tool_scrounge
Well-known member
In the last 6 months I have picked up two classic Craftsman Red/Silver 27” wide tool boxes. One is from the mid 1960's and the other from the early 1970's. The shorter 1960's one has 3" diameter hard plastic casters. The taller 1970's one has 4" diameter hard plastic casters. While both tool boxes have great construction, the casters are the weak link. They rattle everything when you move the tool box and come to an abrupt halt if they encounter any obstacle bigger than a piece of sand. They were also hard to maneuver around.
So I wanted to upgrade the casters to something easier to push and also lock in place. So my criteria was:
- 5” diameter casters (larger diameter is easier to push over things)
- 250 lb min load capacity per caster (not likely to come close with this size tool box)
- Ball bearing wheels (much easier to push compared to the stock wheels)
- Wheels with some cushion (less rattle when moving the box)
- Mounting plate that matched the existing hole pattern in the tool box (hate re-drilling holes)
- Rear locking caster wheels, preferably with locking swivels (ease of locking)
- Quality caster, preferably US made so I do not have to worry about failure (seen too many failures)
- <$10 per caster (used as new OK)
The rear locking caster requirement is because so many caster wheels have side locks, which usually means you can only lock the front caster and not the back caster for access reasons.
Why the $10 limit each limit? I hate to spend for casters almost as much as the tool boxes cost.
From my old day job, I had experience designing in caster wheels on commercial products. So in searching around I found some nice deals on Colson casters. There are other good makes (Hamilton, etc.) but they tend to cost a lot more.
Ebay tends to be a good source for casters, but choose carefully to get only stuff in excellent or new condition. Before Ebay changed the rules forcing sellers to return funds for “not as described”, I had received some damaged casters advertised as being in much better shape.
I ended up with the following casters:
(Set of 2) Colson 5 x 1 1/4 Hi-Tech Soft Perfoma Rubber Wheel Non Swivel Caster
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-of-2-C...a-Rubber-Wheel-Non-Swivel-Caster/151967251530
two pairs for $17 each + $7.35 shipping = $41.35. These casters have a 325 lb load rating
Lot of 4 New Colson 5" x 1-5/16" Rubber Swivel Plate Casters Wheels w/ Brake
https://www.ebay.com/itm/362334968535?ViewItem=&item=362334968535
Lot of 4 for $35 shipped. These casters have a 250 lb load rating. They also have rear locks that lock the wheels from turning and the swivels from rotating.
So the total was $76.35 or $9.54 per wheel. All casters needed a wipe down but were in great shape. I was pleased on how they were well packed for shipment.
But as you can see in the photos, the fixed casters have a flat profile and the swivel casters have a balloon (round) profile. Since they are from the same manufacturer and the same caster series, it was easy to unbolt the axle and swap the caster wheels. So now the smaller tool box will have the balloon profile casters and the bigger one will have the flat ones with a little higher load capacity.
Both caster assemblies have hollow axles with a hole you can pump in grease to lubricate the bearings. It is a nice to have feature.
Good caster wheels make a big difference on how easy your tool box is to move around.
A few things. The casters I used have the standard 2.5” x 3.5” top plates with a 1.75” x 2.5” hole pattern. Other size top plates and patterns exist, so make sure you are buying the right thing. For heavier loads you might want to use casters with a harder compound so they will not take a set if you leave them forever in one spot.
It looks like the sellers have a few more of the casters I used, if you want to do a similar upgrade. Please note, I have no affiliation with the sellers other than being a satisfied customer.
So I wanted to upgrade the casters to something easier to push and also lock in place. So my criteria was:
- 5” diameter casters (larger diameter is easier to push over things)
- 250 lb min load capacity per caster (not likely to come close with this size tool box)
- Ball bearing wheels (much easier to push compared to the stock wheels)
- Wheels with some cushion (less rattle when moving the box)
- Mounting plate that matched the existing hole pattern in the tool box (hate re-drilling holes)
- Rear locking caster wheels, preferably with locking swivels (ease of locking)
- Quality caster, preferably US made so I do not have to worry about failure (seen too many failures)
- <$10 per caster (used as new OK)
The rear locking caster requirement is because so many caster wheels have side locks, which usually means you can only lock the front caster and not the back caster for access reasons.
Why the $10 limit each limit? I hate to spend for casters almost as much as the tool boxes cost.
From my old day job, I had experience designing in caster wheels on commercial products. So in searching around I found some nice deals on Colson casters. There are other good makes (Hamilton, etc.) but they tend to cost a lot more.
Ebay tends to be a good source for casters, but choose carefully to get only stuff in excellent or new condition. Before Ebay changed the rules forcing sellers to return funds for “not as described”, I had received some damaged casters advertised as being in much better shape.
I ended up with the following casters:
(Set of 2) Colson 5 x 1 1/4 Hi-Tech Soft Perfoma Rubber Wheel Non Swivel Caster
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-of-2-C...a-Rubber-Wheel-Non-Swivel-Caster/151967251530
two pairs for $17 each + $7.35 shipping = $41.35. These casters have a 325 lb load rating
Lot of 4 New Colson 5" x 1-5/16" Rubber Swivel Plate Casters Wheels w/ Brake
https://www.ebay.com/itm/362334968535?ViewItem=&item=362334968535
Lot of 4 for $35 shipped. These casters have a 250 lb load rating. They also have rear locks that lock the wheels from turning and the swivels from rotating.
So the total was $76.35 or $9.54 per wheel. All casters needed a wipe down but were in great shape. I was pleased on how they were well packed for shipment.
But as you can see in the photos, the fixed casters have a flat profile and the swivel casters have a balloon (round) profile. Since they are from the same manufacturer and the same caster series, it was easy to unbolt the axle and swap the caster wheels. So now the smaller tool box will have the balloon profile casters and the bigger one will have the flat ones with a little higher load capacity.
Both caster assemblies have hollow axles with a hole you can pump in grease to lubricate the bearings. It is a nice to have feature.
Good caster wheels make a big difference on how easy your tool box is to move around.
A few things. The casters I used have the standard 2.5” x 3.5” top plates with a 1.75” x 2.5” hole pattern. Other size top plates and patterns exist, so make sure you are buying the right thing. For heavier loads you might want to use casters with a harder compound so they will not take a set if you leave them forever in one spot.
It looks like the sellers have a few more of the casters I used, if you want to do a similar upgrade. Please note, I have no affiliation with the sellers other than being a satisfied customer.
