#502B-1 Douglas Replacement Plastic Insert for Caster Chairs

My Douglas chairs almost 20 yrs old. I was set to buy the $50 swivel things when I realized these should do the trick. I was hoping the size was universal but NO - off by a fraction (too big) with a little creative gambling (a lighter to melt plastic, gloves to shape smaller & Vaseline) I got them in & all is good! Not sure I'd recommend what I did, but if you're desperate, you can shape the rings to be smaller.

If you have 'wobbly' swivel chairs, this is probably the item you need to fix the situation. I strongly suggest you view one of the 'how to' videos on YouTube for the repair procedures. Basically one steps on one of the chairs 'legs' and 'yanks off the seat part. The plastic insert resides within the leg portion's central tube. Using a wooden dowel, force out the old insert (from the bottom of the chair to the top) and carefully tap in (with a rubber mallet) the new unit. Once seated, you can then drop in the chair seat's swivel & tilt mechanism, and you are back in business...it is that easy. [Again, there are helpful videos on YouTube that illustrate how this is done.]

Bought 2 of these to replace broken inserts on patio chairs. I've replaced the inserts before (same size as these) and had no problems. With these, they were a bit of a problem. I dont know if these were factory seconds or not, but the first plastic ring that goes down into the chair base was too big - the insert would not slide in, or even pound in. I had to use a utility knife to trim the insert a little all the way around before it would fit into the chair base, allowing me to pound it the rest of the way in with a rubber mallet (pounding these in is normal for these inserts - they must fit tightly to prevent seat wobble). After trimming that first ring, they fit fine - no wobble at all. The swivel action is REALLY tight though, which wasn't my experience with previous set I replaced. I'm hoping that it will loosen a bit as the chairs are used. Minus one star for having to trim and the tight swivel action, but not that big a deal, really. Shipping speed was good, and they work, so it's all good.

Can’t complain, because they were the first replacements that I found in years that I could make work. They seemed to be just a little to tight to fit into the opening, but if anyone else runs into the same issue, it was nothing that could not be resolved with a Dremmel Tool with a sanding drum on it. Once that was done, the two broken swivel chairs now work like new.

It took me three times to get the correct size. Amazon was great to accept returns. The sleeve was slightly larger than the diameter of the chair base tube. It did fit over the tilt/swivel mechanism good. Too install the sleeve and tilt/swivel mechanism into the base tube, place the mechanism on a hard concrete surface upside down, align the chair tube over the mechanism. Place a scrap piece of 2" x 4" x approx. 1' long over the chair tube and using a 3lb hammer drive the tube onto the sleeve until it is tight at the bottom. Be aware that during the impact the chair casters may come off. If so just reinsert them when finished. The tilt/swivel chair will now be like new. Be careful to order the correct diameter of the sleeve. The web site only gives the outside diameter of the sleeve and does not tell you the inside diameter of the chair tube it will fit. It is very easy to order the wrong size.

The package arrived 2 days late but likely due to heavy snow in our area. My biggest complaints are the inserts are too brittle and are easily broken while installing. There are no installation instructions. I found a video on YouTube and tried their method but still broke inserts. Finally, I soaked them in hot water which softened them a bit and was able to install without breakage.

The dimensions aren't as exact as the original ones I have. It was a really tight fit to install. Had to moderately drive it in. It's not coming out easily if necessary. Works well so far.

After i you tubed how to do the replacement, The new one fit perfectly i now have a new chair