Aftermarket Wheel & Axle Kits

General discussions for car and semi-truck racers.
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murphken
Master Pine Head
Master Pine Head
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Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 4:26 pm
Location: Harrisburg, PA

Aftermarket Wheel & Axle Kits

Post by murphken »

We all know that the scouts should be preparing their wheels and axles. I think it is pretty straight forward when compared to getting the car alignment sweet-spot!

At times, I see single mothers and grand parents trying to help and they do not have the tools and/or know-how to make a car. In addition, we have the testosterone dads making a car for the adult race and they are looking for the fastest wheels and axles.

The key to have scouts and parents prepare their own wheels and axles is "Pinewood Derby Construction Workshops before the race. I managed many of these workshops when I was a pack leader back in Tennessee. All packs are not managed in this manner and sales of aftermarket wheels and axles back this statement up.

Everyone has seen how prices have increased over the last several years. BSA Scout Shop increased their prices by 25%. There is lots of competition in the aftermarket sector for wheels, axles and accessories and that keeps prices down. Once again, low prices help sales of aftermarket wheels and axles increase.

I have seen "Made in the USA" lathed wheel & axle kits go for $16 and free shipping. Lathed wheel tread, hub and inside edge. "Polished" axles. I could not believe a kit like this could be offered for such a low price. Lathe cutting, polishing and waxing four axles takes about 20 minutes to ensure repeatable quality results. Wheels, with these cuts, take about 15 minutes with no bore preparation. So, let's say it takes 1/2 hour to modify a set of four wheels and axles. Figure $5 for parts and materials. Somebody is making this kit with about $5 invested in conversion cost to modify the wheels and axles, yet make a small profit.

Naturally, Murph bought a bunch of sets to review. The axles were from China and were a dead knock-off of BSA PWD Axles. Somebody, left the original "Made in China" label in one of the packages so it was easy to figure this out. However, the axles were at 0.093" and would not fit in the axle slot in the car body. The kit said the axles were polished but they were just scraped with something that I cannot figure. I don't think these aftermarket axles had any original crimp marks on the shaft or head.

The wheel packaging and labels had the same appearance of the Chinese Axles. The wheel diameters were cut down to 1.1665" and had a 0.0005" taper across the thread width. All the outer hubs were cut with an oversize end mill and was easily noticeable. The kits probably would not pass many pack/district inspections but would work rather well for outlaw races. I sent all the kits back. However, if I was a dad racing Outlaw, I could have worked wheels and axles over and dominated the race if I had an aligned car.

We keep seeing our manufacturing base move from the USA to other countries. I wonder if this "drift" towards using China for wheel/axle modifications will continue?

Despite all the issues that the Boy Scouts of America have, their Pinewood Derby Racing Program appears to be as popular as ever. Many years ago, Derby Worx was the one dominant supplier of very high quality PWD wheels. I used to race the Pro Circuits with the support of Bill and I know the quality of his product. Now, the market has many more vendors making wheels/axles at varying degrees of quality. Bill, at Derby Worx is still making his high quality wheels but I am sure that he feels the influence of the competition.

I know of one wheel/axle vendor who had a 30% increase in sales last year despite the pressure of more competition and lower prices. That is the state of aftermarket Pinewood Derby Wheels and Axles. Amazing the influence of the Pinewood Derby Program that the Boy Scouts of America has.
SHINING LIGHT Pinewood Derby & Audio
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