What Caster Should I Buy?

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I am doing a large order of casters, probably around 50-60 plus wagon breaks and all that good stuff. I usually go with the 5" variety of Colson Performa Grey casters. They seem to hold up well and they move well. Short of triple swivel casters, what is your favorite caster?

 

[derekleffew]

Darnell Rose Casters. The Rolls Royce of casters.

 

[Van]

I typically buy casters based on need, But i have found you really can't go wrong with Colson or Albion. I always try to stay with a named brand that is rated. I've seen no-name casters literally fall apart when used on wagons and tool carts.
Just an FYI; At a former place of employment, whenever we would get a new load of casters in the first thing we would do is cut a bunch of 3/4" and 1/4" plywood sqaures or rectangles then staple the 1/4" onto the 3/4 to make a 1" thick plate. We would then bolt the casters to these plates with 1/4" stove bolts. After this we'd stack 'em up in a box. If you needed to caster something all you had to do was slap the block in place and use drywall screws to hold the plate in place. This works well for certain applications, if, however, you are caster-ing really heavy wagons or using large diameter casters you still need to bolt the caster plate directly to the wagon or a framing member.

 

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Just an FYI; At a former place of employment, whenever we would get a new load of casters in the first thing we would do is cut a bunch of 3/4" and 1/4" plywood sqaures or rectangles then staple the 1/4" onto the 3/4 to make a 1" thick plate. We would then bolt the casters to these plates with 1/4" stove bolts. After this we'd stack 'em up in a box. If you needed to caster something all you had to do was slap the block in place and use drywall screws to hold the plate in place. This works well for certain applications, if, however, you are caster-ing really heavy wagons or using large diameter casters you still need to bolt the caster plate directly to the wagon or a framing member.

Have done the same thing at many places. Great thing for the the "up and comers" to do. Sure makes things quicker when you go to caster something up. Heres is an alternative to this method, and I was hesitant to do this at first....

Phillips II High Performance Screws | Cement Board Screw

Yes, its a screw, but its a very strong and aggressive screw. It also has a large head so you do not need a washer. I have been putting on casters with these (at least the casters that don't get welded on) for the last 2 years and it works great. Go buy some, give it a try, just be sure to buy a few extra of those special bits.

 

[Van]

I Think I may be in love. Those look to be an answer for a myriad of issues I've been dealing with for a long time.

 

[mhcopen]

Best Casters for Wagons

Would love to hear from others on this subject.... I need to make several wagons for our upcoming production of B&B. I have a wood floor with several stage "pockets". I used standard swivel 4" casters from Lowes last year. But I kept thinking there has to be a better caster/braking system!

So....what do you prefer?

 

[MPowers]

Re: Best Casters for Wagons

.......I used standard swivel 4" casters from Lowes last year. But I kept thinking there has to be a better caster/braking system!.....

For the braking, I prefer pneumatic actuators. Hundreds of ways to do this. Two basic methods are:
1. Air lifts the wagon and the load. Failure means the unit rolls but does not brake.
2. Air lifts the wheels. Failure means the unit does not move, but will not move if that is a safety issue. Best used if inadvertent motion would compromise safety of personal. Also best used as part of a redundant system.