84-016 vs 84-104

Question

One of the tension rollers in my sliding screen door broke. It was a nylon wheel with a nylon axle pin. The axle pin broke.

Your 84-016 and 84-104 both have the proper dimensions. Is there any advantage/disadvantage of the metal roller vs the nylon roller? I'm thinking the metal roller will be more durable and last longer, but don't want to trade that off for ease of operation, better sliding quality or some other issue.

Please advise. Thank you in advance for your assistance!!

Tom · Accepted Answer

You're pretty much right. The steel roller will last longer, but it might be a little rougher on your track. Being that this is a screen door, though, and relatively light, I don't imagine it will be wear your track down any time soon. The other disadvantage is that it doesn't hold up well in salt air environments, which shouldn't be an issue for you since you're in Pennsylvania.

Nylon wheels don't have either of those issues but they are weaker. I guess it ultimately comes down to whether you want to replace the track or the wheel in 15 years time.