The environment where you are using casters is a critical factor in determining which caster materials to use. You could choose a caster that has more than enough load capacity so that it is not damaged by overloading, but if it can’t handle the necessary operating environment then you are asking for trouble.
You may need a type of grease that can handle extreme temperatures, a coating that can handle corrosive oils and chemicals or a caster that can handle humid environments. Each of these will pose a unique challenge for the type of caster that you choose. In this article we’re going to focus on the importance of choosing the correct caster for use in extremely humid environments.
What to Look For in a Caster for Humid Environments
Although they may not seem like much of a hazard, high humidity environments can cause extreme problems for casters that are not properly designed to handle the humidity. For instance, while a cast iron or steel wheel caster might be ideal for the load capacity you need, these materials will quickly rust and corrode in a humid environment.
Of course, wheel material alone is not the only concern. Choosing a caster with a strong, moisture resistant coating on the main forks, axles and brakes is also an important consideration. Finding the perfect caster that meets all of your needs can be a tricky task, but the team at Douglas Equipment are specialists when it comes to proper caster selection.
Below are several casters that are built to handle humid environments and can be purchased directly from Douglas Equipment.
- Rhombus 380 Medical Equipment Caster: For humid environments the Rhombus 380 Medical Equipment Caster is ideal. This caster is designed to be rust free and easy rolling with precision ball bearings in the fork head and a polyamide white plastic coating for moisture resistance. These casters are designed for cleaning in hospital disinfecting cabinets and are ideal for use on hospital beds, OP beds, and intensive care beds. In order to provide a better locking mechanism, the locks on these casters have a positive wheel lock that holds the side of the caster wheel rather than depending on the condition of the tread to hold the lock. Casters have a capacity of 185 kg and a diameter of 150 mm.
- Darcor Super Roll Hospital Casters: One caster application that will commonly see moisture and humidity is in a hospital. These hospital casters from Darcor are up to the challenge. With over 60 years experience supplying hospital casters, Darcor has designed this caster to work on hospital beds, crash carts, portable ultrasound machines, kitchen equipment and medicine carts. For a non-marking wheel, Darcor uses neoprene wheels for use on any floor surface. For locking the caster, a cam action tread locking mechanism can easily engage or disengage the brake with a touch of your foot. The corrosion resistant finishes available are a nickel chrome finish and a zinc finish. Capacities are 275 lbs. and 325 lbs using 4” wheels or 5” wheels respectively.
Why Is Purchasing Wholesale Casters Better Than Retail?
When it comes to finding the right caster for a unique job, it is best to turn to wholesale providers if at all possible. Retail outlets are great if you need a very common item and know exactly what you want, but if you are looking for a caster that will satisfy a unique set of criteria then shopping retail will often not provide what you need.
The problem is that a retail outlet will need to keep stock of items to sell and often times stock a showroom floor. With limited resources available, a retailer will typically stock only the most common items that will sell quickly. If you are looking for something specific, like a moisture resistant caster, the retailer will not likely keep this item in stock if it’s not a regular seller among their retail customers.
At Douglas Equipment we work directly with major caster manufacturers, and have access to everything in their entire stock catalogs, rather than relying on what a purchasing manager may think will sell quickly. For you, this means that we will not pigeon hole you into a caster that we have in stock in order to make a sale. Instead we will listen to your needs and find the ideal caster for your unique application.
The Biggest Problem with Retail
The biggest problem with retail is usually the price. When you walk into a showroom to look at products there is a direct cost to having the many products on display, as well as keeping an inventory of common products on hand and paying a sales representative to walk around the showroom. You may walk out with a product right away, but it will often be more expensive.
By dealing directly with the customer and the caster manufacturers we can greatly reduce the cost you will pay for your casters. With our more direct business model we can reduce the amount of overhead seen with most retail merchants. Since we’re able to work with the caster companies directly we can also get much better prices due to our large volume compared to if you simply called them directly.
For the Best Casters at Wholesale Prices
No matter if you need casters for humid environments or any other application, if you are looking for the best casters at the best prices the place to turn is Douglas Equipment. We have been in the quality caster and material handling equipment business for almost 60 years and in this time we have made the partnerships necessary to get you the best prices from our large list of manufacturers. We are confident that we can help you find the right type of caster at a price that is within your budget.
Since we are located in South Florida we can easily ship products out to South America and the Caribbean as well as provide exceptional service for our customers throughout the entire United States. If you are ready to find your next set of casters,feel free to reach out to us toll free at 1-800-451-0030 or through our convenient online contact form.
