Should I get (4) casters that swivel with brakes or?
Casters for a gantry hoist
- Thread starter 930dreamer
- Start date
kbeefy
Well-known member
yes, 4 swivels with brakes.
Do they make swivel casters that can be locked into a chosen oreientation? That would be cool, my gantry is always trying to go a direction I don't want it to, much easier to move with 2 people.
Do they make swivel casters that can be locked into a chosen oreientation? That would be cool, my gantry is always trying to go a direction I don't want it to, much easier to move with 2 people.
OP
The ones I'm looking at just have the metal piece that presses onto the wheel.
OP
What weight rating should I be looking at? Right now I have a pipe A-frame with no I-beam
dutchgray
Well-known member
I would get casters that can take the whole intended load individually, that way when you have 4 on there you have a decent safety factor.
MushCreek
Well-known member
I built a one ton gantry, and used 1200 lb. casters. I used phenolic ones due to cost, and they don't flat spot. Cast iron is good, too.
p00p
Well-known member
The local u-pull it has casters that are about 10" & swivel. Those go thru a hard life & U suspect those would be ideal. IDK where to get those or if they have a brake & lockout option.
blazemaster83
Well-known member
I have a 3 ton wallace gantry. It came with 10" swivel casters that had no locks, they were a hard plastic. I replaced them with some casters I got from a boeing auction. The new ones were 12" and have directional locks, they have softer tires and are rated for 3k lbs each. If you have directional locks you can use them to lock the crane in place.
txvwnut
Well-known member
I used scaffolding casters on the one I had and never had any issues.
b-dog
Well-known member
Yes, definitely opt for the swivel lock! I can lock both casters on 1 side and push the gantry solo from the other side. I can't imagine trying to make the gantry go where I wanted without the swivel locks, it would be a circus.
Size the diameter for your surface. Generally larger is better. Unless your surface is relatively smooth, I'd go 8" minimum.
I have nylon wheels and they've worked well for me. That decision was partially based on storing the crane outdoors and budget.
Size the diameter for your surface. Generally larger is better. Unless your surface is relatively smooth, I'd go 8" minimum.
I have nylon wheels and they've worked well for me. That decision was partially based on storing the crane outdoors and budget.