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Two weeks ago, my carry on worked perfectly. But last week the detachable wheels stopped rotating smoothly, when I tried to glide my carry on. The wheels budge JUST A TAD when you push them hard, but it should be EFFORT LESS! Here are two pictures.

I see nothing jammed in the wheels. I ventilated wheels with my hairdryer. I hosed water into wheels. But nothing fell out. Wheels are still stiff! Why?

I bought this carry on for $350 USD. I can't afford buy new one. I contacted manufacturer to no avail. It is out of warranty. They replied they don't stock these wheels anymore, and replacing the wheels is costlier.

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    Hi El Vaf, Welcome to Lifehacks. Visit the [Tour] and [Help] to find out more about our site. Question: Did one wheel-set stop working or did both (all) wheels lock-up? (Edit your question to add any important details that might be helpful. – Stan Nov 27 '21 at 14:50
  • @Stan 3 wheels locked up like this. Thanks! –  Nov 27 '21 at 15:43
  • If more than 1 wheel set failed, the manufacturer has changed design, the warrantee is over, and the luggage was costly; then, there's better than even chance that replacements are available through a third-party aftermarket sales. Try searching for "brand-name," OEM, replacement swivel wheel assembly. That more than 1 failed at the same time also points to something that happened to all of them at once such as an impact from a drop. – Stan Nov 27 '21 at 19:06

2 Answers2

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My hack is to buy an inexpensive folding luggage trolley such as this

enter image description here

and strap the luggage to it. There are many different types available.

Images from Amazon

Weather Vane
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Free-up the same old drag Lifehack:

There appears to be a metal shaft that passes through the body of the swivel connecting the two wheels. Pick one of the most stubborn uncooperative candidates.

Luggage wheel swivel-head

Slide a slot-head screw driver into the gap [enlarged to show shaft] and twist the blade to pry the wheel free from the shaft, you may see what is interfering with its proper working. You may also wish to go further to remove the wheels completely to inspect the condition of the swivel body. If you can work it freely after that, the wheel can be reattached by pushing (or tapping) it back onto the shaft.

Good luck.

Stan
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