Bent Wheel

Our "new to us" E35III has the 42" wheel. I can tell its bent. It work fine, but as I rotate the wheel it puts more or less pressure on the wheel mounted Autohelm ST4000. The flex or deflection appears to be about 1/2" at its maximum. The AP works fine.

What do you think? Is there a way to fix the wheel myself? Anyone with similar experience? Leave it alone? Bring it somewhere? Where?

I didnt find answers in my search. Thanks in advance

My wheel is also bent about the same as you describe; someone probably leaned against it or grabbed it for support when off balance. It is annoying from an aesthetic point of view but hasn't affected function. It may, however, cause the stud that holds the back side of the autopilot gear ring stationary to rub against and gouge the inside of the front ring if the stud is too long. I discovered this a few weeks ago and had to cut the stud down about 1/4".

You could probably use a piece of steel pipe the same size as the axle inserted through the wheel hub and just leverage the rim back into alignment. You will probably need to hold the pipe in a vise.

Fixing a bent wheel yourself.

Dear friend, The first thought I had was to bolt a pair of 60" 2X4's to each other with the wheel sandwiched in between. Attach them off center such that one side can be used as a lever and a handle. Then tape a stick as a gauge of some sort on, let's say, the binnacle guard and adjust it so it just touches the wheel rim at a good point. Tape a second stick to the other leg of the guard and tape that one to the original in order to keep it in place. Begin by gently levering the bent part of the wheel in the direction needed and check it frequently against your gauge, bend, check, bend, check, bend, check and continue until the entire wheel is true. Sound good? Go for it, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

a caution

Agree with Glyn on incremental application of force and measuring.

On the off-chance that the re-bending (i.e. straightening) process might put too much strain on the hub shaft... and create some other problems...

I would be inclined to remove the wheel and put it on a 1" shaft mounted to/thru a strong base (perhaps a 4 X 4 X 60 piece of oak or other hardwood) and then apply my straightening attempts.

I'm with Loren.

Dear friend, Take Loren's advise and do this off the boat. You can still apply the technique, just transfer all the stuff to your bench vise and work bench. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

rebending wheel

My wheel was bent as well and I didn't notice it until I added an autopilot. I took the direct approach and just smacked it with the heel of my hand until it finally got straightened.
Tape an indicator ( stick or anything) so it is close to the wheel at what you think is the most bent section. Spin the wheel to find the worst spot ( closest to the indicator), bang it forward ( your hand cushions the blow), and keep doing it until the indicator to wheel distance stays the same through a complete revolution.

John Gleadle
E-39

Amen John

The wheel on my 35-3 was bent causing all of the aforementioned problems.

What I did was to take a mechanical square......find the first spoke that swung clearly without binding.......took a measurement from the pedestal and simply gently pushed, or pulled gently on the top of that spoke until all were the same distance from that point on the pedestal......

Maybe I just got lucky and did not bend the hub, shaft or anything else and this worked.....

It was my understanding that the first owner was 300 Lbs +, and if he sat on it, steped on it or leaned on it......goodbye Charley......I have no doubt that is where all of mine started.