There are a few things to take into consideration when purchasing casters, you will want to make sure you choose the right casters for the equipment and task you are looking to achieve. It is your best bet to not go the cheap route when choosing casters, as you can easily damage your flooring or risk having them wear out too soon. Let’s take a look at a few considerations to keep in mind when choosing casters for your commercial equipment.
What are casters used for?
A wheel and a mount are combined to form a caster. Carts, racks, dollies, and other equipment can be easily moved with the assistance of casters. Casters are available in a variety of materials, wheel diameters, tread widths, load ratings, and heights to provide mobility for your equipment in various work environments.
What to consider when purchasing Casters
What kind of equipment are you going to install your casters on? In order to decide whether to select light-duty, medium-duty, or heavy-duty casters, you must first determine the total weight that will be placed on them. You should also think about the setting where you'll be using the casters when answering this question. Will noise reduction play a significant role?
You might only need fixed casters if your equipment is only moving forwards, such as heavy equipment that is only moved for cleaning purposes. A swivel caster might be a better choice if you require a greater range of movement. In order to move an object only in a straight line, you'll also need to decide if you need swivel locks. When you want an item to only roll some of the time, you’ll most likely want to choose casters with brakes. When the brakes are in one position, you’ll be able to move the item easily. In another position, you won’t be able to move the item at all.
You should also consider the materials used to create the wheels. Cast iron, rubber, nylon, aluminum, polyolefin, and polyurethane are some of the most popular materials used to make wheels. All of these materials can be used to create high-quality caster wheels, but each has unique properties.
There are several common ways to mount casters. While some casters have stems that screw or snap into an object, others have flat plates on top that can be bolted into an object. Additionally, some casters can be mounted vertically using brackets. A stem mounted caster is typically required for many applications; however, this can reduce the load capacity of the caster you use. Due to this, heavy-duty casters will use a plate mount to increase mounting surface area and improve caster security. Knowing your preferred mounting option can help you narrow down the many caster options that are available.
Now that you’ve read through the considerations of purchasing casters, you now should have a good idea of what to keep in mind when purchasing new storage and transportation accessories. Cook’s has a wide range of foodservice equipment available for purchase. If you have any questions or need a helping hand when buying new foodservice equipment, cooks is happy to assist you!
