Casters offer a smooth ride when moving equipment on carts or racks, and make the journey more efficient than trying to move the equipment without the aid of a caster. But some payloads are more sensitive than others and any extreme shock can cause problems. This is when a caster that is spring loaded can help reduce the shock seen by certain equipment.
Spring loaded casters use a spring to absorb the motion and shock that occur when moving equipment on a cart of rack. Through the designed deformity of the spring, the cart surface will move up and down with the motion created by moving the cart so that the payload itself will experience a much smoother ride on the surface of the cart. In this way, very delicate payloads will experience a slight up and down motion rather than the jolting and jarring that happens when equipment is transported on a cart with casters.
What Are Some Considerations for Spring Loaded Casters?
Obviously the spring provides the greatest difference in a spring loaded caster from other model casters. Other important things to consider about the spring are how much initial force will be required before the spring will deflect and provide protection, and how much force will cause the spring to bottom out causing the spring to no longer provide any protection?
The expert team at Douglas Equipment can help you work through these questions to make sure that you get a spring loaded caster with the proper pre-loading with the spring and operational force to suit your task at hand. Here are a few of the models that we suggest:
- SHX 1400 Shock Absorbing Low Profile Casters: Designed by Faultless to provide added protection when moving sensitive payloads, these casters have seen extensive testing for a wide variety of impacts and vibration levels that may occur in transportation. They include a shock absorbing mechanism to protect the loads during the temporary capacity excess seen during shock. Casters have a corrosion resistant black oxide standard finish with option of corrosion resistant zinc. Wheels are glass filled nylon, 1 13/16” wide by 3” diameter. Load capacities are offered up to 1600 pounds.
- Albion Contender 141 Series Spring Loaded Casters: These casters from Albion are perfect for the automotive and aviation industries as they protect cargo from damaging shock and unwanted vibration. The dual wheel caster has been designed with features tailored to meet the varied needs of the aviation ground support equipment industry. The unique polyurethane spring design is durable and corrosion resistant, and the solid spring material features no spring coil where debris can jam the spring action. The yellow Dichromate finish is attractive and features better corrosion resistance compared to zinc plating, and the casters have capacities up to 1500 pounds. Wheel sizes are 5”, 6” and 8” with wheel material options of polyurethane on aluminum, high modulus grey, high modulus black, X-tra soft rubber flat tread and X-tra soft rubber round tread.
- Series SP Spring-Loaded Casters: Hamilton’s shock absorbing casters are built on several proven and reliable swivel caster platforms, so there is significant flexibility if you need to match existing bolt patterns or a specific capacity range. The benefits of these casters is their ability to protect delicate cargo from shock and vibration, reducing noise levels, reducing wear on floors and extending caster, wheel and bearing life. Legs on the caster are slotted such that the axle floats up and down as the wheel encounters obstacles, and as the spring is pre-loaded, there is a minimal capacity required to cause the spring to yield. Caster capacities range from 140 – 1630 pounds, and wheels come in diameters of 6”, 8”, 10” and 12”. Wheel materials available include Duralast, Plastex, Poly-Soft, Ultralast and Unilast.
- Spring-loaded Heavy Duty Casters: Blickle manufactures a variety of different casters that include a spring-loaded mechanism, and one of the most powerful is the LSFN-GB Welded Steel Heavy Duty Casters. These casters include a steel spring and a wheel with Blickle Besthane polyurethane tread. These casters are RoHS compliant and have capacities of 800 – 2400 kg. Features include a particularly rugged welded steel construction with a swivel bracket that has an axially grooved ball bearing for durability. The swivel head is dust and splash proof, fitted with a grease nipple, and bolted and secured with a welded, extremely strong king-pin. The rugged hinged plate construction has a maintenance free steel spring mechanism and bolted wheel axle. The construction is zinc-plated, yellow passivated and Cr6-free. Wheel diameters are 160 – 300 mm, and the caster can include a wheel brake and direction lock brake if required.
As you can see, the team at Douglas Equipment has access to many different models of spring-loaded caster. By having access to many different caster manufacturers we can ensure that the selection of casters available will include a caster to suit the different needs of each of our customers. In this way, we’ll be sure to find the right one to suit your exact needs.
When Choosing the Right Spring Loaded Caster Turn to the Experts
Not every caster will do for delicate payloads, and not every caster distributor has the knowledge to help you select the right caster for the task at hand. If you want the right people for the job, don’t hesitate to call Douglas Equipment. We have been in the business of quality casters and material handling equipment since 1955. Our dedicated team of service professionals has acquired the knowledge it takes to find the right caster for your unique needs.
We are confident that we can help you find the right type of caster at a price that is affordable. If you are local to South Florida, call us at 305-888-3700. National customers can call us toll free at 800-451-0030. If you would prefer, we can also be contacted online. One of our service professionals will follow up as soon as possible. We look forward to working with you soon.
