For the past couple of nights I've been having to get up and fix Aria's wodent wheel because it moved and it's hitting the side of the bin cage. All the wodent wheel hacks that I had seen meant having to attach the wheel to the cage bars with zip ties or on the top of the cage. I can't place it on the top because my lid is all mesh. And I don't have bars.
So today my boyfriend and I went to home Depot for some wood to make a base. And this is how it looks now. We're hoping this fixes the problem of it moving and reduces the amount of aspen under the wheel. I wanted to share it with you all in case you don't have to option to hang your wheel or zip tie it to bars.
This is a Wodent Wheel Sr but I'm willing to bet you can do the same with a smaller or bigger wheel so long as the metal base is the same circumference. I just took the whole wheel to home Depot to see if the clips fit the base.
We looked in the cable clip section, the kind you use to attach cable wire to a wall. We didn't want to use the plastic ones in in case Aria decided to chew on it so we found these.
Since these aren't a closed loop we had to arrange two together facing in opposite directions. Then we spaced them apart along the base of the wodent wheel as seen in the pictures above. That way the wheel would stay in place and not slip out.
Tips:
- I would recommend that two people work on this. One who can push the metal clip against the metal base while the other person marks where the screw needs to go.
- Keep the wodent wheel steady while you mark it or you risk not lining up the clips correctly with the base of the wodent wheel.
- You could also remove the wheel from the base so it's not in the way as you work.
- Try to keep the cable clips in the order you marked them. We mixed one up and the hole didn't line up to the screw hole. We switched cable clips and both holes lined up
Instructions:
1. Align your wheel where you want it on the board.
2. Set the clips where you want them. Make sure you are able to attach the clips on the board facing both directions along the base of the wodent wheel. I had to scoot my wheel forward to make room for the clips on the back part of the base.
3. Without moving the base you want to gently push up the clip against the metal base of the wheel. Then mark where the screw needs to go.
4. Remove the clips but keep them in the order you had them. Not all the holes in the clips are spaced the same.
5. Using the screws you want to screw them in the wood to make a hole.
6. Place your wheel back on the wood.
7. Place your clip and screw it in.
8.The last thing we did was curve the ends of the metal clips inward with some pliers after attaching all the screws in to further secure the clips to the base of the wheel.
Cleaning:I just take the wheel apart and leave the metal base attached to the wood.
Wood was poplar 0.75x7.25x12 inches.
That pretty much covers it. If anyone has any questions just let me know.
Wooden Wodent Wheel base for Bin Cages.
Linear Mode
