Casters by Application

Industrial Casters – What’s Right for Your Application?

Different applications require a particular caster to achieve a robust solution. A few of these applications include high-speed towing by a machine, fork truck, or tugger, such as moving an airframe maintenance stand across the tarmac or transferring components to an assembly line. They also include transporting heavy loads—like moving a large earth mover chassis from one production area to another of the assembly line. Moving equipment over rough terrain is another type of application. A good example of this is transporting a drone on and off the tarmac of an unimproved airfield.

93 Series Spring Loaded Caster

There are also shock-absorbing requirements that must be met when transporting a valuable satellite to the launch facility for loading or transporting a prefab building over the job site ground. These conditions require the wheels to always be in contact with the ground so that weight is evenly distributed and the structure is adequately supported.

For track and conveyor systems, v-groove, flanged, or keyway wheels may be the correct solution for this type of application. We also have casters designed to stand up to high heat conditions of 350° F and even higher.

Caster Concepts offers a wide variety of casters for any application.  Let us custom-design a caster for your specific requirements.

Weight Considerations.

Once you’ve identified your site conditions  (high speeds, heavy loads, rough terrain, shock absorption, or extreme environments), you then need to determine how much weight your industrial casters are going to move. When calculating load capacity, factor in the full weight of your load, including cart weight. Once you have determined the total load weight, you want to include a safety factor. This means that if you have a cart with four wheels, your casters should have a load capacity that is high enough that the entire load can safely be moved on only three wheels. (Floors aren’t always even, so there may be times when only three wheels will be touching the floor at the same time).

Selecting Your Casters.

Once you have a better idea of the industrial casters you need based on your answers to the questions above, now comes decisions on whether you need a rigid caster or a swivel caster in a kingpin, kingpinless, or maintenance-free design. A kingpin caster features a kingpin that holds together two sets of bearings and allows for adjustment as the swivel section wears and allows the user to restrict the swivel so the caster doesn’t swivel freely in certain cases. This design can extend the caster’s life. However, this type of caster is not good for applications that involve high-impact loading.

A kingpinless caster eliminates the kingpin, spreading the load over a larger area so it can be towed at higher speeds. Kingpinless casters also remove the primary failure point — the kingpin.  The third type is maintenance-free and is best for ease of movement and eliminating routine caster maintenance.

Selecting Your Industrial Caster Wheels.

92A HPPT Polyurethane Tread for high-speed applications.

Selecting your industrial wheels is next. This step is heavily influenced by your caster applications. For high-temperature settings, steel or high-temp plastic casters are best. If maintaining floor conditions is priority 1, you will want a softer polyurethane. To roll easier, you can use a larger polyurethane wheel.  To keep the overall height down, steel and Nytec caster wheels handle heavier loads in a smaller size.

If you have any questions, contact a solutions specialist who is trained to analyze your material transport needs and determine the optimal solution for your application.

Caster Add-Ons.

Safety is also an important part of the equation. To keep operators safe and cargo secure, Caster add-ons such as brakes, swivel locks, and toe guards should also be included:

– Brakes lock the wheels in place to prevent carts from rolling.
– Swivel locks will lock the swivel section in place to help maneuverability and movement.
– Toe guards wrap around the caster to prevent injuries, such as the keeping the cart from rolling over the operator’s feet.

For other considerations when selecting your caster wheel, click here or view the casters below.