Pneumatic tires are a popular wheel option in industrial caster applications. Pneumatic tires are wheels with a metal hub with a rubber tire mounted to it. Instead of being solid in nature, the tire is filled with air or foam to the desired pressure level to achieve the appropriate load and deflection characteristics.
There are many benefits to using this type of wheel, as well as a few drawbacks. This article will discuss the pros and cons of using pneumatic tires in your caster application.
Pneumatic tires have many benefits in industrial caster applications. The main benefit is the ability to absorb shock loads from impacts and cushion the load.
Adding polyurethane into the mix can be a cost-effective choice under the right circumstances, especially in indoor applications.
Pneumatic casters are still the best possible choice for loads that will need to move outdoors or over imperfections in flooring. They provide better traction, a smoother ride, and less friction than their counterparts, even when the terrain is bumpy and rough.
Polyurethane casters have one huge benefit over their pneumatic counterparts: load capacity. For example, if a caster must have a capacity of 5000 pounds, the polyurethane caster to support such a weight would be much smaller than a pneumatic caster with the same capacity.
In short, pneumatic tires can provide some great benefits such as shock-absorption and the ability to go off-road. The drawbacks are that they are a little harder to get moving, and their extended leads also present an increased chance of flutter. However, considering these factors when choosing a pneumatic tire, greatly increases your chances of success.