Introduction
Wheels on roller luggage can wear down over time or even detach completely. When this happens, the best solution is a full wheel replacement.
This guide will demonstrate how to assess wheel damage and replace the wheels and axles of a Patagonia Freewheeler or Freightliner Wheeled Duffel.
Replacement parts are currently unavailable. To get your luggage fixed, take it in to a local Patagonia retail store for repair evaluation or send it in to Patagonia through their mail-in repair service.
Related Tutorials
Tools
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Assess both wheels on the luggage:
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Damaged Tread - If the rubber on the wheel has a flat spot or the tread is missing completely (reference image #3), the wheel must be replaced.
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Damaged Axle - A slow‑moving or awkwardly angled wheel is often a sign of a bent or damaged axle.
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Missing Wheel - If both the wheel and axle are missing, skip to Step 3.
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As you remove parts, determine what is damaged and whether any parts (wheel or axle) are reusable.
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Use a 4 mm hex key to unscrew and remove the axle to free the damaged wheel from the wheel housing.
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Lift up the corner of the bag or tilt it onto its side to remove the wheel.
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Responsibly discard any unusable pieces.
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Line up the replacement wheel with the bolt hole in the plastic wheel housing.
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Insert the replacement axle and secure it using a 4 mm hex key.
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2 comments
What do you do when the nut inside the wheel housing comes loose? I can hear it rolling around in the housing. The bolt has nothing to screw back into. Is there any way to take the housing off? It looks to be held on by rivets. I'm guessing that's not a good sign.
Helpful but where do you get the replacement wheel from. My brand new Black Hole 100L bag showed up in Lisbon Portugal with one wheel missing. Need to get another wheel and screw. Can I order that from Patagonia and have them ship to a friend that is coming here? Is that best route to take? Thanks