Finding the right type of caster for your unique needs, and making sure that your first choice is the best choice, can be a daunting task. When you are in this position you want to have the best service professionals on your side to help guide you to the best choice that will meet your needs. Quality customer service is the difference between saving time and money, finding the right product the first time, as opposed to floundering around trying to decide on the best option. This top of the line customer service is why purchasing managers select Douglas Equipment over everyone else for their material handling needs.
What Size Caster Do You Need for Your Task at Hand?
Knowing the type of load the casters will bear is important when picking the right caster for the job. Do you need a light duty caster that can handle up to 500 pounds, medium duty casters that can handle between 500 -1000 pounds, or heavy duty casters that can handle ranges from 1500 pounds all the way up to 10,000 pounds for some serious hauling capacity? If you are a purchasing manager looking to buy a caster, you do not want to worry about which supplier handles different classes of casters. Douglas Equipment has access to them all.
- Strong Man TSH: These heavy-duty steel welded casters are the absolute master in their class when it comes to material quality and processing. Made by Rhombus, these casters include a special turntable with a pressed ball track to provide the swivel action and easy maneuverability. Also included are tapered roller bearings, grease-filled to allow for easy rolling and a grease nipple in the fork head for maintenance. This zinc passivated caster will easily carry a load capacity of 1400kg.
Will Your Casters See Extreme Conditions?
Not every caster is made for high temperatures, high speed or even use in the rough terrain of an outdoor driveway. This is why we carry not only casters for the office or casters or warehouse, but many specialty casters that can see extreme punishing conditions without causing failure.
- Blickle Wheels with Pneumatic Tyres, pressed Steel Rims: The Blickle P-wheel series are resistant to many aggressive substances except oils and have operating temperatures of -25C to 50C and with a reduced load capacity that can handle maximum speeds of up to 16 km/h. These casters include pneumatic tyres with ribbed or zig-zag profiles, 2 or 4-ply rating and inner tubes. Bearings are either a corrosion resistant plain bore, or roller bearings that are lubricated with long-life grease. Rim options include pressed steel that is bolted or welded with a welded tubular steel hub, zinc plating, or blue passivation. Wheel diameters are 180mm to 300mm with load capacities of 75kg to 180kg.
Different Caster Mounting for Different Applications
Casters can be mounted in different ways to attach them to the cart you want to use, and it is important to know how you want this to be done when choosing your casters. You would not want to purchase a threaded caster when the mounting on the cart is for a press fit stem or even a bolt on mounting. Some casters have several different options for mounting on the same caster design, but you need to keep this in mind when purchasing casters.
- Colson Series 2 Casters with ThermoTech Wheels: These wheels provide quiet rolling and non-marking floor protection that can handle extreme heat. The series 2 caster comes with the mounting options of top plate mounting or different thread mounting designs. All casters are made with a zinc-plated finish that is attractive and durable with full double ball bearing raceways for better performance and greater durability. ‘Colson 45’ multi-temp grease can be used to lubricate even in extreme hot and cold temperatures for greater convenience and long life. Wheel sizes range from 2 ½” to 5” with load capacities from 125 – 325 pounds.
What Wheel Type Do You Need on Your Caster?
In order to protect both your floor and the caster wheel, it is important to pick the right wheel material. If you choose incorrectly, you could damage your floor or cause early failure of the caster that are both expensive to fix. So, what type of wheel material should you choose?
For a hard floor like hardwood or concrete, pick a soft material such as a performa rubber, phenolic or soft neoprene. This will protect your floor from damage that could be caused by a harder material wheel. For a soft floor like a carpet, choose a hard material like cast iron or steel so that the caster wheel will roll easily on the soft flooring rather than becoming stuck. Lastly, if you are using the caster in uneven conditions like a gravel driveway, look at a pneumatic or semi-pneumatic wheel that can take this punishment.
- Darcor Pneumatic Wheels: These fully pneumatic wheels come with a separate inner tube and wheel discs of heavy gauge metal. Wheel diameters include 8”, 10”, 16” & 18” with respective load capacities of 300 pounds, 350 pounds, 750 pounds and 900 pounds. The 8” and 10” models come with roller bearings in the wheel disc and the 16” and 18” come with tapered bearings. Lubrication is applied through a nipple in the hub, and there is an option to have a polyurethane filling. Maximum air pressure to apply differs by the size of the wheel.
Find Out the Difference That Matters at Douglas Equipment
If you are looking for top quality service when choosing the right caster for your needs there is only one place to turn: Douglas Equipment. Douglas has been in the business of quality casters and material handling equipment since 1955 and in this time our quality service team has learned what it takes to find the right caster that our customers need to save both time and money. We are confident that we can help you find the right type of caster for your needs at a price that is affordable.
We can be contacted online where one of our service professionals will get back to you as soon as possible with all the answers and advice you need to make the right decision. If you are local to South Florida you can also call us at 305-888-3700, and national customers can call us toll free at 800-451-0030. If you are ready to find out why purchasing managers select Douglas Equipment over everyone else call us now.
