We have a little one that is just over a year old. One of her Christmas presents was a nice Radio Flyer wagon, the one with 2 seats and the removable shade. Problem is, it has the cheap plastic wheels.

Dad to the rescue! I can convert it to pnuematic tires easy. Harbor Freight sells 10" wheels w/tube tires for $5.99 each, new hubcaps are $1 each. Let's get this done.

Get to Harbor Freight, wheels are all 5/8" bore. No problem, I can get new bearings or bushings.

Head to Katy Hardware, they have 7 bearings, 1/2"ID X 1-3/8" OD, but I need 8. Stop by TSC, score the last one. On to the garage!

I remove the one of the old hubcaps, which is no small feat, and test fit the bearing. Crap. Axle is 7/16". Bad research on my end (Radio Flyer shows 1/2" axles)

I decide that the slop is bearable, and everything should be fine as long as I fit the caps tightly.

After 2 hours of replacing bearings (some were very stubborn) WE GO!

Almost didn't make it back home. At 3.1mph the front wheels hit some kind of harmonic pattern and almost rattled my little one out of the seat. And it kicked off a hubcap.

Back to the drawing board. After another trip to locate bushings, I discover Amazon Supply. For $1.65 each I ordered 8 bushings, 7/16"ID X 5/8" OD. Now I just have to remove the new bearings (and hopefully get a refund), install the original bearings, and install the bushings. Luckily I discovered that Lowes/Home Depot/TSC carry the hubcaps. They are called "Axle Push Nuts". You DO NOT have to pay the Radio Flyer shipping.

I hope new fathers are taking note of my experiences, so that they are not repeated.

Cody
Fightin Texas Aggie c/o 04

I hate pulling those wagons. I think the real problem is the articulating from wheels continually get in a bind when you turn because the wagon structure is not strong enough to handle the forces caused by turning.

They are great for going in a straight line. We finally gave or threw ours away.

my kid would probably kick me in the nuts if we got rid of ours. dude loves cruising in it.

Grew up living on top of a big hill.

You could easily hit 30 MPH on the little plastic wheels on a Radio Flyer.

Radio Flyer is not what it once was. Try this:

Did you balance the tires?

Sounds like it needs an alignment.

Had 4 cousins who rode one down a long sloping hill on vacation in new Mexico many years ago. Problem is they put the youngest in front and did not account for the sharp turn at the bottom of the hill, end result being they rolled it right into a big patch of cactus...

BrazosDog...we use a similar one. it's usually tied behind a Powerwheels 4Wheeler.