# The last rat wheel I will ever own!



## New rat owner. (Feb 6, 2014)

My babies finally decided to chew apart their stealth wheel. The stealth wheel was okay, but I wanted something better. I couldn't find what I wanted, so there was no choice but to build it myself. Here's what I wanted...

1) Most important was chew proof, so I committed to 100% steel construction materials with no obvious, easy tooth holds.

2) 100% silent, just like the stealth wheel.

3) The stealth wheel wasn't super sturdy and had a bit of wobble that annoyed my rats and threw off their cadence. I wanted a sturdier construction to eliminate this.

4) All the commercial wheels were too small diameter and width wise and too light. My rats could get the stealth wheel spinning too easily and it was hard for them to stay right at the bottom. So I decided on a larger diameter to give them a flatter, longer running surface as well as a wider track so they could run two rats side by side as they like to do. Naturally, this also increases weight to give them a better workout while also giving the wheel more inertia so the wheels speed fluctuates less.

This is what I made to satisfy those requirements...























-13 inch inside diameter
-5 inch wide
-100% steel construction
-Flanged lightening holes to reduce weight while retaining strength
-Degreases with brake parts cleaner and applied self etching primer base coat to avoid sanding.
-Ceramic enamel baked engine paint top coat to resist scratches and chewing
-Flexible rubber coating on track to provide grip and be easy on feet.
-.5 inch axle attached to industrial machine bearing regreasable via zirc fitting/grease gun.




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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

That is amazing!
Lol I want one 
I would buy one though :3


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## New rat owner. (Feb 6, 2014)

RattieLover1331 said:


> That is amazing!
> Lol I want one
> I would buy one though :3


Thanks! Was a pain from concept to design, but its surprisingly easy and cheap to build. Well, cheap considering you won't ever have to replace it. ;-)


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

Thats awesome and creative! Good job


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Wow! You're really crafty, I wish I was good at making things. This looks really sturdy, I wish pet companies would actually think a little more when they build stuff for small animals. I got a silent spinner for my mice and it's the loudest, most obnoxious wheel I've ever owned. So much for silent. But great job on the wheel! 


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## pookycb (Feb 14, 2014)

This is amazing! I would buy one too this looks like amazing quality. I wish pet stores and pet suppliers thought of these things. When they run on it is it actually quiet? Great job!


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## New rat owner. (Feb 6, 2014)

ksaxton said:


> Wow! You're really crafty, I wish I was good at making things. This looks really sturdy, I wish pet companies would actually think a little more when they build stuff for small animals. I got a silent spinner for my mice and it's the loudest, most obnoxious wheel I've ever owned. So much for silent. But great job on the wheel!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'm with you there! Strange that there's so much thought put into something like a Critter Nation and other awesome cages, but no such innovation for things like wheels, which my babies use for HOURS every day.


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## New rat owner. (Feb 6, 2014)

pookycb said:


> This is amazing! I would buy one too this looks like amazing quality. I wish pet stores and pet suppliers thought of these things. When they run on it is it actually quiet? Great job!


Thanks! It's not just quiet. Its COMPLETELY silent. The bearings I used are designed for high speed industrial motor applications and just laugh at a light wheel/rat spinning at low speed. The stealth wheel has the bearings built in which bothered me. When the wheel got chewed up, it meant the whole thing was trash. Mine has a wheel separate from bearing/axle. I don't expect the bearings will ever fail with this type of load but if they do, I'll just replace the bearings. Has nothing to do with the wheel, lol.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

Wow! That is sweet! If you ever decide to make and sell them you've got a customer right here!


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## NeeNee (Feb 5, 2014)

Me too! Where are you located?!


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

Wow, that's awesome! I'd be a customer too if you ever decide to make them and sell them. XD
I currently own the Magnum Wheel, which is the Stealth Wheel's sturdier cousin. Lol. It's made out of wire mesh instead of the plastic, runs so silent that I don't hear it, and is wide enough to hold my Toast. The only issue that I've ever come across with when it comes to the wheel I own is that Lynn likes to poop and pee while she's running so you'll hear little raisins sometimes. The wheel is also a pain to clean because of all the small cracks I can't get into. It is, however, much nicer than the silent spinner, which is so loud the whole house can hear it. >.<


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

I have just one concern with your wheel ... cant tail tails get caught? And mesh can hurt their feet. I do imagine its much easier to clean than a solid wheel though


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## Morgan1202 (Jun 15, 2014)

Excellent wheel,thats the kind of inovation that we need some really quality diy.You mention things like diy wheels iv seem diy hedgehog wheels but nothing of that workmenship,you got anything more on your mind in form of creations


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## New rat owner. (Feb 6, 2014)

elliriyanna said:


> I have just one concern with your wheel ... cant tail tails get caught? And mesh can hurt their feet. I do imagine its much easier to clean than a solid wheel though


Nope, impossible for the tails to get caught and this mesh is better for their feet than a solid surface. Keep in mind rats like soft things and the mesh is covered in squishy rubber.

Also, in my experience a solid wheel is easier to clean than mine.


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## New rat owner. (Feb 6, 2014)

Morgan1202 said:


> Excellent wheel,thats the kind of inovation that we need some really quality diy.You mention things like diy wheels iv seem diy hedgehog wheels but nothing of that workmenship,you got anything more on your mind in form of creations


Thanks for the compliments! This was my first attempt at a wheel and it's impressed me so far.

If I make another wheel I'll leave out the lightening holes. The rats still spin the wheel effortlessly and the weight saved (only 30g) doesn't justify how much of a pain it was to drill and flange the holes.

They tried to chew the green part all over but gave up without making a scratch. The track is damaged in one place where they chewed through the rubber, but stopped at the steel. After that, they didn't attempt to chew the track anywhere else, I suppose realizing that it was all steel. Damage is just aesthetic and I can pull it out anytime and recoat it with rubber.




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## New rat owner. (Feb 6, 2014)

Here's a couple pics of the back of the wheel with the bearing assy installed...

















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## NeeNee (Feb 5, 2014)

Again...where are you located?! and please say you plan to make these to sell!  haha


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## New rat owner. (Feb 6, 2014)

NeeNee said:


> Again...where are you located?! and please say you plan to make these to sell!  haha


I'm in Dallas and no current plans to sell any of these since the price would be ridiculous for one fully finished with paint, rubber, hardware, etc.

However if you're good with tools and have an angle grinder, rivet gun, tin snips, drill, and misc wrenches/pliers, it's not too difficult to make.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

You should make a tutorial on youtube. =P


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## New rat owner. (Feb 6, 2014)

So, after seeing how much my 4 girls love the this 13" wheel, I can't imagine EVER putting them back on an 11" wheel like the Stealth, et al. I think an ID of 13" should be considered MINIMUM for girls, even bigger for boys.

-100% CHEW PROOF! All steel construction means it'll last longer than you will. When it breaks or gets chewed up you won't care. You'll have been long dead by then.

-Proper SIZE and WEIGHT for FEMALE rats. I believe males would need 14"+.

-Soft rubber is SILENT and easy on their feet.

-Feces can't fit through the tiny holes in the track, but there's no lip so they just roll out.

-Absolute NIGHTMARE to install on your cage, so you better be sure where you want it and then be glad you won't EVER have to replace it.

-CHEAP build materials. Its labor that only makes it feasible for a DIY.

Since there's so much interest in this wheel, I'll be making a new one and providing a detailed step by step here. I'm making a few changes after my experience.

1) Use a longer single track piece eliminating one of the cross bars. The wheel's low speed makes the weight imbalance irrelevant and eliminates one of only two spots the rats actually tried to chew, although they just pulled off a bit of rubber and gave up once they hit steel, muahahahaha!

2) Don't make flanged lightening holes. Its a pain in the ass, weight savings is meaningless, and it reduces the rigidity. I was worried a big, heavy steel wheel would be hard to spin. Wrong! Even the baby can turn it and one rat can still spin another adult rat all the way around, which is always hilarious. The machine bearing is ridiculously smooth. It's easier to turn than a 5" wire hamster wheel!

3) Use less rivets. The new, continuous single mesh piece will provide most of the needed rigidity.

4) Larger axle washers to increase stability.



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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Well, I've been testing this wheel for well over a year now and am about to build the final version (hopefully)! I'll get pics of the new wheel posted ASAP.

The changes will make it feasible for me to build for other rat lovers so if there's interest let me know so I can gauge interest since its only worth while making several at once. If anyone has any suggestions to improve my design, PLEASE speak up. Thanks guys!

New wheel changes...

-NO MORE RIVETS! Every rivet is a point of failure, a hole that has to be drilled, more expense, more time and an eyesore. The new wheel will be fully MIG welded with no fasteners!

-NO MORE MESH TRACK! The mesh track was wonderful on the rattie feet, but a nightmare when poop got smooshed into it. The new wheel will have a solid textured track with no lip to facilitate simple cleaning.

That's it. The other features will remain...

-First and foremost, IT'S A LIFETIME WHEEL! The wheel will NEVER break and the steel is chew proof.

-COMPLETELY SILENT! I sleep 6 feet away from my babies and can't tell they're using the wheel unless I'm looking at them.

-The only part subject to wear, the bearing, is separate from the wheel itself to allow replacement. However, I can't imagine a high RPM motor bearing going bad under rat speed within my lifetime.

-5 inch wide x 13 inch diameter track which is ideal minimum size for girls. I only have girls, but if anyone with boys wants a 14 inch, it's pretty simple to change the back plate size.

-ZERO wheel flex


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## Smilebud (Jul 31, 2012)

Oh. My. Gosh. I want one. Maybe two actaully, though my boys never had intrest in wheels. But definatly one for the girls!


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## Chaolithe (Jul 13, 2015)

This is really cool! I wish that I could get something like that for my fur balls. But alas, I am not that crafty and nobody sells em like that. xD


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Quick update...

-Track will be 18 gauge 1018 mild steel weighing .8829lbs

-Back will be 14 gauge 1028 mild steel weighing 2.8158lbs

-Total wheel weight not including axle, paint/primer & texture will be 3.00165lbs vs the first model's 2.11875lb weight.

My girls still needed a bit more weight, but a pound heavier may be too much. I'm going to stress test the steel to see if I can use a bit thinner guage without stress cracks forming. I'm also using the heavier steel near the axle to reduce rotational mass. Trying to find the balance between bomb proof and weight.

Also, I'm going to weld the wheel mount directly to my critter nation. Therefore, I'm conflicted as to whether I should make a non-weld kit for you guys or just leave mounting up to each individual. Suggestions?


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## Kuildeous (Dec 26, 2014)

Lightswitch Man said:


> Also, I'm going to weld the wheel mount directly to my critter nation. Therefore, I'm conflicted as to whether I should make a non-weld kit for you guys or just leave mounting up to each individual. Suggestions?


I'm initially interested, though I warn you I may back down when I hear the price. Like all good-quality non-factoried products, there is understandably a higher cost. Considering my girls didn't use the wheel we got them when they were babies, I open myself to disappointment if I commit to this, but color me interested for now.

I would like a non-weld option. I'm enough of a purist that I don't want to modify my cage structure too much. I also don't live in a place where welding is a viable option. Would washers and wing-nuts be a valid option? I'm thinking of the fasteners for the lava rocks.


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Kuildeous said:


> Lightswitch Man said:
> 
> 
> > Also, I'm going to weld the wheel mount directly to my critter nation. Therefore, I'm conflicted as to whether I should make a non-weld kit for you guys or just leave mounting up to each individual. Suggestions?
> ...


You're absolutely correct about price, which most likely explains why I'm forced to make my own. For me it's a no brainer. I LOVED my stealth wheel, but it lasted less than a year at $40. If my rats live four years, that's at least $160 that could have been invested in a permanent wheel. If I continue to own rats after my current babies are gone, that's $320, etc.

I think rats are viewed as starter pets to teach kids responsibility, and not a REAL pet, which limits R & D on quality rat specific products. You can bet that if dogs needed wheels there would be an entire line of high dollar luxury wheels.


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

After much frustration during weight/stress testing, I had a breakthrough! Here's the revelations...
1) ANY design strong enough to really be labeled "bomb proof", "chew proof", or "rat proof" was simply too heavy, even when spec'd with lighter 4130 chromoly steel alloy.
2) The ONLY way to lighten traditional steel design without affecting safety of rats is by use of flanged lightening holes, mesh or both
3) Almost HALF of the wheel weight is back plate, axle and bracing.

So, in order to create exactly what I want I would need to eliminate the back plate, but then I would need to remove the bracing for safety and then the axle needs to go away since there's nothing attached to it. Seemed like I was defeated at first, but then I got it!


Same design goals, but this wheel will be completely open on both sides with no axle! The wheel will simply be a ring gliding through a top mount bearing that will mount the wheel from above. Already did the stress testing so just have to fabricate the new bearing assembly's


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Doh! Mocked up the new idea with top bearing and found the only con. Quiet, but not silent like my other designs due to the rolling resistance of the wheel on the support. :-( So immersed in this wheel that every night I go to sleep and dreaming about them and every morning I wake up with a new design, but never PERFECT.

Tomorrow I'm going to go back to the original solid 3 piece design with chromoly steel (track, back & bracing/axle), build a full test wheel and see if my small girl can spin the heavy bohemuth easily.


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Update!!! (skip to conclusion if you're shopping for a wheel and don't care about the details)

I made a TON of wheels in the last week and came to some conclusions. My project is 100% done now, so here's the info in case anyone cares. 

1) I determined that short of using expensive aluminum alloys or titanium, both of which suffer from stress fractures if not carefully engineered, a fully welded, side axle steel wheel is not possible in the weight that my girls find acceptable. It may be different for boys, but that's outside my scope.

2) The top bearing fully welded steel wheel made weight, but the noise level, hardware requirements and wear increased to unacceptable levels. For the record though, it was definitely the coolest looking and operating wheel!

3) In order to make weight with nominaly priced steel, it was necessary to introduce mesh, flanged lightening holes, etc. All of these things either increase production labor or difficulty in cleaning.

Conclusion:

The magnum stealth wheel is, in my VERY informed opinion, the best wheel to buy, despite its shortcomings. They've done a remarkable job of producing a wheel that strattles the delicate line between cost, quality and longevity I bought a new one just to test/dissect.

The first thing I disliked was the smell. The entire box and the wheel itself smelled STRONGLY of cigarette smoke! No effect on quality and nit-picky on my part but seriously, it's just unprofessional and gross. Made me wonder what else may be on the wheel.

After testing, I found the track was 1/4" too long. Not a big deal and only noticeable by the crumpled excess wedged in the bucket lid, but I include for the sake of completeness.

The BIGGEST problem with the wheel is the bearing. It uses a cheap sealed bearing riveted in place and oozed grease after one day of normal use. See the attached pic to see it removed from the lid. I think a cheap bearing is fine and it was fairly quiet, but if it's going to be a crap bearing, it needs to be replaceable!

So what did I end up doing with the magnum stealth wheel? I threw a .5 inch axle in a high speed machine bearing (regreasable and replaceable), added stainless hardware and riveted to the original wheel, sans crap bearing of course! See pics for finished mod.

So, is what I did practical? Nope. Is it ridiculously expensive? Absolutely, unless you're a retired engineer with strange crap laying around. Is it the best compromise between a $300+ dollar wheel and the Magnum Stealth? YOU BET!

If anyone wants instructions for the stealth on steroids, PM me and I'll gladly provide. In the meantime, I hope my project helps others to make informed decisions about what wheel to buy as well as helping the stealth wheel company to improve their design. It's a niche market with little profit and a fickle demographic and despite my criticisms, I really do applaud the stealth wheel crew for what they've done.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

That's pretty cool! I have the Magnum Wheel, almost the same color actually, and it really is the best wheel out there. My attachment is a little different then yours though. Since I have a reconstructed double ferret nation I ordered the wheel with the X shaped mount. This was I could hook it into the inside of the cage without damaging the hardware cloth. I've had the wheel for almost two years now, and it's absolutely silent. The only noise that is made when running is the little tapping of feet and the shaking of the cage. (My rat Lynn runs marathons on her wheel at top speed.) There is another wheel that I've heard about that's very similar to the Magnum wheel. It's called the Velociraptor Type R Wheel. I wonder what the difference between the two is besides picking between a solid and mesh track?


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Phantom said:


> That's pretty cool! I have the Magnum Wheel, almost the same color actually, and it really is the best wheel out there. My attachment is a little different then yours though. Since I have a reconstructed double ferret nation I ordered the wheel with the X shaped mount. This was I could hook it into the inside of the cage without damaging the hardware cloth. I've had the wheel for almost two years now, and it's absolutely silent. The only noise that is made when running is the little tapping of feet and the shaking of the cage. (My rat Lynn runs marathons on her wheel at top speed.) There is another wheel that I've heard about that's very similar to the Magnum wheel. It's called the Velociraptor Type R Wheel. I wonder what the difference between the two is besides picking between a solid and mesh track?


I also checked out the type r, and other than very subtle differences found it to be almost exactly like the stealth.


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