Best Locking Casters?

[T.J. Willis]

Hey everybody, I'm a fairly new TD at a high school. We are heading into One Acts were we have to set up and strike our sets in less than 5 minutes. For our show we are going to be rolling out 3 4'x8' platforms that will be 1' off the ground, we are going to be putting some locking casters on the bottoms of the platforms so they don't move around while actors are on top of them, and so that they can roll on and off easily durring the 5 min set up and strike. When I took over as the Scenic TD I inherited a large amount of various castors, however they are all getting old, where the bearings have filled with dust, and hair, and they have all been painted over many times making them very hard to use. So I am looking for some suggestions on the best type of locking casters, preferably the cheaper the better since its for a public high school on a small budget. Thanks all!

 

[jtweigandt]

Locking casters are not what you want here. 1 they will be hard to get to when under the platform 2 they will still swivel unless you get some medical grade that lock the swivel and roll.. 3 even those don't kill the swivel enough.

What we use all the time is a series of these adjustable platform brakes on the back side.. Roll into place.. the jack just barely lifts the platform, but stops movement in all directions.

Wagon Brakes from Rose Brand

www.rosebrand.com

Or you can rig your own "retractable landing gear" as in this workbench instructable

2x4 Work Bench With Nested Rolling Assembly Table

2x4 Work Bench With Nested Rolling Assembly Table: This ible shows my creation of my new workbench for my shop. I wanted to replace the old bench that was built by my grandpa after he built tbe building. The old bench was 10 ft long, 23 inches wide and 34 inches tall. It was pretty solid and...

www.instructables.com

 

[RonHebbard]

Hey everybody, I'm a fairly new TD at a high school. We are heading into One Acts were we have to set up and strike our sets in less than 5 minutes. For our show we are going to be rolling out 3 4'x8' platforms that will be 1' off the ground, we are going to be putting some locking casters on the bottoms of the platforms so they don't move around while actors are on top of them, and so that they can roll on and off easily durring the 5 min set up and strike. When I took over as the Scenic TD I inherited a large amount of various castors, however they are all getting old, where the bearings have filled with dust, and hair, and they have all been painted over many times making them very hard to use. So I am looking for some suggestions on the best type of locking casters, preferably the cheaper the better since its for a public high school on a small budget. Thanks all!

@T.J. Willis Up here in Canada I'd say Darnell. You've got at least two reputable brands to choose from; Coulson and one I can't recall.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[gafftapegreenia]

These are my favorite casters right now. They roll easily, handle uneven ground well, are made in Germany, and are at an attractive price point.

 

[gafftaper]

@jtweigandt is correct avoid locking casters except when you simply can't (for example a table on wheels). Unless there's a specific reason not to, I typically go with all swivel casters.

Here in the Seattle area we have a caster speciality store. They know everything, the casters will be excellent quality and they ship. Give them a call. Be sure to be clear that you want quiet casters for use on a wooden stage. The ones at Home Despot/Lowes are garbage. You want casters with bearings so they roll smooth and quietly.

Home - Northwest Caster & Equipment

Standard sizes for furniture and medical use, plus heavy-duty, pneumatic, shock-absorbing, and other custom casters tailored for your unique application –

nwcaster.com