Your Colson casters are designed to be reliable and resilient, but they won’t last forever. If your working environment is a tough one, then your casters are going to wear out eventually. When that happens, it’s time to invest in new Colson casters.
The question is when should you replace your Colson casters? If you wait until your casters fall off of the items that they are designed to transport, or simply fall to pieces, then you’ll likely have to replace more than just your casters.
Here are a few ways in which you can tell if it is time to consider replacing your old casters with new ones.
Pedal to the Metal
If you are working in an environment where metal is being formed, then it’s very likely your production floor is littered with metal shavings. You’ll also be used to the notion that your casters attract metal shavings as though they were magnetic. Pretty soon after installing them, your caster treads will be choked with metal, and they will stop running smoothly.
If you want your Colson Casters to last a long time when you work in an environment with significant metal debris, then consider using casters with a polyurethane tread, such as Colson’s Hi-Tech, Aluminum or Cast Iron casters. These casters are resistant to the effects of embedded metal, meaning they will maintain their high-performance standards for much longer.
Sticky when Wet
Are your casters working in places where there is a lot of moisture or liquids? Perhaps your casters transport items externally, meaning they encounter the damper elements like rain, ice or snow on a frequent basis. Perhaps they work in an environment where there’s oil or chemical fluids.
If so, you will find that the wrong type of caster will cause you all sorts of problems. If you have chosen casters with treads that are phenolic (a form of plastic) then you will find they are hydrophobic – they do not react well when they come into contact with water. If you work in a damp environment, then you need to select casters that work well when wet.
If you can afford to invest in pneumatic treads, or in Colson’s range of stainless steel casters, then you will be saving yourself money in the long run.
The Sound of Silence
A production floor can be a hazardous environment. You need to keep hazards down to a minimum, and one hazard that is often thought unimportant is noise pollution. Not only can excessive noise cause hearing damage, it can also cause psychological problems and cause members of your workforce to become less attentive to what is going on around them.
Your casters may be contributing to any noise pollution problems you may have. If your transportation items have casters that have been worn down, then they are probably making much more noise than they did when they were first installed.
If your casters were too noisy from the get-go, then that’s a sign that the wrong casters have been used. If you wish to have casters that keep their noise levels down to a minimum, try Colson Caster’s range of ‘Trans-forma HD’ casters. These casters can cope with heavy-duty demands but offer a quiet ride.
The Unkindest Cut of All
One of the most common causes of caster failure is the loss of ball bearings. Over time your casters will loosen, and of course they can become damaged. This is one of the most obvious signs that your casters need replacing – when they are loose, or have gaps. Such gaps allow the ball bearings to escape and become lost.
If your caster loses a ball bearing or two, then it will become stiff. If it loses all its ball bearings, then the caster will simply refuse to swivel. We’re sure you’ve encountered the uncooperative supermarket trolley cart at one time or another! Any item that is designed to be moved around on casters that has ‘lost their bearings’ will become just as difficult to maneuver!
When your Colson casters are so badly worn or damaged that they are losing their ball bearings, you really have no option but to replace them as soon as possible.
When Push Comes to Shove
Most items that are mounted on casters are designed with hand operation in mind. This means they are designed to be maneuvered by hand, as opposed to being motorized.
As any production floor worker will tell you, there is perhaps nothing worse than attempting to maneuver something that doesn’t want to be moved. Having to do so not only causes fatigue, and it also can lead to physical problems such as back strain.
You can attempt to make non-cooperative casters more friendly with the application of a touch of grease, but if that doesn’t help matters then something has gone seriously wrong with the caster – perhaps there are flat spots on the wheel, or the bearings have failed.
If something that used to effortlessly glide across the production floor now takes three grown men to shove it an inch, then it’s time to replace your Colson casters.
About Colson
Colson really knows plenty about casters – and so they should as they’ve been in the caster-making business since 1885! While in business, Colson has created over two hundred thousand different type of casters for all types of applications and environments. In short, if your business requires casters for any type of operation imaginable, then you simply can’t go wrong sourcing your casters from Colson.
Here at Douglas Equipment we stock many of the best casters from Colson’s extensive catalog, including specialty casters for unusual or unique production needs. To discuss the type of Colson casters that we feel will be best for your business, contact us today at 800-451-0030 or 305-888-3700 if you are resident in the Miami area. If you’d prefer, you are also welcome to contact a member of our sales team through our online contact form.
