If you saw Friday’s Post . You got a sneak peak at the latest addition to my herd of wheels. I found this sweet little hitchhiker wheel.
front of hitchhiker wheel
She spins great. This was the first time I ever used a wheel that is tension driven. The feel is a bit different than a drive band wheel. The foot action is truly a push toe, push heel. I think that will change if I ever decide to add the second treadle. For now I think it’s endearing as is.
back of hitchhiker spinning wheel
I mentioned earlier that this is a tension driven wheel. What that means is there is no drive band. A large wheel is butted up against a smaller rubber wheel that turns the flyer.
To change ratios with this wheel there are different sizes of rubber wheels. I’ve tried the different ratios and this little wheel can do 7:1, 9:1, and 13:1.
ratio wheels for hitchhiker
I would definitely recommend this wheel for the spinner who is on a budget. At 299 it’s a steal and it can grow with you. The wheel is set up to use Ashford bobbins and flyers. It is also airline compatible. You can check out this 9 pound travel wheel at Merlin Tree.
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Tags: buying a spinning wheel, hitchhiker spinning wheel, hitchhiker wheel, spinning, spinning fiber, spinning fiber roving, spinning fleece, spinning wheel, spinning wool by hand
