Choosing the Right Castor Wheels: A Complete Guide by TM Castors
When it comes to the mobility of equipment, castor wheels might seem like a tiny detail, but in reality, they play a very important role in ensuring safety, efficiency and high performance for a wide range of industries. Whether you are moving a food cart, tool chest or any heavy industrial equipment, the right type of caster can make your job way easier. At TM Castors, we understand that each industry has its unique demands when it comes to castor wheels. This is why we offer a wide variety of castor solutions that are tailored to various environments and usage types. In this guide, let’s understand a breakdown to help you select the right castor wheels based on application, specifications, and industry.
Factors to Consider to Choose the Right Castor
- Load Capacity: The faster you need your equipment to move, the more weight capacity you need in your castors. The castor diameter, width and material determine how much weight the castor can handle. It is always better to choose a castor with a higher load capacity than your expected load.
- Floor Type: The different materials of the castor wheels, such as nylon, are suitable for smooth and even surfaces, whereas materials like rubber or polyurethane are ideal to protect floors and operate smoothly without any noise.
- Operating Environment: If your castor is going to be used in areas with uneven flooring, debris, moisture or chemicals, you should choose a castor that suits any environment, like castor wheels with large wheels to easily move over ridges or gaps.
- Temperatures: Extreme temperatures can damage your castor made with plastic or nylon wheels. Choose a material for the castors that can work well in your required temperature.
- Noise levels: If your castor wheel is going to be used in a setting that requires minimal noise, like a hospital or office, choosing a quiet castor wheel can help to keep the distracting noise to a minimum.
- Swivels: Castors are available in fixed or swiveling models. Some equipment may not need swivels, whereas some might need one or two pairs at each location to provide varying levels of maneuverability.
- Types of brakes: You should choose your castor wheel with locks to keep the castor from rolling or keep the castor from swiveling and rolling.
Types of Castors Offered by TM Castors
- Light Duty Castors: Light-duty castors are designed to provide smooth and reliable performance, featuring a 2.5 mm pressed steel top plate and dual steel balls for swivel action. With 2mm pressed steel legs, 6 mm hex head bolt axle with lock nut or rivet option and a 13 mm diameter heat treated kingpin, these castors offer exceptional durability and stability. Light duty casters are used in various industries as server racks, institutional equipment, generator sets, kitchen trolleys, general racks and cases, electronic frames and more.
- Medium Duty Castor: Medium duty castors are designed for high-performance with 3mm pressed steel top plate and tempered and polished steel balls that ensure minimal swivel head play and provide smooth rolling. Built with 3mm pressed steel legs, 12 mm diameter hex head bolt with lock nut and a 17 mm diameter heat treated kingpin, these castors are ideal for medium duty applications with different floor conditions. They are typically used in distribution carts, floor trucks, shop carts, tool boxes, display racks and platform trolleys.
- Extra Heavy Duty Castors: With a 10mm ASI 1045 forged steel top plate welded to a yoke base, these castors provide exceptional strength and durability. Built with 5 x 50 mm steel legs welded inside and outside to the yoke base, a 12 mm diameter hex head bolt with lock nut and a kingpin-less design, these castors are maintenance-free and offer smooth rotation with a longer life. They are used for tow truck applications, production trolleys, heavy-duty bakery racks, material carts, gantry cranes, aircraft maintenance stands, work-in-progress trolleys and engine dollies.
- Hospital Castors: Hospital castors are an important element in the healthcare sector; they are widely used in hospital beds and heavy medical equipment. Ideal for hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities, these castors are available in three types – swivel, rigid and locking. Each of these castors provides easy movement, improved safety and exceptional durability.
- Low Profile and Leveling: Low-profile castors are specifically designed caster accessories for applications where the space is limited but steadiness is important. Levelling castors are also called adjustable levelling castors and are known for combining flexibility and steadiness. These castors feature an integrated leveling mechanism so that the equipment remains stable when immobile. They are used in industrial machinery, medical equipment, manufacturing and assembly lines, server racks, IT equipment, retail displays and showcases, laboratory equipment and industrial workstations.
Still Not Sure Which Castor to Choose?
With many factors to keep in mind, like floor types, load capacity, environment, and swivel action, choosing the right castor might feel overwhelming. That’s where TM castors come in to rescue the day! We feature the right type of castor for nearly any type of application. If we don’t have a castor that meets your specifications, we can customize your castors to your applications. Our casters provide high-performance, long-lasting bearings, hardened, precision-machined raceways and lubrication points for all swivels to last long under demanding conditions. Need help choosing the right type of castor? Contact us and let our team assist you.
