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One Fast Cat Wheel Reviews
- Thread starter Sue
- Start date
John Popp
Site Supporter
OK, today I had some extra time to work with the wheel and had some better results. I measured the circumference of each side of the wheel and they were about 3/16ths off. Took the larger side off, cleaned things up and put them back together and it spins much truer. Also really took my time and used a rubber mallet wherever I felt a bump between two assembled pieces, did the same on the other side and repeated until I had no bumps.
They need to include a rubber mallet with the wheel. You just can't leave it to chance that people are pushing things together well enough for the wheel to be true. I used a rubber mallet through my initial assembly, and again on my re-assembly to get results that were going to be a long shot to achieve by putting things together by hand.
The last part that has shortcomings is the base. In itself there wouldn't be any issues if everything else was perfect and the cat going for a morning jog was evenly dispersing their weight and force. In the real world, whenever a bump is introduced or greater left/right force there is flex in the base. When one side of the base flexes, so does the other. At the conclusion of whatever caused the base to flex, we have positive feedback as the base attempts to it's resting point.
What this base flexing leads to is yaw oscillation otherwise known as speed wobble. When the wobble gets bad enough it also introduces roll oscillation which is where some may have seen it come off the base, or as Chris and I experienced some drag and slowing of the wheel. Pretty much works the same way as speed wobble would occur on a skateboard and the remedy should have been adding two additional frame rails. Still the need for a dampener for yaw correction, but the two additional rails would have been an easy route to make things function a whole lot better.
An example,
Minor issue, the wheel is just louder than it needs to be. The track pad could be a little thicker and denser while there also needs something to deaden sound on the outside of the wheel.
So now what to do about the fixes. To keep the base from flexing, I'm just going to place a 1" x 12" board between the bases, 31.5" long. This could be enough to combat the speed wobble, although the ideal solution is to introduce a yaw dampener. For the sound dampening I think I'll just use some packing material and shrink-wrap then cover them with material so the cats don't un-stuff the wheel.
I think I'll have my Dad over soon to have a look so he can draw up something that will be complete overkill but spinning so true that it could be a primary part on a NASA space probe heading to Jupiter. That's how he rolls, and as happy as I am about the help he'll give me, I'm not planning on making any of our cats a space monkey.
They need to include a rubber mallet with the wheel. You just can't leave it to chance that people are pushing things together well enough for the wheel to be true. I used a rubber mallet through my initial assembly, and again on my re-assembly to get results that were going to be a long shot to achieve by putting things together by hand.
The last part that has shortcomings is the base. In itself there wouldn't be any issues if everything else was perfect and the cat going for a morning jog was evenly dispersing their weight and force. In the real world, whenever a bump is introduced or greater left/right force there is flex in the base. When one side of the base flexes, so does the other. At the conclusion of whatever caused the base to flex, we have positive feedback as the base attempts to it's resting point.
What this base flexing leads to is yaw oscillation otherwise known as speed wobble. When the wobble gets bad enough it also introduces roll oscillation which is where some may have seen it come off the base, or as Chris and I experienced some drag and slowing of the wheel. Pretty much works the same way as speed wobble would occur on a skateboard and the remedy should have been adding two additional frame rails. Still the need for a dampener for yaw correction, but the two additional rails would have been an easy route to make things function a whole lot better.
An example,
Minor issue, the wheel is just louder than it needs to be. The track pad could be a little thicker and denser while there also needs something to deaden sound on the outside of the wheel.
So now what to do about the fixes. To keep the base from flexing, I'm just going to place a 1" x 12" board between the bases, 31.5" long. This could be enough to combat the speed wobble, although the ideal solution is to introduce a yaw dampener. For the sound dampening I think I'll just use some packing material and shrink-wrap then cover them with material so the cats don't un-stuff the wheel.
I think I'll have my Dad over soon to have a look so he can draw up something that will be complete overkill but spinning so true that it could be a primary part on a NASA space probe heading to Jupiter. That's how he rolls, and as happy as I am about the help he'll give me, I'm not planning on making any of our cats a space monkey.
I think you and Chris Elliott should get together and develop the perfect wheel. Sounds like you two know what it takes. Are you providing feedback to the company about what you've found?
John Popp
Site Supporter
I wish I would have thought of the one part to this that OFC did, because if I had there just might be a better product brought to market. I did get rig of the serious wonkiness, although that doesn't mean there still aren't issues. Also I am now having a hard time getting Dino back on the wheel as he wasn't partial to the jerkiness. Ándale is space monkey II, just some major differences in weights. Also some major differences in attention spans as once there's a sound, he needs to jump off and look.
I haven't sent them feedback yet, but will when I have my modifications done. Right now it's functional after some intervention and only the parts out of the box, just could be a whole lot better.
I haven't sent them feedback yet, but will when I have my modifications done. Right now it's functional after some intervention and only the parts out of the box, just could be a whole lot better.
Chris Elliott
Savannah Super Cat
SFKSEQL? Really? John, all secret laboratories /must/ have a cool acronym.
John Popp
Site Supporter
Thanks for making me laugh Chris, it's been a tough day. Packing up all the rental stuff from flatware to end tables, beds and dressers. Of course we don't have everything replaced yet, but we are doing a pretty good inventory. Kind of like when you had your first truly own place.
Also on the acronym, when you use it in a sentence everybody nods their head like they know what you're talking about.
Oh and I think I need to make it CSFKSEQL for the Clandestine Skunkworks FraunkinKat Secret Experimental Quarantine Laboratory. That acronym carries a really big stick!
Also on the acronym, when you use it in a sentence everybody nods their head like they know what you're talking about.
Oh and I think I need to make it CSFKSEQL for the Clandestine Skunkworks FraunkinKat Secret Experimental Quarantine Laboratory. That acronym carries a really big stick!
Last edited:
Chris Elliott
Savannah Super Cat
I had a house fire in '95. Fortunately, no one was home, and the cats were both outside. The home was a total loss. And I had designed the house and a friend's crew built it.
I spent 6 months looking for a place closer to my ex's house, making shared custody easier, living out of a variety of temporary housing, while a neighbor fed my cats.
I eventually found the house I'm in now. Amazingly, State Farm agreed to insure this home as well.
I'm not saying I know your pain, but I've been through maybe a touch of it. Best wishes to all of you.
John Popp
Site Supporter
Well you know the drill Chris. A series of challenges, always with emotions attached. Might have been easier to just keep renting the stuff, but not a single thing we would have actually picked out or have any emotional attachment with. Anyway, it's almost better to get to ground zero on the stuff, despite some items being in storage at the cleaners.
Back to the cat wheel, I think I am going to really push them for some sort of remedy to this. When I first saw the Catswall Hubless Cat Wheel I was pretty sold on the idea. When that proved to be to be too costly and didn't function all that well, I still wanted to get my hands on one to see where they went wrong. In my head you needed at minimum 6 wheels and 8 wheels would probably work better. Just wish I thought of the modular cylinder for the wheel.
A set of spring loaded wheels mounted laterally running on the inside of the wheel would have made a huge difference.
Back to the cat wheel, I think I am going to really push them for some sort of remedy to this. When I first saw the Catswall Hubless Cat Wheel I was pretty sold on the idea. When that proved to be to be too costly and didn't function all that well, I still wanted to get my hands on one to see where they went wrong. In my head you needed at minimum 6 wheels and 8 wheels would probably work better. Just wish I thought of the modular cylinder for the wheel.
A set of spring loaded wheels mounted laterally running on the inside of the wheel would have made a huge difference.