Choosing the Right Heavy Duty Caster. Are They Strong Enough?
If you operate in the industrial, medical, or commercial industry, you’ll know how challenging it is to move heavy equipment and machinery from one location to another. Aside from being time-consuming, this task can put your employees’ health and safety at risk.
One of the smartest investments you can make as an entrepreneur is to buy and use heavy duty casters. A caster is an undriven wheel that is meant to be attached to the bottom of a large or bulky object, enabling it to move easily. Casters will also give you a free range of motion, making it easier for you to turn whenever you’re moving equipment.
In order to choose the right heavy duty casters, however, it’s important to consider the following:
1.Load Weight and Wheel Size
Before you start looking for manufacturers who produce casters, you should first determine the combined weight of the equipment and its maximum load. This is essential to consider when choosing heavy duty casters, as buying ones that can’t support the weight of your load will be useless.
Generally, the greater the load weight is, the larger wheel required for the casters. Using casters with larger wheels can evenly distribute the weight of your load and allow it to roll more easily on the floor. Larger wheels will also help you to move even with floor obstructions.
2.Wheel Choice
Heavy duty caster wheels come in many different materials but are classified into two types: hard tread wheels and soft tread wheels.
When choosing between the two, consider the condition of the surfaces you’re going to be working with. Hard tread wheels are ideal for soft and smooth floors, while soft tread wheels work best on rough and hard floors. Soft tread wheels are also better if you’re going to transport heavy materials or equipment outdoors.
You should pay attention to all special floor conditions, namely dock plates, elevator thresholds, gutters, grates, tracks, and seams. If your work environment has any of these floor conditions, it’s best that you invest in larger wheels as these have a greater ability to roll over obstacles.
3.Extreme Climates
Linco’s heavy duty casters can support loads of over 600 pounds, but this doesn’t mean that they’re indestructible. On the contrary, the performance and lifespan of your casters will also depend on the climate they’re exposed to. Extreme cold or heat, for example, can cause deformities in your casters and can become the reason why they compress or flatten out.
If your working environment requires a certain temperature to operate every day, check out the following wheel types:
●1200LBS Capacity Business Machine Caster: These wheels are ideal for environments with high heat (+180 degrees). They’re built for high capacity applications, such as moving around computer racks, vending machines, and server cabinets.
●6" Blickle Locking Swivel Caster: These wheels can easily operate in steel tracking even with minimal rolling effort and guidance. This type of wheel can withstand extreme temperatures of up to 100 degrees, and even colder temperatures of -25 degrees C.
●Blickle Heavy Duty Locking Swivel Caster 4": With an operating temperature of -15 degrees to 160 degrees C, these wheels are excellent options for different surfaces.
●Colson Heavy Duty Red Polyurethane Swivel Caster on Cast Iron Wheel 8": These wheels are designed to withstand high temperatures (up to 180 degrees). They’re ideal for moving equipment and tools that weigh over a thousand pounds.
●Blickle Easy Roll Locking Swivel Caster: Made from elastic solid rubber tires, these wheels offer easy start-up and excellent durability. They can work even in environments with temperatures of -25 degrees to 80 degrees C.
4.Rolling Ease
Aside from making sure that the casters you buy can support the weight of the equipment or machine you move around, you also have to consider if they're easy to roll. Casters that require too much effort to move will cause inconvenience and even injuries.
When choosing heavy duty casters, don’t forget to check the rollability. Ideally, you should choose casters that have larger wheel diameters and are made from harder wheel masters as these are easier to roll. Moreover, casters made from hard thread wheels are easy to move as long as you don’t exceed the load capacity. Premium rubber wheels, on the other hand, can easily move even when loaded to full capacity.
Make Careful Decisions
Several manufacturers sell heavy duty casters today, which is why choosing one can be tough. This is especially true if you’ve never invested in casters in the past. To make the process easier for you, use the information in this article as your guide for choosing the right heavy duty casters.
You won’t have any problems buying for your business if you know what factors to consider when choosing. View our range of heavy duty casters today!