Cleaning Rollers?

[neacail]

What is the best way to clean the white plastic rollers under the seat? Ideally, I would like to completely remove them to clean them efficiently (there was an incident involving one of my nephews and a potted plant).

I don't know if I should pull the rear leg of the rower off and then just slide the seat off the back of the rail? Or, perhaps there is an easy trick to removing them?

After cleaning, what should the rollers be lubricated with?

Thanks.

[Citroen]

Windex.

[jamesg]

You could take out the two long shafts in the seat undercarriage and remove the white rollers. This gives access to their bearings. Presumably these are sealed so can only be cleaned on the outside and are lubricated for life. If dirt has got past the seals you'll need to replace at least the bearings; better still replace the complete rollers.

The two small lower rollers are a bit more tricky, you'll need to remove two of the wood screws under the seat to access them, but apparently they carry no load.

[Carl Watts]

4 screws and the seat comes off, then remove the two long bolts through the rollers and it all comes off in two halves.No need to touch the rest of the rower.

I use a damp cloth on the slide and rollers daily before a row, put the cloth over a finger and rest on the seat with the finger on the roller and just move the seat side to side until the dirt or black stops appearing on the cloth.

Long term get four new rubber shielded sealed bearings and put them in, they will last a lifetime. The Size is R6-2RS which is a 3/8x7/8x9/32-inch bearing and very commonly available in the USA.

[sekitori]

I always spray Windex on the rail after every workout. When I slide the seat back and forth, it also gets on the rollers and I wipe them off with the same paper towel I use to wipe down the rail.

Once a week or so, I use a more precise way to remove any dirt present. I apply Windex to the end of a Q Tip which I keep moving across the top of each end of the roller. The Q Tip stays continually in contact that way while I move the seat forward and backward a few times for no more than a foot or so. The roller rotates at least three full turns each time I move the seat, so I'm sure that the Q Tip has covered its entire surface well. It picks up any remaining dirt that's present. I use this method on the ends of each roller, using a clean Q Tip each time. I don't worry about the middle of the of roller because it makes no contact with the rail.

The only time I ever remove the rollers themselves is when I replace them with new ones. In over 13 years with my Model D, I've done that three times.

[jackarabit]

Small addendum to the in-trick-acies of seat and roller bracket disassembly. You can take things apart every which away and the devil loves a coward! But there are 2 tubular spacers on each hex bolt axle, one at each end of each top roller. Note how these go, capture and retain all four, and put them all back on the axles at reassembly. Also, the jam or nylock hex nuts can offer some resistance so be careful of knuckles and other living tissue. This is nowhere near as nerve wracking as working on dual four-barrel carbs on the verge in a downpour but paying attention always pays off. Most mechanisms don't come with spare parts so don't end up with any.

[Carl Watts]

You still work on things with carburetors ?

[jackarabit]

Been a long time. Probably around 1964-5? I only assisted in this foolishness.