Anchor Roller Manufacturer

I need to replace/have made, one of our anchor rollers. I have had no luck finding a local manufacturer or any one in the states. This is not an off the shelf roller, we've looked. Krogen will make me one for $118/each which doesn't' sound to bad but I figure I would ask here first. Any ideas? The roller's 3.75"x5"D with a 1" hole for the pin.

Greetings,
Have you considered having one cast in bronze at a foundry? Should never wear out.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Have you considered having one cast in bronze at a foundry? Should never wear out.

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No I haven't but I'll take a look. Thanks for the idea.

If there is a good source for nylon type plastics nearby you might be able to buy a piece and any machine shop will be able to turn one out for you.
About 10 years ago I needed something similar but shorter and was able to find this at a local fab shop: 6" dia. a weird color but it was free it is very hard stuff but not brittle comes in long shafts and is easy to saw drill and machine.


Maybe someone like Graingers Inc or Mcmaster Carr might have something or could tell you where to find it.
good luck

Steve said:

If there is a good source for nylon type plastics nearby you might be able to buy a piece and any machine shop will be able to turn one out for you.
About 10 years ago I needed something similar but shorter and was able to find this at a local fab shop: 6" dia. a weird color but it was free it is very hard stuff but not brittle comes in long shafts and is easy to saw drill and machine.


Maybe someone like Graingers Inc or Mcmaster Carr might have something or could tell you where to find it.
good luck

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Tap Plastics might be a good source for the stock:
TAP Plastics : TAP Plastics

I found a replacement that fit mine at a boat trailer shop. It was black though and I paid $5.25

Steve said:

...Maybe someone like Graingers Inc or Mcmaster Carr might have something or could tell you where to find it.
good luck

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Steve: Great info! McMaster Carr has 5" black UHMW in stock.

Pau Hana said:

Tap Plastics might be a good source for the stock:
TAP Plastics : TAP Plastics

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I called Tap Corp. and they don't carry any 5" dia rod. Thanks for the help though.

dimer2 said:

I found a replacement that fit mine at a boat trailer shop. It was black though and I paid $5.25

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I have been to several shops and called a manufacturer. The 5" dia is a problem plus it would still have to put in on a lathe. Thanks though.

Have you tried to remove the rod holding the old one in?

I had a similar problem and love nor money could remove the threaded pin holding m roller in. Had to replace the whole unit.

Heat, cold, impact, curse words and gentle loving were all tried, ended up ruining several tools and reputations in the end.

Make sure you CAN replace it before you go through all the trouble finding the part.

Anchor Roller Replacement

Check out Windline.com They offer a replacement wheel which is 5" x 3.4". I don't know what the shaft diameter is but I'm sure it could be drilled out to 1" if it isn't already.

SCOTTEDAVIS said:

Have you tried to remove the rod holding the old one in? ..

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I did yesterday to get the measurements. It actually came out easier than I was expecting. Not something that usually happens. It also showed that both rollers need to be replaced. This is the spare anchor roller. You can see cracks and the UV damage in the upper right. Definitely time to replace.

Bensjoy said:

Check out Windline.com They offer a replacement wheel which is 5" x 3.4". I don't know what the shaft diameter is but I'm sure it could be drilled out to 1" if it isn't already.

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Thanks for the link. I sent them an email to see if they can make one similar to their 4" x 3.4" but to my dimensions. The 4" x 3.4" has a grove that I would like so that the anchor shank rests in it.

I think Boson supplies carries 5" rollers, maybe even bigger. Here's the link:

Anchor Roller Replacement Wheels | Bosun Supplies

When you get a replacement get BLACK and it will last a lot longer.
Most natural plastics will be seriously affected by sun, u.v., The black protects the stuff.

I worry about a set of plastic rollers of tiny diameter when the boat is anchored and surges back , creating a big load on the roller.

Fine if the boat has a low plate with a snubber line tied to the anchor line that relieves most of the load.

Remember the roller is part of a anchor system , not just a quick stow spot for the anchor.

We chose bronze for the roller.

healhustler said:

I think Boson supplies carries 5" rollers, maybe even bigger. Here's the link:

Anchor Roller Replacement Wheels | Bosun Supplies

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Thanks.

FF said:

...Remember the roller is part of a anchor system , not just a quick stow spot for the anchor.

We chose bronze for the roller.

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We talked to a foundry who said it would be cheaper to have a machine shop make them. We then looked at the cost of 5" bronze rod for 2 rollers and the material costs are at least ~$400 before the machining costs. Yikes!

So far, UHMW-PE (black), is at the top of the list: 5" x 12" sold rod is ~$63.

Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That 5" Windline roller looks like your best bet to me. I think you would have to drill out the hole to accept your 1" shaft. You could file or machine a groove, but I'd worry that there wasn't enough material between the groove and the shaft hole.
I may have one in my store. When I get to work I'll take a look and see how thick it will be after drilling it out to 1".

I think that was one of the reasons yours broke, not enough material between the groove and the shaft hole.

L&L: I do a lot of business with a welder down in Stuart, FL that had the material you're looking for the last time I was over there. He machines these things himself. I just left him a message for the estimate. Are you headed for Stuart eventually or are you staying in Jacksonville?

Naw. He indicated that a foot of suitable delrin would already cost 150 bucks, and you may as well mill a couple of spares for that price. I don't know what kind of material Krogen is quoting, but the price sounds better all the time. Sorry.

HopCar said:

That 5" Windline roller looks like your best bet to me. I think you would have to drill out the hole to accept your 1" shaft. You could file or machine a groove, but I'd worry that there wasn't enough material between the groove and the shaft hole.
I may have one in my store. When I get to work I'll take a look and see how thick it will be after drilling it out to 1".

I think that was one of the reasons yours broke, not enough material between the groove and the shaft hole.

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Thanks but I think part of the failure, if you look at picture in post #1, is the grove was not wide enough for the "new" anchor that we bought last March. The new roller will accommodate the "new" anchor shank width.

I talked to a plastics guy about the groove. With 1" diameter hole and the groove cut at 2.5" of the 5" diameter stock, the UHMW will have enough strength.

healhustler said:

Naw. He indicated that a foot of suitable delrin would already cost 150 bucks, and you may as well mill a couple of spares for that price. I don't know what kind of material Krogen is quoting, but the price sounds better all the time. Sorry.

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Thanks for the effort! I looked at Delrin and came up with the about the same $'s. The plastics guy I talked to said UHMW (black) was a good choice and will last.

I'm not sure what Krogen uses either. They would have it made over seas with one of their suppliers that makes the rollers for Krogen.

I just heard back from a machine shop here in Jacksonville. Without seeing the roller, but I gave them all the specs, $75-100 each. I can get black UHMW for $63 which will make 2. Krogen is $118 each. So the numbers are pretty close and I get exactly what I want. I'll go visit the shop next week and let you know what I find out.

What about a synthetic roller from a boat trailer manufacturer. They would have a range of sizes, and they would be so cheap it would be feasible to replace it every few years if it wore, and that's a big if, as they are made of the UHMW stuff. The rollers my Sarca sits on are made of that, and I can hardly see any wear after 10 years use, and with all chain rattling over it.

Peter B said:

What about a synthetic roller from a boat trailer manufacturer. They would have a range of sizes, and they would be so cheap it would be feasible to replace it every few years if it wore, and that's a big if, as they are made of the UHMW stuff. The rollers my Sarca sits on are made of that, and I can hardly see any wear after 10 years use, and with all chain rattling over it.

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Peter: you confirmed what I've been told that the UHMW is good stuff. I checked with 2 boat trailer manufacturers. They don't have the size I'm looking for so I would still have to put it on a lathe and drill the hole out. I did got an email back from Winline (thanks Bensjoy).

Hi Larry,

I will send this to someone to see if we can make it or if we have it.

All the best,
Windline

I'll decide what route we're taking in the next week or so.

If boat trailer rollers are an option, try eastern marine.com
A lot of options

I had one fail at the end of last season and had no luck finding a relacement with the correct size hole (5/8"). So I was able to have a couple made in our shop out of black Delrin. It was about a 30 minute job to make 2 by a guy on an old CNC lathe.

So far so good after one season.

An OLD CNC lathe?! Dang, I been around too long!

Steve said:

An OLD CNC lathe?! Dang, I been around too long!

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Maybe you're right, Steve. The rest of us don't remember a CNC, cuz they didn't start making them until we were out of the business. Here's the one I started on....Barnes Velocipede.

I picked up the new anchor rollers today. Here's the before and afters. The 12" x 5" piece of black UHMW-PE from Granger's was $68. The CNC machine shop here in Jacksonville was $149 for both. The end cost, with tax, was $108.50/roller. Krogen quoted $118/per plus tax and shipping from Stuart.

The only change I made was having the groove cut for the width of the anchor shank. Hopefully this will be the last time I have to replace them. Thanks all.