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Caster Concepts offers five types of brakes for our casters. The most popular brake is our Poly Lock Brake. This foot-activated brake utilizes a polyurethane lock roller that engages with a steel brake shoe against the wheel’s tread and provides excellent stopping power.
When choosing a brake, certain options require a specific type of bearing in the wheel. For example, our single- and dual-side brakes will only work on roller bearing wheels. And our ergo brake is available on wheels that are two inches wide.
Cam Brake
A Cam Brake is a pedal on the side of the caster and used typically on lighter-duty casters. A cam brake is an inexpensive option that will work on roller bearing and ball bearing wheels. This brake is a hub braking system and does not work on a taper bearing wheel caster. Another advantage of cam brakes is that they mount on any size caster.
Single and Dual Side Brakes for medium to heavy duty casters range from six-inch to twelve-inch sizes. This brake is only available on casters that have roller bearing wheels. The Dual Side Brake is mounted on both sides of the caster and provides safe and efficient holding power for someone on a budget. The Dual Side Brakes must have both sides engaged for the brake to work correctly.
Face Contact Brakes are the only hand-operated brake that Caster Concepts offers. They are excellent when working with heavy loads. A face contact brake requires hand-tightening a T-screw to be engaged. The screw moves a brake shoe closer to the caster wheel’s face until making contact with the wheel. We recommend this brake type in high-temperature applications where our poly lock brake would not be an option. You can use face contact brakes on all diameters and widths of wheels.
Face Contact Brake
Ergo Brakes are foot actuated to eliminate bending and twisting while reducing the risk of injury. This metal brake lever engages and disengages in a single motion. The only downfall of this brake is that it is only available on wheels two inches wide.
Our most popular brake is the Poly Lock Brake. A poly lock roller engages a steel brake shoe against the face of the wheel, providing positive engagement of the tread. Levers can mount in the toe-in or toe-out position. Poly lock brakes can be used on all wheel sizes. However, on a four-inch wheel, there is a possibility of the pedal hitting the floor when engaged. You also don’t want to use poly lock brakes in high-temperature applications above 160 degrees.
Each brake style depends on the application and the size of the caster you are using. Hopefully, this information has helped you to learn about our brake offerings and options.
