Ashford Leather Conrod Joint - Pre-1989 Traditional and Traveller Wheels

The flat leather joint that connects the conrod to the treadle on older Ashford spinning wheels. Ashford's own Traditional timeline puts the change at 1989, when the leather joint was replaced by a round polyurethane connector, so this is the part for a wheel built before then.

Which joint does your wheel take

If you do not know your wheel's age, look at the bottom of the conrod where it meets the treadle. The joint itself tells you.

• Flat leather strap, a screw through each end. Built before 1989. That is this part.
• Round clear or cream tube. Built 1989 to 2012. You want the Ashford Flex Conrod Joint, and it helps to note your wheel model in the order notes.
• Black moulded joint that snaps into the treadle slot. Built 2012 or later. You want the Ashford Poly Conrod Joint.

Worth knowing: Ashford's packaging on this part says "prior to the mid 1980s," but their published Traditional timeline says 1989, and there is no change recorded between 1983 and 1989. Go by what the joint looks like.

This is the joint, not the rod

The conrod is the wooden rod running from the crank down to the treadle. This part is the leather joint at the end of it. If your rod itself is cracked or missing, you need the Old Style Connecting Rod with Leather Slot, which is cut for this joint.

Which wheels take the leather joint

The early Traditional is the most common one to land here. Those wheels use a wooden conrod with a leather joint at the top and at the treadle, and the leather is what gives out first. The early Traveller, the early Elizabeth and the original Kiwi were built the same way. If you are not sure what you have, call us and describe the wheel or send a photo of the treadle end. We are glad to identify it before you spend anything.

Why they fail

Leather dries out and goes brittle with age, then cracks through at a screw hole. A snapped conrod joint is one of the most common reasons a wheel that has been stored for years will not treadle, and it is also one of the cheapest things to put right.

If you are bringing a long-stored wheel back into service, the Ashford Spinning Wheel Maintenance Kit bundles a leather conrod connector with the drive band, brake band, flyer hooks, tension spring and oil, which is usually the whole list an old wheel needs.