Thought I'd post my photo of the 'mod' I did on my Hobie Standard Kayak Cart to make it a "heavy duty" cart (read: better wheels).
The Story: 4 years ago I should have bought the heavy duty Hobie cart for my tandem, but they didn't have it in stock and I lived on an island. So I bought the standard cart which was rated to 150 lbs. Too bad that wasn't true (Hobie: please see my note below).
The plastic spokes on the standard wheels finally gave in two weeks ago, so I bought the heavy duty wheels from Wheeleez ($50 if I recall, and they are the solid kind, not the air. They are sturdy and not heavy).
But..... when I put them on my old axle, the new wheels were too wide for the axle. The wheelez hub covered up the cotter pin hole on the axle.
This is where my inner-MacGruber took over. I went to Home Depot and bought a 1/4" aluminum rod for $3 to go through the hollow axle. A few twists on each end, 2 caps for luck, and
them wheels is purfect and she drives like a dream.
Here's a pic of the new set up, with the old standard wheel in the background showing off its broken spokes. If you have the tools, time and care, I'm sure you could make the ends of the aluminum rod look professional. I like my pigtails.
Put in a longer axle you say? Not unless you have welding equipment. The axle has several welding spots to keep the uprights in position on the axle. You can't do without them.
Note to Hobie: the Carts need re-thought.1. The Standard wheels are a failure waiting to happen. No way they are rated at 150 lbs. Over time, the flimsy plastic spokes will fatigue. Who doesn't drag their cart over the occasional curb, gravel, beach or rock? The heavy duty wheels are the answer.
2. The $150 price for your Heavy Duty Cart, however, is price-gouging. You got $15 worth of materials there, max.
2. The Standard wheels' spokes are too skinny to withstand going from pavement to gravel or sand, and they should, we're Hobie kayaking. They shouldn't even be sold with your name on them.
3. A number of us here have experienced broken welds on the cart. I have a bungee wrapped around mine to keep the uprights from slipping off the crossbar (the bar with the black Hobie pad, which is for what?) If you're going to charge $150, put some better engineering into it. You're Hobie!
4. The plastic end-plugs on the cart's two upright posts were gone within a couple of months of ownership. They tend to pop off when you pull the cart from the kayak holes. Friction or something. So now I have electrical tape on the bare metal tube so it doesn't gouge the mounting hold on the kayak. Works, but all in all, the cart should have been better out of the box.