Uneven hi-lo wheel wear

[TheBert 0]

I was just doing some maintenance work the wheels on my hi-lo chassis. I noticed the first and 4th wheel wear unevenly. If I rotated them, my middle wheels (formerly 1st and 4th) wouldn't make contact with the floor. But if I at least leave them without rotating, at least I have a pseudo-rockered setup since the first and fourth wheel have worn out faster.

[rhymeandsteal 0]

this is normal. if you want to avoid it, just rotate the front wheel on the left skate to the second wheel on the right skate, third on the left to fourth on the right, etc. keeps everything even.

[DamnLocust 0]

Switching from one skate to the next wont keep them even, but rotating more often will. Switching from one skate to the other will help your wheels last longer, as most people tend to wear on the wheels of one skate more than the other.

It isn't much of a problem when playing indoor, but I'll have uneven wear the first time I skate outdoors. Still I get lazy and rotate after 3 or 4 skates, and will have problems with all of my wheels touching. After warming up the next time out though, everything evens out on its own.

[TheBert 0]

I haven't rotated in months. O, suks2bme.

Thanks for the advice.

[DamnLocust 0]

Do you play indoor or outdoor?

If they're really bad, you may be better off just putting them in the same position and flipped on the opposite skate, and start looking for new wheels.

[rhymeandsteal 0]

Switching from one skate to the next wont keep them even, but rotating more often will. Switching from one skate to the other will help your wheels last longer, as most people tend to wear on the wheels of one skate more than the other.

So anyway, like i said originally, and like you confirmed in your second sentence, after denying it in your first, switching your wheels to the opposite skate when you rotate them will help to keep them all even.

[DamnLocust 0]

It won't keep them even. What it does is correct the problem, as opposed to making the problem worse, as long as they aren't too chewed up. When you swap positions it doesn't fix the smaller wheels or make them less worn out, it just allows the good wheels to be worn out, then ALL of your wheels are ruined.

Rotating more often is the solution to this problem, not simply rotating them when the wheels are already shot. If the wheels are far out of whack, there's nothing to be done for them, and it's time for a new set. If you stay on top of it and rotate regularly, you can extend the life of your wheels, even if you don't switch the wheels from one skate to the next.

If the front and rear wheel are much smaller than the middle wheels, it's not worth swapping positions of the wheels (ie first wheel in 2nd, 3rd wheel in 4th, etc.) as they'll take forever to even out, and you'll be left with a full set of junk wheels, as opposed to just the fronts and backs.