs that fix it.
Now these springs must be pressed simultaneously: the handle will be released and "shoot" out of the groove.

The reverse situation is also not uncommon: the handle refuses to assemble back into the groove, and the suitcase must be checked in.Unfortunately, without disassembling the structure, it is almost impossible to solve this problem. In order not to completely break the structure during transportation, you can try to dismantle it with your own hands, twisting the bolts under the upholstery from the inside, or ask someone more experienced to do it for you. Then pack the handle in the suitcase, and wrap the suitcase itself with packing film so that things do not fall out and get dirty through the hole.

The telescopic handle and its quality are almost the main criterion when choosing a suitcase. Give preference to wide handles made of strong and thick metal, and then the likelihood of their breakage will be lower.

In order not to have to repair the telescopic handle, just roll the suitcase for it, and do not carry, do not sit on the suitcase and do not hammer it with heavy things under the maximum permissible weight. Well, if a breakdown did occur, now you know how you can cope with it in emergency and at home without the need to resort to the help of a master.

Even with proper handling, suitcases can break. One of the most common breakdowns is wheel problems. Often this happens through the fault of the user himself, and the reason is the excess of the permissible maximum weight of baggage. What to do in this case?If a breakdown was discovered a few hours before the trip and you urgently need to fix the wheels of the suitcase, we proceed according to the following plan: We analyze the situation, see if all the wheels are in place or some are missing.Check if the rest of the wheels are securely held.If the suitcase is equipped with several pairs of wheels installed on different axles, it is worth rearranging the remaining wheels in such a way as to optimally distribute the load.When everything is really bad and the wheels are no longer left, or they are deformed, it is necessary to carry out a major overhaul. First of all, you should dismantle the broken wheels - for this you should arm yourself with a screwdriver, a set of keys and pliers, everything must be done very carefully so as not to damage the mounts. If you have time in stock, you should go to the store for 1000 little things and pick up wheels of the same size and parameters, their installation will also not cause problems. It is much more difficult to make repairs with improvised means, and even in a limited time.To replace wheels on a suitcase, wheels from roller skates or from furniture are suitable. In this case, a reasonable question arises as to how to install them. For reliable installation, we recommend using standard brackets - fasteners left over from old wheels. If the fasteners of the new wheels differ in size - they need to be finalized - drill out too narrow, fix the wide one. Fixation takes place by installing additional washers, locknuts, suitable for the size of metal plates.Even if you were able to repair the wheels of the suitcase yourself, you should use it only for an urgent trip, "to get there." As soon as possible, contact a professional workshop, which will properly repair your suitcase and give a guarantee for the work performed.Even with proper handling, suitcases can break. One of the most common breakdowns is wheel problems. Often this happens through the fault of the user himself, and the reason is the excess of the permissible maximum weight of baggage. What to do in this case?If a breakdown was discovered a few hours before the trip and you urgently need to fix the wheels of the suitcase, we proceed according to the following plan: We analyze the situation, see if all the wheels are in place or some are missing.Check if the rest of the wheels are securely held.If the suitcase is equipped with several pairs of wheels installed on different axles, it is worth rearranging the remaining wheels in such a way as to optimally distribute the load.When everything is really bad and the wheels are no longer left, or they are deformed, it is necessary to carry out a major overhaul.First of all, you should dismantle the broken wheels - for this you should arm yourself with a screwdriver, a set of keys and pliers, everything must be done very carefully so as not to damage the mounts. If you have time in stock, you should go to the store for 1000 little things and pick up wheels of the same size and parameters, their installation will also not cause problems. It is much more difficult to make repairs with improvised means, and even in a limited time.To replace wheels on a suitcase, wheels from roller skates or from furniture are suitable. In this case, a reasonable question arises as to how to install them. For reliable installation, we recommend using standard brackets - fasteners left over from old wheels. If the fasteners of the new wheels differ in size - they need to be finalized - drill out too narrow, fix the wide one. Fixation takes place by installing additional washers, locknuts, suitable for the size of metal plates.Even if you were able to repair the wheels of the suitcase yourself, you should use it only for an urgent trip, "to get there." As soon as possible, contact a professional workshop, which will properly repair your suitcase and give a guarantee for the work performed.How can they be replaced, where can I buy a replacement?If you need to replace the wheels on the suitcase, then I would advise you to take the old ones from the suitcase and only then go to the so-called flea market where you can look for such wheels, since all virbniks make suitcases without spare wheels and make it so that these wheels cannot be bought anywhere.

You can replace the wheel yourself; you can buy a replacement at any major building materials store. But take your time to change wheels. Sometimes the problem is not as global as it seems at first glance. Recently my wife took out her suitcase and looked at the wheels and said: "It's time to buy a new one." At first I also wanted to change the wheels, but it turned out that the axles were not collapsible, but riveted. So I decided to go the other way, took off the rubber pads, as it turned out, only they broke, and with the help of glue and a garden hose, I made new tires. All suitcase as new.

If the purchase of a new product is not planned in the near future, and there are no repair shops nearby or there is no budget for this, you should perform several, at first glance, simple steps:

remove a broken part or a wheel with a mount;
buy an identical product;
attach it in place of the old one.

Models of suitcases are available where the wheels are held by bolts or screws. This allows you to unscrew the damaged part with a screwdriver, and replace it quite quickly.

Often they use radical measures - they install new wheels with fasteners in a completely different place, and the old ones are knocked down.

Rolling suitcases often suffer from one defect (and, regardless of
manufacturer) - too hard and loud wheels. The suitcase rumbles like
a cart if not driven over a perfect surface.

The problem is in the wheels themselves from the suitcase - they are usually made of PVC, which is not
adds shock-absorbing properties to them. Further, under the cut, my solution
problems on the new POLAR suitcase - we strike a preemptive blow to
wrong wheels, change to new suitcase wheels!

So, we have either a worn out wheel

Either the wheel is new, but too hard - it rattles

We disassemble. The technique depends on the characteristics of the suitcase, in my case I had to drill out the riveted bushings

The most
the important part is the new casters. The most suitable in all respects are roller skate wheels... They are sold in different diameters and quality. So you can choose the right ones. The wheels in the photo are polyurethane, with bearings. The rest of the fasteners are from a regular store. It is important - try to keep the new wheels not much smaller than the old ones - otherwise the suitcase will fall or cling to the road.

We install a new wheel (a regular bolt and nuts), after having lubricated everything with Castrol CV joint grease

Photo from the reverse side - counter nut so as not to unscrew from vibration

We attach everything back to the suitcase

Inside view (by the way, POLAR suitcases are good because everything is zippered and lining too - you don't need to tinker with anything)

All the assembly work took about 10 minutes (along with a photo) and voila!

Test pilot Agrafena Afinogenovna

Suitcase
became much quieter on bumps, the wheels damp incomparably better, which means that the load on the chassis has decreased. There is no need to be afraid of wear - the wheels from the rollers run for a very long time in this mode.

... > Repair of suitcases on wheels in St. Petersburg> Suitcase repair - wheel replacement in St. Petersburg - Call: 344-44-44

The specialists of the Lenremont company can not only replace the wheels on the suitcase, but also make repairs. For this we have the knowledge, experience and tools!

Time to get ready for a trip, but it turned out that the wheel of the suitcase broke? Or was the problem identified immediately after a previous trip?

There are two solutions - buy a new suitcase or send a broken one for repair. Of course, a new purchase is good, but additional costs are not always relevant, so the best solution is to repair your suitcase.

The company "Lenremont" will present its services for the repair of suitcases on wheels in St. Petersburg. Our experts are aware of the features of all existing wheelbase designs for such bags and suitcases. Our extensive experience in repairs allows us to solve any problem.You can count on efficiency and high responsibility of execution, consultation.