Trexler Wheels

Trexler Balloon Wheels have inflatable low-pressure tires and wooden hubs. Trexler has been manufacturing them since the 1930s. As far as we know, the product has never changed or been updated. Why mess with perfection?  They're very soft and can absorb a lot of impact, and they have miles of style! 

They were inspired by the full-scale Goodyear air wheels of their time. When Trexlers were first developed there was virtually no radio control. When you fly without any control, you are gonna have some harsh landings!  Of course, nowadays we still sometimes make some pretty hard landings, even with all the modern advantages of full RC control.  

I like these wheels for flying off of really rough runways and making hard vertical stalled in landings. I also love their soft chubby look, which you have to agree, looks really CORRECT on a Lazy Bee. These wheels are handmade in the USA in very limited numbers and are labor-intensive to produce. They are are made of the highest quality latex rubber and the hubs are turned from hardwood. We are lucky they are still available. 

We carry all the available sizes.

Usually we recommend the #9  for both the Lazy Bee and Speedy Bee. They are perfect for most set-ups. Outliers: The #8 wheels should be used on planes that are set up to be lightweight and lower drag,  and  #10 wheels are for heavy duty bush-flying.

In the past, some of you may recall that we sold three-wheel sets for Lazy Bees, made up of a pair of 9's and a size 1 for the tail wheel. During those years, Trexler made a specially thick size 1, which was perfect for our purpose.  Nowadays they only have thin size 1 wheels. They are fantastic wheels but they won't work for a Lazy Bee. They are meant for rubber powered and other very lightweight projects (see chart below).  The good news is that we are currently working on finding an acceptable replacement for that size 1 tail wheel so that we can supply you with three wheel sets again. Hopefully it'll be the next best thing to having all three wheels be Trexlers.

WHEEL CHART

Rubber and micro electric sizes

Number    inflation size      wall thickness       weight         carrying capacity     price/pair 

     1           1- ⅜”                       .020          .15 oz. per pair             6 oz.               $ 21

     2           1-⅝”                        .020          .15 oz. per pair             6 oz.              $21

     3           1-⅞”                        .020          .30 oz. per pair         8 oz. per pair    $21

     4           2-⅛”                        .030           .30 oz. per pair        8 oz per pair     $21

     5           2-⅜”                        .020           .35 oz. per pair       10 oz per pair    $21

     6           2-⅝”                        .020           .35 oz per pair        10 oz per pair   $21

Gas and electric sizes

Number   inflation size    wall thickness     weight                  carrying capacity     price/pair

   8            2-¾”                      .050             1 oz per pair         6 to 8 lb per pair           $32

   9-g         3”                          .050             1.5 oz per pair      8 to 10 lb per pair        $35

  10-g       3- ½”                     .060              2 oz per pair        10 to 12 lb per pair       $53

  11-g       4-½”                      .060              3 oz per pair        13 to 15 lb per pair      $53

Hand pump:  I recommend the inflation pump. If you blow up your Trexlers by mouth, they will not last long. Comes with nozzle and valve needed for inflating the wheels. $24