Why are casters used on warehouse trolleys?

Steely Products manufactures trolleys that use premium quality swivel casters to make them easy to pull, push and steer. A trolley carrying heavy loads needs strong casters that will not fail under heavy use.

The evolution of casters

Carts and trolleys with wheels were used by ancient civilizations, but it wasn’t until 1876 that David A. Fisher invented casters. The first casters were very heavy and only used in industry, until casters made from glass and leather were produced. These could be used on trolleys for the home as they did not damage floors.

You can still buy glass and leather casters, but most casters for heavy-duty equipment are manufactured using metal with rubber or nylon. The first casters were fixed, until 1920 when Seibert Chesnutt filed a US patent for the swivel caster.

Over the years, casters have evolved with many added features including brakes, direction locks, shock absorbing qualities, and resistance to high or low temperatures.

Casters are rigid or swivel. Rigid casters do not rotate, so they are commonly used as the back wheels for shopping trolleys, with the front ones having a swivel mechanism.

Industrial casters designed for heavy loads often have brakes to stop the trolley moving if parked on a slope. This is usually operated by a small lever.

Why casters?

There are many benefits to using casters rather than wheels. They make trolleys easier to move and heavy objects can be moved faster. Pushing and pulling is easier, and injury risk to operators caused by muscle strain is reduced. Trolleys with swivel casters are easier to steer.

Casters will last a long time even when used daily for heavy loads. Casters are versatile; there are many types and sizes available to fit whatever type of trolley they are needed for, and high-quality ones are available without significantly adding to production costs.

Caster flutter

A common problem with some casters is known as caster flutter. This is often seen with supermarket trolleys when one caster swings rapidly from side to side. This makes the trolley harder to move and the vibrations caused by caster flutter feel unpleasant for the user.

Industrial caster makers add dampers or increase the friction of the swivel mechanism by adding washers. This prevents caster flutter.

Steely Products casters

At Steely Products, the casters used on our trolleys have been carefully chosen to make the trolleys easy to move and steer. All our equipment is designed well and built to last. We don’t expect the casters to fail during heavy use, and know that our end users need equipment they can rely on.

All our trolleys have the appropriate caster diameter for each type of trolley to minimize the effort needed to move them.

If you need trolleys that are easy to move, or require them to stay in one place for static storage, talk to us at Steely Products. Call us, or use the contact form below, and we’ll get back to you.

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