Casters do an important job of helping you move loads around, and it is important that they work well based your unique needs. If your casters are not functioning at their highest performance levels,more effort will be required for you and your employees, and this can lead to aches, pains and even strain related injuries. This is why it is important to not only find the right caster for the job, but to also maintain your casters properly during use. No one wants to do more work than necessary when moving a load, and no one wants to deal with a caster that breaks during use.
Check for Problems Before they Happen
Performing a check of your casters is an important part of good caster maintenance. It may not seem like an important task, but something as simple as a string that is wrapped around the caster has the potential of inhibiting the rotation of the caster which can cause problems that can lead to reduced performance or even eventual caster failure during use.
One of the biggest problems to look for is caster damage. Overloading your casters, or applying shock to the casters by dropping aheavy load onto the cart while loading, can cause damage to the casters.There are also other scenarios where casters can cause damage. Floor damage can come from tread damage due to wheel seizure or the caster sustaining a hit by an external object. This will cause the caster to move in ways that are not expected in the design and can cause further damage.
Another consideration is corrosion of the housing or working parts of the caster. Particularly when you are using your casters in a humid environment, or with certain chemicals, corrosion of the caster mechanism can be a problem. When corrosion starts there is not much that can be done except replace the casters, so it is vital that you choose a caster designed for these punishing conditions from the start. Picking the right caster for the task at hand is critical to ensuring ongoing performance.
- Rhombus 380 Medical Equipment Caster: Designed with a corrosion resistant plastic housing of polyamide white, these medical casters are ideal for humid environments. Recommended applications include intensive care beds, hospital beds, and OP beds. These casters are suitable for cleaning in disinfecting cubicles.
Further performance enhancement is provided by precision ball bearings in the fork head that makes these casters rust free and easy rolling. The caster includes an integrated selection mechanism with total locking and directional brake with the selection mechanism continually greased to provide an easily maintained design. The locking mechanism is a positive wheel lock rather than a tread lock so that it is not reliant on friction. The lock engages the central web of the wheel so that the locking action is not dependent on tread condition. Casters are 150mm diameter with a capacity of 185 kg.
Make Sure You Maintain Casters as Required
Some casters require a routine maintenance regime to work properly, such as regular grease application, and if this is the type of caster you have, it is critical that the maintenance be done in a timely fashion. These types of casters require grease to properly roll and rotate, and they have not been manufactured with the grease sealed into the unit. As such it is up to you to make sure that enough grease is maintained in the unit for proper function.
Of course some casters, like the one below, are designed to be maintenance free and would not require this level of routine safeguarding to ensure continued protection:
- Colson Evolution Maintenance Free Casters for Towed Applications: This specialty caster from Colson comes with a zinc-plated finish that is designed for dynamic towing applications and provides for maintenance free operation with a precision swivel raceway and steel top plate for maximum durability. There is no need to grease the wheels on this caster. All wheel options are 8” diameter and 2” wide with material options including Mold-on rubber, Polyurethane HI-TECH, Polyolefin, Performa rubber, Endure Solid Elastomer and cast iron. Capacities range from 500 -1400 lbs.
Along with the requirement to maintain the grease in some casters, you should be reviewing the whole caster to ensure that you do not need to replace the casters for any of the reasons outlined above. If you have casters that are beginning to show signs of extreme wear it is better to replace them early than to wait until you experience catastrophic caster failure which could lead to damage and lost time when you ultimately have to replace the casters.
The Right Place for All Your Caster Needs
The best insurance against caster deterioration and failure is finding the right caster for the job from the beginning. For the kind of customer service and advice you want when choosing a caster for a unique need there is no better place to turn than Douglas Equipment. Our team knows what it takes to satisfy our customers with the perfect product every time. Why settle for less than the best?
Douglas Equipment has been in the business of quality casters and material handling equipment since 1955 and in this time our team of professionals has learned what it takes to provide excellent customer service in choosing the right casters for your unique needs. If you have any questions about which caster is the right one for you Douglas Equipment is only a phone call away.
If you are local to Miami you can call us at 1-305-888-3700, and national customers can call us toll free at 800-451-0030. We can also be contacted online where one of our excellent service professionals will get back to you as soon as possible with the answers and advice you need. When you are ready to pick your next set of quality casters we are here and ready to help in any way possible.
