Rock N Roller carts, lemons, physics

J

Josh Bass

Veteran
Hey guys. Being in the industry we're in, I'm sure many of you have the Rock N Rollers or another similar cart. I have a Rock N Roller (R12 all terrain), about two years old, and I think I got a lemon. Had to replace one of the "no flat" wheels because it. . .went flat. Explain that! Also, one of the smart wheels sometimes fails to make contact with the ground (if the cart is empty or has very little weight) and will just spin freely as I roll the cart. Sometimes I see one of the big wheels failing to spin either while rolling. Lemon issues aside, however, I'm wondering if anyone can tell me from a physics standpoint if there is some advantage of the smaller smart wheels over large (other than weight/space saving).

My cart also rolls with quite a bit more resistance than other people's that I've pushed. . .takes quite a bit of effort to roll when moderately weight down and when really weight down is sheer torture. I'm sure everyone does not experience this, and not just 'cause they're in great shape. I pushed two of my colleagues' Rock N Roller carts the other day just to see how they felt, both with the small smart wheels (R10 I think). Both of theirs rolled much easier. Wondering if this is another lemon issue or if for some reason the small wheels roll easier. . .'cause they're not rubber and they're hard, or something.

I would think the bigger wheels would be advantageous in every way (they're actually coming out with some even wider smart wheels, like 3" or something) but if I'm wrong, I would rather have it roll more easily since I'm most often NOT in rough terrain and the ease of rolling outweighs smooth rides on rough surfaces.

I'm sure the frame is deformed in some imperceptible way that causes all these problems, so I'll get a replacement at some point (sorry, did a bunch of research a while ago, Rock N Roller STILL the best option for me), wondering about getting small wheels vs large (unfortunately the way it's built, you can't just switch wheels out, they don't attach the same way)..

Thanks.
 
I don't know anything about these carts so take this for what it's worth. Try turning the cart over and see if the wheels spin freely. I imagine that the wheels are of the ball bearing type. If they bind the axle bolts may have been tightened way to much. Was this ever dropped or crashed? For 3 wheels to only make contact means that either one wheel is smaller diameter or the frame is racked.
Hope this is of some help

BillWojo

On Edit: I looked on there site, no mention of ball bearings. Check and see that nothing is wrapped around the axle pin causing them to bind. They should spin very free.
 
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I originally started with one of the smallest Rock N Roller R2 micro carts and it has worked flawlessly. That was a few years ago. I still use it in addition to my bigger cart when I have a big job or if I have a really small job and only need one Pelican case. My bigger cart is an R10 and it doesn't seem as well built. It's a much better cart in most functional ways including being so much easier to push. But it makes noises when it rolls and just seems a bit more rickety. It's worked fine so that's all that matters. Since it's manufactured overseas to keep the price down, I figure that there are a lot of production variance. Like everything else that's made in China, there are plenty of unacceptably bad ones in the mix. You take your chances when buying on a budget. My friend uses a Wesco Spartan Jr. for his photography business and I really like that cart. It's a little more expensive but solid. Like something that UPS uses. Not as flexible as the Rock N Roller, smaller and heavier.
 
Yes, and money is not the issue. Magliners are too small and incredibly heavy, and gigantic and impossibly heavy if they arent small. Innovativ etc. carts also too small. Those giant ones that become their own case where you have to remove the wheels when putting away, too large. Ive looked around, the rocknrollers are the only ones that fit my needs all around, except for the qc issues. I need the space, handles on both sides, compactness, and low weight (often a one man band, not willing to potentially injure myself).

Wheels seem to spin freely, do hear a rubbery grinding sound when rolling with moderate weight, like somethings rubbing on tire from hanging too low, but nothing is. Made sense when the no flat tire was flat, now that its been replaced dont know what it is.
 
It MAY have the "old design" no flat wheels. They had a LOT of "rolling resistance". I eventually replaced them with the newer ones and problem solved. Rock n Roller carts are the best deal in the industry...
 
"old design"? I'm not familiar with differences in no flat wheels. I got this one from whoever it is that became Wayfair.com about two years ago. . .don't know if there are newer type no flats since then. I did reorder a new no flat this year, so one wheel is relatively new, seems identical to others. A colleague suggested it might be the gaskets on the wheels.
 
Yes, they did have another type of no flat tires. When I changed them(and on my newer carts), they were different. Looked different(tread) and felt different. And obviously the newer ones rolled a lot better better. I knew a few people that had the old ones and said the same thing, too.
 
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