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PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:18 am 
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The fat wheels wheels for the AI are rated to Max 77 pounds, but the rigged AI weighs over 100 lbs. Sure enough, they seemed awfully FLAT when I used them. On their second trip, one of them exploded and went flat. :o Has anyone else had this experience? I live about 10 minutes from the beach, along a stretch of road, and then over the dunes and down to beach. When I bought the AI, my plan was just to walk it down to the beach. I really don't want to trailer it for such a short distance. Any suggestions for transportation would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance.


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:39 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2008 10:11 am
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Location: Slippery Rock, PA
How about the
http://kayakfishingstuff.com/Merchant2/ ... gory_Code=
Roleez Kayak Cart
We used these for our ocean kayaks in the past and intend to use them this summer for our AI and Revolution. They are rated to 176#. That should allow for extra gear in addition to the AI.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:30 am 
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Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 2863
Location: Central Coast NSW Australia
G'Day mb,
I too have experienced the fat trax cart tyres going flat under the weight of the AI and I know of another AI user experiencing the same problem. :(
The combined wheel capacity should be adequate, however on uneven ground the AI tilts and at times one wheel is supporting all the weight. That wheel is then overloaded. I haven't had one explode though. It has just gone flat as if all the air was squeezed out somehow. Each time I have pumped more air in and it has stayed up.
A while back I posted a 'how to' on improving the Trax cart by fitting Hobie's heavy-duty upgrade wheels (p/n 80043 ) I have had no problems with these wheels.
Image
They are superior on all types of hard surfaces and next time I have to travel over sand I am going to deflate them a bit and see how they go.
It isn't difficult to fit the HD wheels, here's the link:
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=8956


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 Post subject: Two sets of wheels
PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:52 am 
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Thanks for the advice. Your adapted Hobie solution looks great. And to be precise, my Hobie balloon wheels did not "explode." They did just what you described, they suddenly went flat. Poor word choice on my part.

I found a set of hard wheels made by Paddleboy called "Scupper Pup" http://www.paddleboy.com/pages/product_pages/scupper_pup.html that looks a lot like your solution. They worked GREAT on the road. My 11-year-old could have pulled the AI over flat ground. But when I got to the beach, the trouble began. The wheels, as you would predict, dug into the sand. I dragged hard for about 100', and by the time I reached the water, the wheels were toast. The wheels had gotten out of alignment, and unknown to me, I was dragging the wheel across its own axle. The wheels were wobbling 15 degrees. They smelled like the inside of a car dealership. The wheels were toast.

So here's what I think: There is no single set of wheels that will work on both road and beach. I think you have to use street wheels for the street, then at the edge of the beach, slip in the balloon wheels for the sand... at least until someone invents a good dual-purpose wheel. Any inventors out there? :D


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 Post subject: kayak wheels
PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:06 am 
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Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2007 11:59 pm
Posts: 95
Location: Danville California/Kahana Maui
I have both sets, the black road tires are basically useless in the sand. The Roleez cart with the big sand tires roll, turn and carry my fully rigged AI on the road and sand with ease. You have to center the cart under the AI to avoid the tire rubbing on the bottom of the ama's and I cut the straps in half and sewed them to the kart frame to make loading easier. I have been considering trying to mount the Roleez tires to the Hobie plug in cart frame by using a longer axle, that might be the best of all worlds.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:55 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15026
Location: Oceanside, California
Some of the early tires had uneven molding inside, so thin spots. If you burst one... see your dealer.

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Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
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Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:02 pm 
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I was wrong about the "Scupper Pups." They do NOT do the job. Don't waste your money. Though the tires are rated to 300 lbs, today the frame bent under the weight of my fully-rigged AI. This is my second set in 3 days. The first set disintegrated around the axle. I'm intrigued by mmiller's suggestion that the Hobie balloon tires should work on road and beach, and that I may simply have had a defective set. I'm not sure my dealer will agree. I'm going through wheels (3 sets in 4 days) as though they are disposable. It's getting embarrassing. :oops:

Thanks for all your comments. They've been a big help. This is not the problem I expected to have!


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:44 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 28, 2008 8:54 am
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Location: Albuquerque
:( Seems like Hobie would do us all a favor by working with Wheelez for a solution to the existing beach tire. When I blow up both of them to the recommended PSI I end up with one tire bigger than the other.

I was quite taken aback by the very low PSI that those tires had been rated for and the dealer, knowing I was buying the upgrade did not give any warning of the issue of the carrying capacity limits with the Adventure Island in full sailing mode. Hobie please alert your dealers.

Also it was hard to find a pencil gauge to register under 10 psi. Cart should come with a gauge.


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 Post subject: Roleez beach tires
PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:29 am 
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Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2007 11:59 pm
Posts: 95
Location: Danville California/Kahana Maui
It appears that Beachcartsusa sell the Roleez beach tires and custom axles. This would seem to be an easy owner upgrade that would end the Hobie cart issues. Anyone tried it yet?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:55 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
I have no problem pulling the fully rigged AI on the Trax. The wheels look very low / flat, but roll over sand nicely.

Now... fully rigged does not mean a bunch of other gear piled on top. It may be best to strip off the amas as they can drag. This weekend, I folded them forward against the bow which loaded up the weight I had to carry with the handle, but cleared the ground in the back easily.

If one tire is larger...could have been over filled at some point.

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Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


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 Post subject: Re: Two sets of wheels
PostPosted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:23 am 
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Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:25 pm
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Location: Central Coast NSW Australia
mbsailor wrote:
So here's what I think: There is no single set of wheels that will work on both road and beach. I think you have to use street wheels for the street, then at the edge of the beach, slip in the balloon wheels for the sand... at least until someone invents a good dual-purpose wheel. Any inventors out there? :D


mb- I agree with you - which is why I fitted the heavy duty wheels to the trax cart. Most of my cart use is over firm surfaces and the HD black pneumatic wheels are definitely the best option for that.

Matt -thanks for the suggestion of folding the ama's forward. 8) I'll have to try that!
Regarding the flat tyre, I take your point about fully rigged. I did have all my gear on board as well so it was definitely overloaded. Sadly it looks like future trips over sand will have to be done in stages. :(
It would be good if a higher capacity balloon wheel that was more suited to a loaded AI was available.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:28 am 
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Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 6:56 am
Posts: 822
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Hey mbsailor,
You are correct in that there is rarely a single set of wheels that will work on both rough, rocky ground and soft sand, although many of us try! On the right are the pneumatic Hobie Trax wheels. On the left are the original (non-pneumatic) hard plastic or rubber Hobie wheels for pulling your yak over city streets, or on asphalt or concrete parking lots, and on some uneven hard or firm surfaces.

Image

The Trax wheels carry what we (4-wheel drive enthusiasts) used to call "high flotation" tires in that with low air pressure they flatten out to provide a wider footprint and greatly improved traction in soft sand. You would commonly reduce the air pressure for your street running wheels from, say 35 or 32 psi, down to 12-15 psi in soft sand. Here's my Land-Cruiser in the soft Coral Pink Sand Dunes park in Utah. The ruts are fairly deep since I had not yet aired the tires down to 15 psi in soft sand.

Image

But under a heavy load or on rough terrain, these low air pressure tires can separate from the underlying wheel itself to lose air pressure or go flat. Now the Trax wheels work great on soft sand and flat-surfaced roads/parking lots (with a normal load), whereas the standard older Hobie wheels will not ride up on soft sand beaches at all, and you are forced to drag your wheels (and loaded yak) thru the sand rather than up and over it, as you can do with the Trax wheels. Setting your tire back on the wheel (with no load on) and airing it back up slightly should reset the tire on the wheel and correct the "exploded" situation. Hope this helps.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:56 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 10:10 pm
Posts: 92
Location: Gilbert, AZ
I don't own an AI yet, but plan to have one soon. However, I've been using wheels to move a 15' Cobra Tourier kayak from beach to camping area. I've tried plug in types and damaged scupper holes on boat twice from wheel frame. I now have the wheelez that have been commented on. I called wheelez last week to ask about wheels for an AI that could be pulled behind a Yamaha Rhino. That hold me they are coming out with that exact setup around Christmas 2008. I'm sure the wheelez wheels I'm using would work on an AI and if balanced in middle of boat could easily be pulled a short distance.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:54 am 
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Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 4:06 pm
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Location: Los Angeles
While I have an Outback, I have noticed that air pressure seems to be an issue with the cart. I was carrying a hand pump with me, but it broke on me the other day. It was just a small frame pump that I swiped off my bicycle.

I can't seem to find a gauge locally that measures 1-10lbs. In lieu of a gauge, I put the outback on the cart, and visually looked at the tires. If they were low, I aired them up a little. Just enough to provide the proper capacity.

So next time, I am going to bring my co2 inflator. I know the risk is overinflating, but the one I have has a trigger so you can regulate the inflation.

http://www.rei.com/product/696553?preferredSku=6965530014&cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-6965530014&mr:trackingCode=409541F0-9B89-DD11-873B-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:54 pm 
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Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:04 pm
Posts: 227
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
I need a cart to carry the AI rigged from the Car to the water. 50-100 feet most of the time. This thread has me scratching my head as what to buy. Wasn't planning on a $150 just for a cart though. Can we revisit this thread??

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