Questions, for the castor/caster gurus.

[Carves]

Actually I have only one question,

... but if anyone is looking for a place to post info/thoughts, on wheel construction materials, base plate sizes etc., ... feel free to post away.


Now ... what I'm interested in is,

Rolling benefit of 4inch wheels over 3inch wheels.
I know larger is better .. but how much better ? ..
Anybody experimented with different wheel sizes, under the same load ??

Reason being, I have two x 84inch high, 24inch wide, 72inch long shelf units, mounted on these at either end.

Loaded up, the assembled unit rolls quite well - so I'm pretty sure I havent overloaded the 400lb castors .... yet ..

... but due to the small diameter wheels - which were deliberately bought for the height profile - its a bit of dog to get started rolling.

Sooooo ... would 4inch wheels offer a, significant, rolling improvement ... or does one need step up to 5 or 6 inch to achieve a worthwhile variation in the, initial, rolling resistance ?

 

[600SL]

Quick search on Google:

Looks like good info.

http://www.hamiltoncaster.com/Blog/EntryId/222/Rolling-Resistance-and-Industrial-Wheels

 

[Cyberbear]

Larger the diameter the easier they roll, depending on the wheel material and amount of static load. Wheels with a plastic type material can flatten over time with heavy loads, and will sometimes be difficult to get moving. For heavier than usual loads you may wish to use an all metal wheel, like cast iron.

 

[the_nelson]

4" definitely gets started easier than 3" when the load is heavy. You also need to think about the crown of the wheel.

 

[theoldwizard1]

... but due to the small diameter wheels - which were deliberately bought for the height profile - its a bit of dog to get started rolling.

Sooooo ... would 4inch wheels offer a, significant, rolling improvement ... or does one need step up to 5 or 6 inch to achieve a worthwhile variation in the, initial, rolling resistance ?

I think your issue is more related to the bearings ! Even though appear to be decent casters, I'll bet they have some kind of sleeve bearing. If you want low rolling resistance, you need ball bearings.

Larger caster wheels roll over floor cracks/imperfections better than smaller caster wheels.

 

[larry_g]

The durometer of the wheel material will have a big effect on the rolling and static friction of the rolling bench. If your in need of protecting a 'good' floor then your wheels are appropriate. If just rolling around on the concrete shop floor then steel wheels are what I prefer. Also if the unit is setting for long periods the plastic wheels will deform some and be hard to get rolling where as the steel will not.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Strouty]

What was the reasoning behind placing the swivels like that?

 

[Trey T]

Does anyone know which type of plastic wheel have less deformation than other plastic wheels?

 

[Carves]

What was the reasoning behind placing the swivels like that?

Mounting them on the 2x1 RHS ? ... or using three of them ?

The shelving unit legs are a bit spindly, and only good for transferring weight vertically.

Without the bases, the whole thing wobbles around,
... like a drunk leaving a bar, on a friday night ..

The bases are also a, bump rail/guide, for anything I roll/slide underneath the bottom shelf.

The castors were what I had for another project ... Ideally, I might be better off gusseting/reinforcing the base - and fitting only 4, but better castors.

I think your issue is more related to the bearings ! Even though appear to be decent casters, I'll bet they have some kind of sleeve bearing. If you want low rolling resistance, you need ball bearings.

Larger caster wheels roll over floor cracks/imperfections better than smaller caster wheels.

You got me worried about the manufacturers, "truth in advertising", So I double checked.

... they have needle rollers as advertised ... Definitely not as good as ball bearings but lots better than a sleeve setup.


I think my issue is going to turn out to be ... just too much weight on small diameter wheels for an easy start/steering. Once rolling its fine.

Thanks for all replies so far.

 

[Carves]

Does anyone know which type of plastic wheel have less deformation than other plastic wheels?

This supplier I use, has this ... as a guide.

 

[iosephws]

You also need to think about the crown of the wheel.

 

[Carves]

I think Ive resolved my issue.

Simply a matter of too small a diameter wheel ... for the task.

Replacing the tibetan yak fat, with proper grease, helped a little,
Removing the centre castors improved steerage ... but too much load for only 2 of the little castors,

soooooo ...... back to the original plan of single units, with 4 castors each,

... instead of trying to cheapskate with 6, on a double sized base ..

 

[kbs2244]

Nobody has mentioned the width of the wheel.
With castors you are transferring the weight to a small area,
A larger dia helps in moving the load.
But the amount of weight on the loaded area does also.
A wider castor will roll easier for a given dia.
Look at your office chair for an example of this,
They are often small in dia but are double wide to spread the load.
Just doubling your castor count per corner may solve any problems.

 

[James-W]

I would go with a 4 inch metal wheel and get the widest ones you can find.