Aloha Gang, Here's a quick review on something that may bore many and be valuable to some... I like castors on most of my equipment and tools as I have a small shop and like an open area for working... moving things around and out of the way just makes sense in my case.... So I always look for the best or close to the best when I look at gear and especially if I need to install it... on equipment... heavy or awkward... I often built the bases first and then the equipment or tools go on top and are secured.... Did some homework... asked some professionals... and decided on these polyurethane locking castors... Here's the description from one site on these.... "Put your entire shop on wheels! Load rating for each caster is 300 lbs. Easy rolling, non-marring, polyurethane tires will not "flat spot" during long periods of remaining stationary. Swivel and wheel ride on ball bearings for smooth rolling and turning. Double brake locks both wheel and swivel rotation with the touch of a toe. Unlike cheaper casters which only lock the wheel and allow the supported load to move around as the caster rotates on its base, these provide a rock solid base. The 3" casters are 4-1/4" tall." Double Locking Load rating for each caster is 300 lbs Swiveling - See more at: Buy 3" Caster, Double Locking, Swiveling with 1/2" Mounting Hole, 4-1/4" Tall at Woodcraft.com " Well I'm here to tell you ... they are absolutely wonderful... if you want to be switching out your castors every 5-7 years.... That red cushion is not long lasting and if your equipment, tools or gear sit in one place for a while they do indeed flatten crack disintegrate and fall apart.... and the locking levers will bind on the wheels even after you peel off all the red portion and try to use them... Found cracks in the red or blue portion on all the wheels like these I own and all were well under the 300 pound load rating per wheel.... So you end up having to jack up your heavy equipment or taking it all apart to install new wheels... On the other hand... the solid black phenolic is still going strong with no problems after 20 or more years on some of my equipment.... Just a quick review in case any of you find value in it... by the tried and true... stay away from the red or blue castors... they are nice while they last.... but that's it.... Replacing all of them I have even on the dollies ... I don't want them failing on me at the absolute wrong time when I need them the most.... or worse cause a tipping or other hazard while I am running or moving things.... and installing the solid wheels on everything.... from now on! Great lesson on an otherwise boring subject for me... still learning... and IMHO... this applies to other equipment using this material / construction as well.... Hope that helps... Have a great weekend! Take Care and God Bless, Bear
Did China strike again? Am having real problems with electrical and air compressor parts that I bought from 100+ year old American companies and when I look at the boxes it states "assembled from American and foreign parts. I guess the parts are made in China and the box in the USA. Hey, they told me the truth on the box, but it doesn't mean anything. I would really like to know if the new red ones are made in the USA?
Yes china isn't shipping atm. We are having an economic war with them. Even the prepaid goods are not shipping
Yup... noticed that on some things as well @duane ... assembled here from parts made elsewhere? and just what does "assembled" here mean... 99.99% "elsewhere"... then shipped here and a label slapped on it?... gotta be careful about those things... but sadly... even made in America is deceiving as probably the majority of the raw materials are made overseas... from steel to textiles etc... I'll check again... but I think these were made in Taiwan... pricey castors for their size... and I really did love them ... at first... I suppose it's like anything... ya gotta live with it for a while before you really get to know the quality Have a great weekend! Take Care and God Bless, Bear
Thanks @UncleMorgan your comment is really appreciated... almost didn't post but figured castors are a pretty important part of any piece of equipment or tool... sort of weak link if they fail suddenly... never noticed those cracks in the red polyurethane... but then it has never been something I inspected and frankly its often dark and grimy down there.... That is until I was moving my induction forge around and suddenly the cart jerked to a stop and swung to one side... not good... if it was a really heavy piece of machinery or if it had quench tanks with hot oil in it... looked down and the red pieces were on the concrete and the cart needed to be carefully dragged after taping up the lock tab because without the red... it just fell to the black and locked... sheesh what a hassle .... Then I check the others and found the cracks and the flat spots... Figured it was worth mentioning... Have a great weekend! Take Care and God Bless, Bear
We had a recent problem with casters at work. One of four failed under weight, and it was a pain to manhandle the parts being moved without the transport cart. Biggest problem though, came later, when we replaced the broken caster. The replacement (from the same company) was slightly different in size, so the cart rocked. We had to replace the other three intact casters to stop the rocking which could have damaged the merchandisez before install. This, of course, required more time without the use of the cart.
Replacing castors can be a real pain on a table saw or planer, heavy and not easy to position for replacement, appreciate the comments on the failure.
Poly casters if noise bothers you, other wise purchase high quality steel. Hamilton Casters and Wheels: Heavy Duty, Industrial: Custom Engineering Stay away from hardware stores! SS Workhorse (WHS) Capacity: 550 - 1600 lbs. Wheel Diameters: 4" - 8" Rugged hot forged swivel construction CNC machined raceways High lustre finish Open Specs SS Medium Duty (STA) Capacity: 350 - 800 lbs. Wheel Diameters: 5" - 8" Cold forged swivel construction High luster finish Seven wheel choices
Even steel casters are less noisy than moving something with no casters. Not a boring subject at all, and for me very timely as I moved into a new house this year and am just getting around to setting up my shop area.
That sucks! Hope no injuries or damage. My dad used to always used the black ones whenever he used casters.
I wouldn't use them on your good tile floors! On just plain old concrete they will do fine. FWIW, I've had a steel wheel and poly tire on my front gate for 20 some odd years. Makes it in mud, water, snow and rocks 4 to 5 times a day and supports the gate well.
Of course, if they'd quit screwing around, and get around to inventing these things, it would all be a moot point, wouldn't it?
