BC312 Posted May 7, 2012 Share #1 Posted May 7, 2012 I have a Marine cart that i copied from an original and need to get the wheels sorted which are wire spoked wheels. I have been told that these cart wheels are Harley Davidson motorcycle wheels, i was a bit thrown off wondering about the small hubs of the cart wheels and where the drum brakes would fit on the Harley motor cycle wheel, then a friend told me that the cart wheels are in fact Harley Davidson side car wheels. I had a look on eBay to see what was about but i am not sure what i should be looking for as there seems to be quite a few models out there. Any clues? :think: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted May 7, 2012 Share #2 Posted May 7, 2012 I have a Marine cart that i copied from an original and need to get the wheels sorted which are wire spoked wheels. I have been told that these cart wheels are Harley Davidson motorcycle wheels, i was a bit thrown off wondering about the small hubs of the cart wheels and where the drum brakes would fit on the Harley motor cycle wheel, then a friend told me that the cart wheels are in fact Harley Davidson side car wheels. I had a look on eBay to see what was about but i am not sure what i should be looking for as there seems to be quite a few models out there. Any clues? :think: HD Wheels were 18" fitted with 18x4.00 tires.... Cart rims were similar with different spokes and hubs, and I seem to recall they might have been 19" rims... Member Craig Johnson should know for sure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinb Posted May 7, 2012 Share #3 Posted May 7, 2012 Marine carts use 19" wheels. The Chemical Warfare Service mortar cart uses 18" wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC312 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share #4 Posted May 7, 2012 Did they come from side cars used by HD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig johnson Posted May 7, 2012 Share #5 Posted May 7, 2012 I have tried to figure out the question about where 18 & 19" rims and hubs came from but never came up with conclusive answers. I do know that the 18" rims on M1A1 Chemical Mortar Carts were for sure used on Harleys. I have a few examples of 45 solo ( think this is correct name 45 solo ) and one set of interchangeable rims that came from M1A1s. My 1938 M4 Cart is the only example I know of and from photographic evidence of the hubcap and the tread pattern I used 18" M1A1 rims on it. Someday another will show up and I might be able to compare part numbers on the hubs. The hard part about saying these are Harley sidecar rims is even if you see one on the internet there is no way of knowing if the thread size is the same or any other dimensions. I have never been able to do a side by side comparison so for now its just a mystery. Since you are making a replica you will probably have a better chance of finding 18" rims. These are the ones I see pop up now and again on EBAY. There are no really good Motorcycle shows that I know of in my area so I cant search that way. Most of the time the hubcaps are missing if you find rims on the loose. One possibility is Hand Cart hubs might be Indian dispatch Tow but once again I dont know rim size, hub size, or hubcap thread size. Hubcap is 6 sided like the M1A1 and M3 series. From my very limited or no experience of Harley stuff the sidecar appears to have a fender mounted to it so maybe the hub will work but the rest seems like it would be different. M1A1 & M3 series Hubcap Marine Corp Cart Marine rim Top Marine. Bottom M1A1 M3 Hope this helps a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC312 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share #6 Posted May 7, 2012 Many Thanks Craig your post has helped a lot, many thanks to the other posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC312 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share #7 Posted May 7, 2012 Thinking about it I could make my own wheels from scratch, the rims would be easy to find but i would need a hub to replicate, which would be quite easy to make and fit bearings using a lathe and a indexing tool. One of the custom bike shops could re spoke the wheel, after all its for a cart that would run at walking pace. Making the hub cap would be quite easy to replicate too. How often do the hubs turn up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig johnson Posted May 7, 2012 Share #8 Posted May 7, 2012 The hubs do turn up on there own. The Marine Corp hub with the spindle was an EBAY purchase (only 1 for sale) . Motorcycle builders buy them removed the hub, use the rim and if you are lucky put the hub back up for sale. I met a guy a few years ago that was making motorcycle trailers with Hand Cart rims to pull behind there vintage bikes. Ive been able to pick up both M1A1 and Marine Corp on the loose. Has taken years of constant looking. Doesn't come easy. M1A1 and M3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC312 Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share #9 Posted May 8, 2012 I will try and look out for a hub but if i have no luck after a while i may ask you for some dimensions of the hub itself, just the outside measurements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC312 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share #10 Posted September 27, 2013 After a long search i have decided to make my own hubs. I just want to confirm the sizes of the hub dimensions before i machine, can anyone help. cart wheels.bmp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now