Flexible-Flyer... down a mountain road.

getback wrote:That is wild I have never seen one configured that way as to use it summer and winter ?! You stole that sled LOL  

Hey Eric! I didn't know much about these baby sleds before finding this one. I knew that they were produced.. but the retractable-wheels...  

The retractable wheel-linkage needs more work. It had been worked-on by someone before me. Both ends of the axle slide through "S-slotted" brackets on the left and right sides. The axle runs-through a floating Y-shaped steel bracket which moves fore and aft. This bracket extends rearward.. and through a keyhole in another "fixed-bracket". The floating bracket is notched, so as to lock-into the "wheels-down" (Summer) position. A tension-spring holds the axle-bracket in the "wheels-up" (Winter-position) normally.  

Here's a photo of the retractable axle-linkage when I brought the sled home..



and then after making some adjustments.. and replacing the spring..

"axle-retracted"



"axle-applied"



The locking-position which engages the wheels is "high-effort". There's a delicate-balance between the components.. for the mechanism to function as designed. Some people would say; " don't worry about the wheels at all.. it's a sled".. This is true.. but it's nice to have the option to "drop the wheels" where there's sidewalks/parking-lots that have been cleared.

Those wheels BTW.. were made from some very dense rubber.. similar to what would be used for rubber-caster wheels. They are like little hockey-pucks with axle-holes drilled through!