How to maintain industrial casters

How to maintain industrial casters?

The main differences between industrial casters and institutional casters are their capacities and their construction. Industrial casters are made out of material that is specified to be high quality as well as heat treatable. Industrial or heavy-duty casters can handle applications from 2,000- 44,000 pounds. These types of casters are mainly used in warehouses, manufacturing plants, and anywhere else where large and heavy objects need to be moved around.

Industrial casters are essential for dollies and platform trucks to successful operate all kinds of material-handling equipment. Industrial or heavy-duty casters are engineered to have high durability but they can occasionally become defective or damaged if the right maintenance is not performed regularly. To ensure that industrial casters last as long as possible, we encourage you to follow these simple steps.

•    Determine the requirements for your specific work environment

•    Choose the right industrial casters

•    Don't overload equipment and don't drop heavy loads on trucks or carts

•    Don't use trucks or carts at high speeds

•    Keep floors clean

•    Properly maintain your casters

•    Inspect your casters regularly and repair if necessary

 Choose the right caster wheels

 The most important thing to ensure the high durability of casters is to choose the right ones for your specific work environment. For example, if you have to move material over uneven surfaces, but you picked casters that aren't able to absorb shock appropriately, it is very likely that your casters won't last long. There is a great number of different types of casters that it can be hard to know which ones to pick. To select the right caster wheels, it is important that you know your load weight. The higher the load weight is, the larger and denser the caster wheels should be. The floor conditions, environmental factors, and extreme temperatures should be considered as well if selecting new caster wheels. With the right casters material can be moved not only easy but safe. Also make sure you get your casters from a trusted and experienced industry, such as CoolYeah. CoolYeah casters are known for their high durability, strength, versatility and easy installments.

Make sure that your industrial caster wheels are properly lubricated

 One of the most important things to maintain industrial caster wheels is to lubricate them as needed. Always make sure that all casters spin at the same rate on each cart. Otherwise, stress may be put on only one caster wheel, which can influence its lifespan and can be an issue for safety. Caster wheels should be lubricated every six months. The best way to do it is to schedule a time to inspect and lubricate all casters at the same time. If casters are used very often in volatile environments and get wet a lot or are exposed to highly corrosive materials, they should get lubricated on a far more frequent basis.

Keep floors clean

 Of course, it is very important to maintain caster wheels themselves, but the floors play a crucial factor as well when it comes to the life span of casters. The fewer obstacles and the less debris on the floor, the longer the industrial casters will last. When industrial casters are used in an environment with moisture, chemicals, heat, cold or other factors that could affect them, it is important to purchase the right casters in the first place.  

Regularly check the fasteners that hold the industrial casters in place

 To check the hardware fittings that make sure the wheels don't move is just as important as the caster's lubrication. At least once a month you should make sure that the wheels are in place and don't move around or even fall off completely. During these checkups, you should also look for bolts, screws or nuts, as well as any other defects that need to be fixed or replaced immediately.

Examine industrial caster wheels

 It is not just important to check the fasteners of caster wheels, but also the wheels themselves.

Usually, casters come with a small rubber fitting to insure smooth turns and little noise. These rubber fittings can get damaged or even flattened. A flattened wheel can place more wear and tear on the wheel itself, which can ruin the entire hardware of the industrial caster. If you examine defects, you should repair or replace the casters right away before it becomes a larger and more expensive problem.  

Make necessary repairs sooner than later

 If an industrial caster wheel stops rolling smoothly or stops rolling completely, it is important to make repairs right away. One broken caster can affect the other casters on the cart or truck as well. To repair or replace a single caster costs less than having to repair or replace all of them.

Maintaining industrial casters is not difficult. If you purchase the right casters, such as CoolYeah casters and you follow the maintenance tips above, your industrial casters will last a long time!