Samsung DA61-04703A Refrigerator Rear Caster Wheel OEM Part

I have a large Samsung 4 door refrigerator. One of the rear wheels broke. To replace it, you need the wheel and the shaft. To lift the refrigerator for the repair, I had my wife stand in front of it with her foot on a board that was wedged against the front wheels. I then pushed the refrigerator up from behind and slid a 3/4" piece of plywood underneath the bottom with my foot. This gives you enough space to do the repair. After removing the back cover, it's best just to knock out the broken wheel with a chisel and hammer. This exposes the center of the shaft where you need to cut. I used a Ridgid Jobmax with a bimetal blade to cut through the shaft. This is the worst part because the shaft is solid metal and it took a little while. After the shaft was gone, I removed the bolt and rubber cushion that hold down one corner of the condenser. Unfortunately, you have to do this in order to slide the new shaft in, but it is easy to put back on. I put the new wheel and shaft on and crimped the end of the shaft with a pair of pliers, and that was it.

Used the video with the parts and replaced the wheels. The only thing we did wrong was using the front wheel axle instead of the back wheel axle on the back wheels. I will just order two more front wheel axles which are longer than the back axle. Thank you for the video, it made this repair easier.

The hardest part was cutting the old axles with a hacksaw after I lifted the rear with air shims. I had to feed the new axles from the inside toward the outside, with the flat part of the axle on the inside, because it's impossible to go from the outside in. There is not enough room to straighten the axles enough to feed them through, so I had to make special accommodations. On the right side, I used a screwdriver to gently pry up the condenser drip pan just enough to get the axle under it and straight enough to feed through the holes and the new caster. On the left side, I had to use a socket (1/4" ratchet 12mm socket IIRC) to remove one of the bolts holding the compressor to the bottom of the fridge (and surrounded by a rubber bushing). With that out of the way, I was then able to straighten the axle enough to feed it through the holes and the new caster. The bolt easily ratcheted back in place. There is no nut underneath to worry about. Other how-to videos and reviews state that it is necessary to drill holes in the axles and use cotter pins to secure them in place. But, I had no trouble whatsoever with manually crimping the open ends of the axles with a channel lock so that they stay secure. That was so much less work than having to drill and manage cotter pins.

After watching your provided videos, I decided I could order the parts and fix them myself. I am a woman in my sixties. I ordered front and rear casters and axles. I also needed to purchase some cotter pins. There was a little prep work as explained in the videos. I had to drill a hole in the axles to accommodate a cotter pin to hold the axle on in lieu of crimping the end of it. I had to empty out the fridge to make it light enough for me to tip the fridge up to one side to access the casters. I then used a hacksaw to remove the old axles. After taking a long time to saw through the first axle, I found that the axle was solid on the head end and hollow on the crimped end. I sawed through the remaining three on the crimped end and it went faster to saw through them. After the old axle was removed, it was pretty easy to install the new one with the exception of bending the cotter pin as shown in the video. I think if there were a second person around that could help tip the fridge a little higher that I was able to tip it, the task would have been a little easier. I am very satisfied about my repair experience because the info you provided in your videos allowed me to complete the repair myself. I not only have new casters installed, but I have the satisfaction of having completed it myself. I think it was a little difficult just because I am not an extremely strong person, and I was doing it by myself.

Removed the old wheel and axle assemblies and replaced with new parts.