Well, I wanted to order a 1.33 Inch dia. roller for my ThatsDax friction drive unit
and quickly found out all the suppliers have gone out of business, including
ThatsDax, RoadBug Motors, and Staton-Inc (no longer supplying rollers), so
I decided to invent one and make it rubber to eliminate tire wear.
Fortunately, I had the ThatsDax friction unit, and two rollers, a 1.25 inch dia. and one
1 inch dia. These are knurled. I came upon the idea to purchase rubber hose of
a one inch I.D. and attempt to insert the one inch roller into the tube. I discovered
that the knurl on the roller is slightly elevated to a higher diameter, so I didn't
know if it would fit. I purchased two rubber hoses:
1. https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...+tubing+1+inch+i.d.&selectedFulfillment=store pickup
purchased from Advanced Auto Parts for about $5. This hose is made from EPDM rubber.
2 https://www.mcmaster.com/5289K21/
This hose is abrasion resistant and made from SBR rubber, like what a car tire is made from. It smells
like a car tire. Cost, $12 per foot.
After getting the hoses, I made two roller rubber samples by sliding the hose over the knurled
portion of the steel roller, by pushing the hose with the roller inserted against a sturdy table.
Both were hard to slip on, with the SBR rubber being the most difficult to insert. Then I had to
cut the final length of hose over the roller. I could cut the EPDM rubber with an exacto knife,
but the SBR rubber was so tough, I had to use a dremel with a ceramic cutting disk to cut
the rubber. Then I discovered that the SBR hose has some type of rubber tape bonded to
it, and the surface was rough, making it perfect to grab the tire. The EPDM surface was
smoother, and could possibly require a non-abrasive rubber grip tape which I bought, but
I decided to test the SBR roller only. The O.D. of both rollers now comes out to about 1.34 inches,
the same as the largest Staton-Inc. roller. Here's some pics:
(The hose on the left is EPDM, and the right, SBR.) Without a 1 inch steel roller, it might be
possible to machine one from a one inch OD knurled bicycle foot peg.)
and quickly found out all the suppliers have gone out of business, including
ThatsDax, RoadBug Motors, and Staton-Inc (no longer supplying rollers), so
I decided to invent one and make it rubber to eliminate tire wear.
Fortunately, I had the ThatsDax friction unit, and two rollers, a 1.25 inch dia. and one
1 inch dia. These are knurled. I came upon the idea to purchase rubber hose of
a one inch I.D. and attempt to insert the one inch roller into the tube. I discovered
that the knurl on the roller is slightly elevated to a higher diameter, so I didn't
know if it would fit. I purchased two rubber hoses:
1. https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...+tubing+1+inch+i.d.&selectedFulfillment=store pickup
purchased from Advanced Auto Parts for about $5. This hose is made from EPDM rubber.
2 https://www.mcmaster.com/5289K21/
This hose is abrasion resistant and made from SBR rubber, like what a car tire is made from. It smells
like a car tire. Cost, $12 per foot.
After getting the hoses, I made two roller rubber samples by sliding the hose over the knurled
portion of the steel roller, by pushing the hose with the roller inserted against a sturdy table.
Both were hard to slip on, with the SBR rubber being the most difficult to insert. Then I had to
cut the final length of hose over the roller. I could cut the EPDM rubber with an exacto knife,
but the SBR rubber was so tough, I had to use a dremel with a ceramic cutting disk to cut
the rubber. Then I discovered that the SBR hose has some type of rubber tape bonded to
it, and the surface was rough, making it perfect to grab the tire. The EPDM surface was
smoother, and could possibly require a non-abrasive rubber grip tape which I bought, but
I decided to test the SBR roller only. The O.D. of both rollers now comes out to about 1.34 inches,
the same as the largest Staton-Inc. roller. Here's some pics:
(The hose on the left is EPDM, and the right, SBR.) Without a 1 inch steel roller, it might be
possible to machine one from a one inch OD knurled bicycle foot peg.)
