Can you get replacement wheels or posts for protocol luggage?

Answer 1

If you have the spinner type caster the answer is no. These are considered non-replaceable. The steel shafts of the casters are swaged in place and can not be removed.

I have a 28" Spinner by American Tourister. AT has now changed the design so that the caster assembly on each of the four wheels is held into place by three large screws. If a caster breaks, the whole piece can be removed by unscrewing the assembly and replacing it with a new one. The best part is, you don't have to go find someone to do it for you. If you have a Phillips screwdriver, you can unscrew all three screws, take the old piece off, put the new one, secure it in place with the screws and go on about your business. I carry a spare replacement caster and a Phillips screwdriver in my suitcase for the inevitable time that it will break.

Answer 2

If you can get to the bottom of the rivet, you can use a power drill to drill off the part of the flange that was expanded to hold the rivet in place. If you can't get to the bottom of the rivet, there's really no way to get the rivet off without destroying whatever you're trying to repair. I sacrificed a Wenger Patriot wheeled briefcase / computer bag to science in the process of trying to replace a wheel that had worn out bearings. Wenger said it wasn't user serviceable, and they were right. You have to destroy the back to expose the back of the riveted axle for the wheels. I did finally get it off enough to get access and grind off the wheel rivet, but I had to break the custom caps on the two part rivets holding the plastic assembly on in the process. These could have been replaced with decorative screws, but after putting in more than 1/2 hour to tear the thing up, it's not worth the savings you might get from putting on new wheels vs. just buying a new bag. Bottom line...if you can't easily get to the rivet to drill it out, the bag's worn out and needs to be replaced.