Ma
king Movement Easier
When it comes to moving things, there are many ways to make the overall job easier. One of those ways is the use of casters. Casters are small and often overlooked movement accessories that greatly increase the speed and efficiency of any movement job. With today’s technology there are a variety of basic options and specialty options available to suit the needs of any type of job. From light needs to heavier needs, there is a caster that will do the job.
A Caster for Any Job
Casters are available in many different shapes, sizes, weights and material and there are plenty of options that are suitable for use in many different types of industries. The first distinguishing factor of the standard options is the designator of light, medium or heavy. These designations refer to the weight load capacity that they can handle, not to the casters themselves. Because of the small size of casters, it can often be a misperception that they are only able to handle a small load. However, this is far from the truth, especially with improved technology in material usage and design construction.
Industries That Require More
If you are in an industry that requires heavy loads to be moved, frequently or not, there is a specific category of casters that is made just for you. For example, the construction industry often has heavier workloads associated with the type of daily business that it engages in and therefore it is useful to utilize the more heavy-duty casters. This will help to ensure that the casters will be able to withstand the often-unexpected workloads and job conditions that occur daily. The heavy-duty options are designed to be more sturdy and durable. They are constructed in a manner and of different types of materials that are made to withstand heavier use and also higher load capacities.
The Details of Heavy Duty Casters
Heavy-duty casters have load capacities ranging from 1250 lbs each to 8000 lbs each. They are available with different mounting options, including top-plate swivel, stainless steel top-plate swivel and kingpinless top-plate swivel. The wheel or ball that actually allows the caster to move is available in many different materials, including: endura solid, forged steel, performa, performa rubber, performa conductive, polyolefin, polyurethane Hi-Tech, phenolic, cast iron, maxim, moldon polyurethane, moldon nylon, moldon rubber, and thermo. Each material is designed for certain uses and therefore, it is best to determine the use for which it will be needed to help to determine the best material to purchase. Each different material provides certain qualities and characteristics such as very quiet movement, shock-absorption, and the ability to withstand rough terrain and interaction with hazardous materials. They also have other important characteristics that help increase any job’s efficiency and productivity, ensuring that the job can be accomplished in the best way possible. Some of the standard features that come on heavy-duty casters include:
1.Attractive zinc plated finish
2.Full double ball hardened raceways.
3.1/2″ hollow axle with grease zerk and lock nut
4.Plastic seal/retainer washer (roller bearing models).
5.1/4″ steel top plate for durability.
6.Permanent rivet king pin with 3/4″ diameter rivet.
7.Grease fittings: wheel bearing and swivel raceway.
8.“Colson 45″ multi-temp grease lubricates in extreme hot and cold temperatures
By combining these options with the different connector mechanism and wheel material options it allows you to design a caster that is very specific to the needs of your industry and specific job. If the need should arise for a caster to be used that is not as heavy duty there are still a wide variety of options available. As demonstrated by the options available within the one category of heavy-duty casters, there is a large variety of combinations that can be put together within each category which enables you to have the appropriate caster for any job. The other weight load categories also provide many options for lighter work and workloads, which ensures that you can have the best-suited caster for any job.
Important Questions Aid the Decision Making Process
With all the choices available, even within in one category it is very important to be able to make the best choice. It is helpful therefore, to ask and answer certain questions regarding the job at hand to make the best match of caster to job. Some of the basic questions include: What is the exact job? How often does it need to be performed? What exactly needs to be moved and how far? Are the work conditions indoor, outdoor, or a mixture of both? What is the floor type or terrain that the casters will be traveling over? Even if the load is heavy, is it fragile or awkwardly shaped? Will the object or equipment being moved need to be securely stationary at any point and therefore require some form of brake? These are some of the basic beginning questions that will aid greatly in making the selection process easier.
The Choice Can Be a Difficult One
We at Douglas Equipment, a South Florida business working in the industry for more than fifty years, have gained a solid reputation for knowledge of the industry and product expertise. We strive to offer excellent customer service and know that we can help you quickly determine the best equipment and caster choices for your industry’s line of work. We know that making the best choice can be a difficult one, especially in today’s world of many options. We strive to make your job easier by doing our job to the best of our ability. We always aim for customer satisfaction by helping you ask the right questions so that you can become more familiar with the available products and make informed decisions. Please contact us Toll-free at 1-800-451-0030, or locally at 305-888-3700. You can also reach us by electronically through the Contact Us section on our website. We look forward to speaking with you and helping you to determine the best caster and equipment options for your business.
