Fix plastic measuring wheel

daymobrew

My son's school has a number of plastic measuring wheels (1m per revolution) with basic counters attached. The wheel has a plastic tab that hits the counter mechanism to increment the counter. Unfortunately most of the plastic tabs are broken.

See attached photo of a wheel with the plastic tab intact. It is about 4mm wide and 5mm tall.

Any suggestions to reinstate the tab?
I was thinking about putting a flat 'nail' through the wheel (prep the area by drilling a few tiny holes to form a line so that I would just be pushing the 'nail' through the slit).

Alun

I'd drill a hole in the position the tab is in, and put a small bolt with nuts and washers either side of the wheel to hold it in place. Available bolts would probably be too long so you may have to cut them short with a hacksaw first.

jack of all

Pretty poor design flaw to begin with, no wonder they broke. Now for a fix- get some light gauge aluminium or mild steel strip, hacksaw down to width (4mm), cut to length. Fold over tab to create one short and one longer leg. Finish with a file to remove burrs. Make a small slot in the original location (drilling, small chisel or fine flat needle file). Insert metal leg through slot from opposite side, secure in place with some epoxy adhesive under and around the short leg. Should give a strong unbreakable repair. You could touch up the repai with white paint and an artist's brush for a more "invisible repair.

daymobrew

Thanks for the simple fixes. I used a proper measuring wheel this morning - infinitely better than these.

e.r

Trundle wheel