Bigger Front Wheel for Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel Mower

thingiverse

This brand new front wheel is specifically designed for the Fiskars Stay Sharp Max 18" Reel Mower from scratch. Two sealed skateboard bearings (608 ZZ) are required to make it work properly. The original bolt and nut from the existing wheel are used, but new spacers are needed to prevent the wheel from binding up when the bolt is tightened. I decided to use ball bearings instead of a metal slip bearing in the original design to reduce heat buildup and prevent the plastic from melting for prints using lower temperature plastics typically used by 3D printers. The inner spacer goes between the bearings, while the two outside bearings are placed on either side of them. Both outside bearings are identical (top/bottom). I included both so you don't have to remember to duplicate it when printing. The original front wheels are very small and there's plenty of room for a bigger diameter wheel. In my yard, the mower would get stuck on small tree trunks and such really easily. With this bigger wheel, the mower glides over bigger things than before. It also allows for taller cutting height but increases the minimum height setting too, so if you use the lowest setting of the existing reel mower, you might not want these bigger wheels that raise it up a little. There's a newer model released earlier in 2018 with bigger front wheels by default. If you have this model, there's no need for this wheel. For those of us with the older model though, this bigger wheel design seems to work much better for me. Keep in mind that the spacers used are printed in plastic and may not last the lifespan of the wheel. I plan to test how long they will last over the next several months or years. Ideally, you would source some thin aluminum pipe with an inner diameter of 5/16" and cut some spacers (one long inside and two shorter outside spacers) the same length as what's included in this design to use instead. I recommend printing in ABS or something that will hold up outside, but I'm experimenting with PLA and so far it's holding up for at least a few days when printed with at least three outer walls at 0.4mm wall thickness. 2019-1-5: I decreased the space around the inside spacer and wheel to make it easier to align the inner spacer with the bolt, and increased the diameter of the spacers around the bolt to make them less tight.