INDUSTRIAL CASTERS for a COLD ENVIRONMENT

INDUSTRIAL CASTERS for a COLD ENVIRONMENT

Caster wheels are practical and helpful whenever you want to move heavy things. Sometimes you might need them when you move to a new house or maybe just move your fridge. Besides the private use of casters, there is also the industrial use. Those casters are made for heavy-duty stuff and need to withstand different requirements than the ones you use at home or in your dorm.

In this article, we will investigate the requirements of casters for an extremely cold environment. Places, where the temperature is permanently very low. The first thing that comes to mind is, for sure, the food industry. Whether that is a slaughterhouse or a food storage, for food to last, it needs to be chilled all the time. Chilled food means fresh food!

Not every type of casters is equally made for such cold environments. Therefore, there are a few things you need to know before you go and get your new set of casters. Before I go ahead and tell you what casters to get, let’s have a look at what you need to understand first — facts you need to consider when buying caster which should last in the cold.  

No matter what kind of casters you buy, there are four guidelines which you need to follow. Apart from the environment, caster wheels need to be:

• Safe
• Mobile
• Easy to clean
• Resilient

When using casters wheels in freezing temperatures then, in addition to the above said, you must consider, the following:

The casters must be

• Reliable in wet and damp conditions
• Dependable in cold environments
• You always need to keep them clean.

Why is it essential that you choose the right casters for the right environment

Firstly, your company depends on it. If the wheels keep breaking down, this will cost your company unnecessary money. Secondly, if the casters disintegrate, this might influence your production line, costing your company more money. Choose the casters for your cold area correctly, and you save yourself a lot of trouble and money in the long run.

The most critical feature of a suitable caster wheel for the cold area

Nobody likes to work in a cold environment for an extended time. Furthermore, injuries happen more frequently, when the body is cold and therefore is less flexible. If people must shift items from one place to another, this must be done with ease and as little as possible strain to the body. This ease will enhance productivity while at the same time, your staff will experience fewer sick days. The company will benefit from both.

To make sure your employees can work with as little as possible stress, causing less fatigue to their bodies the casters need a

1. Low starting resistance (the effort required to move an item on casters in the first place)
2. Rolling resistance (the energy necessary to keep an item on casters in motion)
3. Have low swiveling forces (so the items are easy to maneuver even through litter-strewn environments) and
4. Braking and swiveling locks. Make sure, locks and breaks are easy to engage so that loads remain where they were parked or stored. If the break loosens up and the load starts to roll, this can lead to severe injuries or even damage your warehouse.

Why can properly select caster wheels boost your productivity

When you are working in an extremely cold environment, it is crucial to have casters, which resist the strain on the material by temperatures, which often go below sixty degrees. Cold, ice and wet conditions are known to put an outermost strain on every material. If the wheels break down, it can lead to life-threatening situations for the staff. For example, if the casters not easily roll, they will break. If the workforce gets injured because of improper casters, productivity will be negatively impacted.

The food production

When you are working within the food production, your workforce will be confronted with a particular cold work environment. In this case scenario, not only the correct casters for the temperature are essential. In the food production cleanliness becomes an additional issue. For this assembly line, your casters must be easy to clean, and must not corrode when in constant contact of water and detergents.

Inevitably every cold environment comes into contact with moister. Keep this in mind, when you are looking for caster wheels for your line of work. They need to be precision-engineered so that they are resistant to the unwanted intrusion of water and other liquids.

A final factor to consider — non-marking casters

While non-marking casters are very popular, both in the domestic and the commercial use, when you are working in a cold environment, you should refrain from buying those casters.

They might save you some money now, yet, in the long run, they are not just unsuitable. Non-marking casters will cost you more, then you initially saved. Non-marking casters will get damaged so that you frequently must replace them. But more so, non-marking casters might cause your staff injury or even death. Such a case scenario might not only slow down the productivity it might also force you to shut down your business.

What to look for when buying caster wheels

• Are they suitable for extreme cold conditions
• Are they made from performa rubber and phenolic resin (only this material offers consistent performance, are temperature resistant and durable in those conditions).

 Did you know 
Casters made from rubber and phenolic resin work well in temperatures up to 180 degrees!

Colson 2 Series Stainless

Those casters are made from 304-grade steel and love cold and corrosive areas and excel with their durability. If needed, they can be fitted with Colson Top Lock brakes, which is available for all 3-inch swivel.