Wheeleez Kayak Trolley

[Hainesy]

Like many of us I have spent a lot of time looking for the ultimate kayak trolley.

Much of my fishing has been done from sandy surf beaches and the normal "golf buggy" type wheels as used by nearly all the manufacturers just seem to try and bulldoze the sand or simply bog down. In fact, at our normal Christmas holiday spot, it literally takes two of us to move the kayak up and over the sand dunes.

In thinking about 4WDers and how they look for wide tyres and very low pressure (as low as 10lb I believe) I couldnt help but think that somewhere, someone must make a tyre that could be used for a kayak trolley.

As bit of searching on the 'net and I found a company called Wheeleez http://www.wheeleez.com/
As you can see from their site they design and build wheels and various trolleys for use on sandy beaches. The video claims that they their wheels "glide over the sand"...http://www.wheeleez.com/about-low-pressure-wheels.php

Almost sounded too good to be true !!...A bit more digging and a distributor in Aust was found http://www.beachwheelsaustralia.com/ . Another dist was also found for NZ and Aust but they didnt seem at all interested so after a couple of calls, my Wheeleez Kayak Trolley duely arrived prior to Christmas.
The first thing that you notice is how wide the wheel is compared to a "standard" kayak trolley wheel and how soft they are (2.5psi)

Now I'm not going to post a pic of what the complete trolley looks like as it looks exactly like it does on their website...but heres a pic of it under my 'yak

I havent got any video of it in action , but again it works EXACTLY as they claim and as it shows in their online video.
I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating...whereas before it took 2 people to move the kayak over the dunes (and then it was a struggle), my 12 yr old daughter can pretty much do it on her own !!

So....my summary..

PROs

Does exactly what the manufacturers claim...absolutely ideal for soft and sandy conditions.
Easy to use....no more complicated then any of the other manufacturers..

CONs

The wheels are big and if you want to store them on your yak, then you may struggle. They dont fit under the soft front cover of the Profish
Cost...not cheap...you're looking at around $400 NZD..I was fortunate as I have them delivered to an Aust address and then bought them back myself....

My rating....given that it delivers everything that I wanted and needed....9 / 10

[G1]

I know what ya mean by digging into the sand... It drives me nuts... That looks a cool trolley, but like you say it is a bit pricey, maybe you could have bought 1 ctug and an extra set of wheels and run "DUALS" like those big ass tractors do

[kayak chris]

I too can vouch for wheeleez, I have been using one of thier trollies
for a couple of years now and love it.
Mine has smaller wheels but they are still wider than most and do a great job.
+ the frame doubles as a loader to help get your yak on the roof Wouldnt get the ultra on the roof without them

[gibro712]

I've just upgraded to Wheeleez, hopefully will arrive soon

Given that I have been using a C-Tug. Whats the consensus, keep the C-Tug or sell it?

What have others done in this situation?

[Kayak Adventures]

Railblaza do a SandTrakz Wheel which they say is - "half the effort, puncture free and fits inside hatches". May be a cheaper alternative to upgrade to these wheels rather than a new Wheeleez trolley.
Cheers
Janet

[gibro712]

Thanks Janet

Mixed reviews on Sandtrakz, and lack of clarity about which surfaces it did and didn't work on just left me confused regarding suitability on the soft soft stoney beaches down here in Wellington. Based on the good reviews I've read on the Wheeleez, it was a no brainer.

It was a little pricey, but ok as I intend to be enjoying the freedom of the yak for a long time yet

May even do a cheeky youtube demo of it on the stoney beaches down here if I get round to it

Appreciate the feedback

[Blazer60]

I've just upgraded to Wheeleez, hopefully will arrive soon

Given that I have been using a C-Tug. Whats the consensus, keep the C-Tug or sell it?

What have others done in this situation?

I did the same upgrade.... there's always a market for C-Tugs. I had no probs departing with mine.

[Schecter]

You won't be disappointed with the Wheeleez. They are the next best thing to having a 4WD or a tractor to transport your kayak to the water. The C-tug is a good alternative if you don't want to spend a heap of cash on the wheeleez.

[FatherOfMany]

Apart from the price, my biggest concern with the Wheeleez is that those metal frame, at least the TradeMe versions, tend to close on you while loading a heavy kayak onto it. And when I say apart from the price, yes I do think Wheeleez are a ripoff and I hope they get some competition soon.

Snap 4T adjusted my ctug for me to fit balloon wheels and we brought some in from China. $150 per set all up if I remember correctly. That set wasn't UV resistant and I lost it in the Coromandel sun last summer, but the idea worked pretty well.

I know what ya mean by digging into the sand... It drives me nuts... That looks a cool trolley, but like you say it is a bit pricey, maybe you could have bought 1 ctug and an extra set of wheels and run "DUALS" like those big ass tractors do

With the balloon wheels busted by the sun and the ctug having a larger axle, I tried this idea and got 2 sets of wheels very similar to what you find on the TM steel frame trolleys. Worked better than a single set of wheels on some terrains, but definitely not good going over rocks where the softness of the balloon wheels are excellent.

Ended up bringing in another set of balloon wheels and I think they are UV resistant, though I'm not planning on finding out.

[PeterNZ]

I agree with FOM. I had a look at different trolleys. Disregarded the Wheeleez straight away because of the price. You can buy a cheap kayak for that sort of money. I am using a $50 trolley off trade. So far so ok-ish. Mainly used it on compacted sand. Even pulled the yak up the steps at Taipa Beach - no problems. If it breaks I can buy 7 more of them until I reach the money I would have spent for one Wheeleez. The cheapo's main problem is the metal framing and the Wheeleez' looks the same. You basically buy a set of wheels for the $350 difference.

It is 2 1/2 times more expensive than a C-Tug. Is it also 2 1/2 times better?

Cheers

Peter

[Flowrider]

In soft sand I would rate them more than 2 1/2 times better than a C-tug. Might as well just drag the kayak through the sand the c-tug standard wheels dig in that much. I have the small wheeleez wheels on a modified c-tug frame and don't even need to strap the kayak on most of the time it floats that well on the sand. Cost me around $70 each wheel from memory and I can still pack the whole lot in the front hatch of the Reload if I need to once broken down which takes only a minute.

[FatherOfMany]

In soft sand I would rate them more than 2 1/2 times better than a C-tug. Might as well just drag the kayak through the sand the c-tug standard wheels dig in that much. I have the small wheeleez wheels on a modified c-tug frame and don't even need to strap the kayak on most of the time it floats that well on the sand. Cost me around $70 each wheel from memory and I can still pack the whole lot in the front hatch of the Reload if I need to once broken down which takes only a minute.

Yep, I do think the balloon wheels are worth it. Try Waitawa Park at low tide... ankle-deep mud! or rocks/pebbles. It's just that the price of Wheeleez is crazy!

[Hairy Little Dwarf]

I saw a guy being pushed in a wheelchair on Takapuna beach last year with what looked like the large Wheeleez tyres
Most cool, and they went back up through the soft sand as if it was on a concrete pavement.

[Hainesy]

In soft sand I would rate them more than 2 1/2 times better than a C-tug. Might as well just drag the kayak through the sand the c-tug standard wheels dig in that much. I have the small wheeleez wheels on a modified c-tug frame and don't even need to strap the kayak on most of the time it floats that well on the sand. Cost me around $70 each wheel from memory and I can still pack the whole lot in the front hatch of the Reload if I need to once broken down which takes only a minute.

Yep, I do think the balloon wheels are worth it. Try Waitawa Park at low tide... ankle-deep mud! or rocks/pebbles. It's just that the price of Wheeleez is crazy!

Agreed !...

[Schecter]

Apart from the price, my biggest concern with the Wheeleez is that those metal frame, at least the TradeMe versions, tend to close on you while loading a heavy kayak onto it. And when I say apart from the price, yes I do think Wheeleez are a ripoff and I hope they get some competition soon.

Snap 4T adjusted my ctug for me to fit balloon wheels and we brought some in from China. $150 per set all up if I remember correctly. That set wasn't UV resistant and I lost it in the Coromandel sun last summer, but the idea worked pretty well.

I know what ya mean by digging into the sand... It drives me nuts... That looks a cool trolley, but like you say it is a bit pricey, maybe you could have bought 1 ctug and an extra set of wheels and run "DUALS" like those big ass tractors do

With the balloon wheels busted by the sun and the ctug having a larger axle, I tried this idea and got 2 sets of wheels very similar to what you find on the TM steel frame trolleys. Worked better than a single set of wheels on some terrains, but definitely not good going over rocks where the softness of the balloon wheels are excellent.

Ended up bringing in another set of balloon wheels and I think they are UV resistant, though I'm not planning on finding out.

You're right about the metal frame. That was the first thing I noticed. The max load capacity is 80kg but I'm not keen to load anything near that capacity, considering the money I paid for it. The aluminium frame looks like it can be easily constructed in the garage or in a school metalwork classroom.

I'm assuming the majority of the cost attributed to the Wheeleez is the balloon wheels? There's plenty of mud and soft sand in Wattle Downs. I'll give it good test run over the weekend.

[MikeAqua]

I'm assuming the majority of the cost attributed to the Wheeleez is the balloon wheels? There's plenty of mud and soft sand in Wattle Downs. I'll give it good test run over the weekend.

Yep. An axle kit cost almost as much as the whole trolley.

[MikeAqua]

In soft sand I would rate them more than 2 1/2 times better than a C-tug. Might as well just drag the kayak through the sand the c-tug standard wheels dig in that much. I have the small wheeleez wheels on a modified c-tug frame and don't even need to strap the kayak on most of the time it floats that well on the sand. Cost me around $70 each wheel from memory and I can still pack the whole lot in the front hatch of the Reload if I need to once broken down which takes only a minute.

Be great to see a few pictures if you don't mind posting.

[Flowrider]

In soft sand I would rate them more than 2 1/2 times better than a C-tug. Might as well just drag the kayak through the sand the c-tug standard wheels dig in that much. I have the small wheeleez wheels on a modified c-tug frame and don't even need to strap the kayak on most of the time it floats that well on the sand. Cost me around $70 each wheel from memory and I can still pack the whole lot in the front hatch of the Reload if I need to once broken down which takes only a minute.

Be great to see a few pictures if you don't mind posting.

It is a bit of a rough job using some fibreglass rod as an axle in place of the original set up. It has lasted better than I thought it would so haven't bothered to upgrade it. The wheels are the type without bearings but still roll quite easily. Just a couple of trailer spring clips hold the wheels in place. I saw some basic instructions on the internet somewhere and followed those.

[Flowrider]

This is the site I followed http://www.newenglandkayakfishing.com/f ... fit.22139/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kinghong1970]

hehehe

ya know, i have a build log here too!