The Hardware

The Leach wheel has several specially fabricated metal parts. There is a 1" diameter steel shaft, a 13" diameter aluminum wheel head, an adjustable treadle support bracket, a pivot bolt with grease fitting, and other support brackets. A master machinist fabricates and machines all of these parts. Precise machining of all parts allows the wheel head and the flywheel to rotate smoothly without run-out or wobble. The shaft has a taper at the top to receive the tapered wheel head hole and is machined top and bottom for bearings. The flywheel flange is machined at 90 degrees to the shaft. All of the hardware used is chosen for quality and durability.