Casters are wheeled housings that make it possible to attach wheels to a large object. If you look around you, you'll see that they're everywhere: low profile casters with swivel locks are found on office chairs and shopping carts, while heavy-duty casters with a central caster locking system may be used for hospital beds. Industrial casters are used for material handling in manufacturing facilities.
How To Choose The Right Caster Wheels?
Choosing the right caster wheels for your use case involves a few considerations:
Rigid Wheel Casters Vs. Swivel Wheel Casters
First, do you need rigid or swivel wheel casters? Swivel casters are the way to go if the object needs to be easily maneuverable in a tight space. These use a kingpin or system of ball bearings to allow the wheel to rotate freely. Furniture casters, such as those used on office chairs, are almost always swivel casters, often with polyurethane wheels and stems.
Rigid wheel casters are tougher and have a higher weight capacity, but they're mounted on forks that don't turn. As a result, the object only moves along one track most of the time. Often, medium-duty and light-duty carts will feature four rigid casters in a diamond configuration, with a slightly larger wheel diameter on the center wheels compared to the front and back. This allows the cart to rotate on the center wheels.
Plate Casters Vs. Threaded Stem Casters
Next, do you need plate casters or threaded stem casters? All stem casters swivel, whereas top plate casters may be rigid. If you have a choice in how you mount your casters, especially if you want a low-cost option, top plate model casters are the best option for you.
Wheel Material
One more very important consideration is wheel material. Harder materials, such as polyurethane, are best for smooth and hard surfaces, such as concrete floors. Pneumatic casters are a safe bet for saving your floors, and casters with soft rubber wheels fare better on the debris-covered floor of a workroom. Stainless steel casters with steel wheels are a good option for medium-to-high load capacity. Polyolefin wheels are a great low-cost, high-durability catch-all option that can easily withstand water and chemicals and offer better abrasion resistance than hard rubber wheels.
Check out our fantastic selection and choose from the casters available at Acme Tools from popular brands, including EZ Roll Casters, JET Tools, and more.
