Darth Lefty 

My wife bought an InStep Take 2, an inexpensive 2-seat kiddie trailer. It's stout and hitches up easily. She bought it because it was the bestseller on Amazon. The wheels are easy to install and remove. They snap into blocks in the frame, and remove by pulling a sprung lever on the block. The wheels and tires themselves have problems. They are plastic, untrue, and all the negative Amazon reviews of the trailer have to do with the tires blowing off the rims. So I'm wondering if this is a standard attachment scheme and I could snap in some other, better wheels. I looked at the (5x more expensive) Burleys, and they have a different scheme, with the release built into the wheel and not into the frame. So that's a nonstarter.

I'm realizing that I should maybe be thankful I haven't had this problem and that fixing it might cost about equal to another trailer.

cabledawg

Hmmmm. I've been using InStep trailers for the last 8-10 years and never had a problem with tires coming off. And these had plastic wheels too. Might want to take a look at the tires to ensure they are seated properly on the rims and maybe inflate them to a few pounds under the max if you're having these issues.

You could look at the Schwinn trailers for interchangeable parts. I've noticed a lot of parts seem to be the same between these two companies and Schwinn uses traditional metal rims on some of their trailers. You might get lucky.

cabledawg

I haven't been able to find any write ups or good pics, but you may be able to swap the hubs out of the plastic rims to metal rims of the same size. Again, I don't know if this'll work but a bike shop could probably help you out if you're unsure about it.

fietsbob

SkyWay makes a better Quality Plastic wheel **.. But IDK what The Hub configuration Is ..

I agree a in person inspection by a Bike shop is advisable ..

Plastic rim likely lacks a hook edge so Yes Keep the PSI Low.


** Glass fiber reinforced Nylon

Darth Lefty 

Yes, the InStep site has the Schwinn trailers and the website says...
Seems like the plastic wheels are all smaller than the aluminum ones, which is going to raise the ride height. I'm not finding any spare parts for sale. The whole trailer costs ninety bucks shipped, so paying for maintenance and parts might be sort of silly.

It's definitely warped, not sure what a bike shop could do but confirm it. The people who write the negative reviews say they've called the helpline and been told to use 25 psi. The tire is stamped 35.

Thanks for the tip on Skyway wheels. It's interesting to know about, anyhow. I guess I'd have to figure out if the axles would transplant to any of their wheels available through retailers.

fietsbob

Im not able to see what the hardware is to stick the Hub to the axle & axle to the frame .
just sayin' Shop Serfs, They Can see the way 'them suckers' slapped it together .

maybe Contacting Pacific cycles and they will select a Non warped replacement wheel
the Chinese factory fulfilled the Quota of numbers of units shipped .
since lowest cost
was a important part of the requirements , they shipped a wheel 2 per box any 2
that paying a bit more for the QC , checker would have discarded for a better one .

You could Knock the bearing out and measure it. and report ID, OD , And thickness (that gets you standard Bearing Numbers )
see I dont even know if it uses a cartridge bearing so I Guess.

another wheel with another ID a competent mechanic can replace the cartridge bearing and put something in the replacement wheel
that will work better .


Own a Burly Flatbed (uses 2 regular Front Hubs) spoked wheels , and a Carry Freedom city with 2 plastic 12.5" wheels . both are supported from both ends of the axles .

ka0use

pacific cycles markets the instep and Schwinn trailers.

1-800-242-6110

CliffordK

I always hate those false, lying tires.

For a non-hooked rim, go by the manufacture recommendations, not what is on the tire. 25 PSI is probably good enough for carrying around kids, or light loads.

I'm not sure why those one-sided wheels are so popular. I like the frame that goes around both sides of the wheel (also giving added protection to the wheel), and using a standard QR. They are MUCH STRONGER.

Around here, Dick's Sporting Goods replaced the old GI Joes, and carries a couple of different trailers. It might be worth looking at what they carry if you have a local store.

Darth Lefty 

Since I wrote my original post, we've put maybe 300 miles on it. It's not great but after using it this long, I think the lack of features bugs me more than the cheap quality.