There is nothing worse when working in the service industry to find that your serving carts are leaving streaks on your floors. This can be particularly disastrous if you work in a mobile business like catering. Damaging your client’s flooring is a good way to ensure that you will never get another job from them. It is important to consider not only what kind of service you are providing, but also what kind of lasting impact you might leave while performing your job. Making sure that your service carts leave no marks or cause no other damage to the floor is one thing to consider when purchasing a service cart and/or caster wheels.
At Douglas Equipment we are experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to selling casters and material handling products. We have been working in this business since 1955 and we’ve learned a thing or two. We are based in South Florida and are one of the largest providers of high quality casters, wheels, and other material handling equipment such as service carts, hand trucks, and pallet jacks. While we spend a great deal of time working with clients in the hospitality, hotel, and restaurant industries, we also work with residential clients. Everyone needs to move something from time to time, and we want everyone to be able to purchase a high quality and affordable product from us. Not only do we service South Florida and the rest of the United States, but our location makes it easy for us to quickly ship products to the Caribbean and South America as well.
When it comes to making sure that a service cart leaves no marks on a tile floor, it’s best to consider both the capacity of the caster and the material that makes up the caster wheel.
Some Wheels You Shouldn’t Use
While steel, cast iron, and v groove wheels have their place, they should never be used on a service cart that’s on a tile floor. These wheels are highly shock and abuse resistant, and almost unbreakable. However, these wheels can significantly mark up a floor. Not only will they leave streaks, they will leave cuts and other types of damage that are beyond just being unsightly. Whenever you have a concern about the flooring, do not use these wheels.
Wheels You Should Consider
If you are considering changing the wheels on your service carts, we offer a number of options that can prove helpful. Of course, the floor surface is not the only thing you should think of when selecting the caster wheel. There are other factors within the working environment you should consider.
One of the most universally accepted wheels for the service industry in the hard rubber wheel. This wheel is what you typically see on most service carts. It’s quiet and will not scuff or scratch your floor. Its operating temperature range is -20 degrees F to 160 degrees F. This is consistent with a normal temperature range.
Extreme Temperature Environments
Now, should you find yourself working in an environment that has more extreme temperatures, either hot or cold, the standard hard or soft rubber wheel might not give your the flooring protection it needs. Especially with a high temperature, the rubber wheel might end up creating the very problem it’s designed not to cause: marking the floor.
The phenolic resin wheel has a much higher temperature range. It’s rated from -45 to 250 degrees F. Not only that, but it is impact and moisture resistant as well as resistant to many chemicals as well. So, this wheel material is highly desirable if you are working around water or in a more hazardous environment. We also recommend the Performa rubber wheel, its temperature range is slightly less than the phenolic resin wheel, but it is higher than your standard hard or soft rubber wheel.
Shock and Abuse Intense Environments
Another factor to consider when selecting a caster wheel for your service cart is the amount of shock and abuse the cart may be exposed to. Shock typically means the sudden impact of weight slamming onto the cart, particularly from a height. This can drive the wheels further on to the floor and cause some of the tread to bond to the surface. Should the cart have a large amount of weight, you want to make sure that not only the caster can handle that weight, but the wheel as well.
For these types of conditions, we would recommend three types of wheels. The polyurethane wheel is a good wheel for this because it’s bonded to either an iron core or a polyolefin core depending on your preference and load capacity needs. The wheel design makes it resistant to abrasive wear or being cut. It’s also a good wheel to use around grease and oil. Imagine using a service cart to move parts from a garage onto an auto parts store room.
Another great wheel is the moldon rubber wheel. As the name implies, it’s rubber that is bonded (molded on) to an iron core. This makes the wheel quiet and especially resistant to shock and vibration. The rubber wheel helps keep the floor protected from scratches and streaks.
Last, but not least, we come to the Urethane on Aluminum wheel. This is one of our toughest and most durable wheels. The wheel has a unique urethane formulation making it exceptionally resistant to cutting, abrasions, and chemicals. The wheel has a specially designed interlocking system to protect it against shock and other types of abuse. It protects the floor while also having a high load capacity.
Our Business is Customer Satisfaction
We know that we have just given you a lot of information to digest. So, if you have further questions or just want to talk about the best kind of wheels for your service carts, just pick up the phone or reach us online. We believe that our first priority is making sure our customer gets the product they need. Reach out using the form on our Contact Us page or call (800) 451-0030. Since Douglas Equipment is a local business, South Florida locals can give us a call at (305) 888-3700. Let’s get the right product for you so you can stop leaving skid marks behind!
