Shop Casters

[Luther Oswalt]

I'm wondering if I am the only one having problems with the Casters like the ones sold by Woodcraft with the red treads on the caster wheel. The red tread is falling apart leaving the inter wheel in tack. I have built several shop "work stations" using these and now all at once the treads are falling apart. I have discussed this via e-mail with Woodcraft customer service and they agreed to replace them if the damage occurs within one year of purchase ... well these are much older than that so I guess I need to replace with a better caster. Interestingly, I have used some of the "Borg" casters with success and no failures. These were under lighter use than the "red" treads however. What is a good heavy duty caster with about 4-5" diameter?
Leo

[Greg R Bradley]

Shop Casters cover a wide range of uses. Different types of casters have their good points and bad points.

The ones from Rockler and Woodcraft seem to be pretty decent for light shop use. The polyurethane wheels roll over small pieces of dirt and help the wheel locks to lock the wheels solidly without adjustment. The problem with polyurethane wheels is they will eventually fail and are damaged by chemicals. Overloaded and/or sitting in one place with a high load can make them split.

There is a lot of good information on the various wheel sizes and types at castercity.com. This seems to be a website run by an individual that will then ship the order from a variety of different warehouses and manufacturers but they seem to be very good at leading you to the correct castor for your use.

I really like their Model 9 Polyolefin Wheel units as they will not flat spot with a mainly static load. They are round and even have grease fittings and seals. The last set I bought were the HD 4" units without locks, 2 straight and 2 swivel for $65.13 delivered to me. Vastly superior to the Woodcraft units for about the same price when Woodcraft puts them on sale. These make the 4" Woodcraft shop casters look like toys.

Details of that order for a mobile unit with an intended weight of 1400 pounds:
4" Swivel Caster - Black Polyolefin Wheel - Model 9 Product Code: 9PB4x2-S [Wheel Brake: NB: No Brake] [Precision Sealed Ball Bearings: NPS: No Precision Ball Bearings] [Swivel Lock or Raceway Seals: NSLRS: No Swivel Lock or Seals] Qty: 2 @ $14.13 = $28.26
4" Rigid Caster - Black Polyolefin Wheel - Model 9 Product Code: 9PB4x2-R [Precision Sealed Ball Bearings: NPS: No Precision Ball Bearings] Qty: 2 @ $11.55 = $23.10 Caster Model 9 Discount Product Code: DSC Qty: 1 @ ($2.57) = ($2.57)
Order Totals: Subtotal: $48.79 Shipping: $16.34 Order Total: $65.13 Caster City - Casters http://www.castercity.com/

Best to look around their site and determine what is best for your use. They have zillions of different combinations.

[Jim Neeley]

Luther,

Greg's got it accounted for but please remember that, for a four-caster base, you should size it for only *twice* the rating of a single caster rather than 4-times, unless the manufacturer expressly says differently.

I'm not positive how much of this is because, on non-flat surface you may have virtually all of the weight for the cabinet on only 2 casters or how much is to allow for the additional "pushing force", I just know I've seen it many places.

Jim

Jim

[Larry Frank]

I have used the Woodcraft double locking casters and have not had any problems with them. I have them on quite a few things including a 15" planer which is pretty heavy. However, I only use them inside and not exposed to the heat and humidity.

I gave a set to my son in Florida and he used them in his garage and they did the same thing that yours did. I am wondering if the environment is making a difference. Maybe, there is an issue when they are really hot and get rolled around. I would not think that the humidity would effect the plastic.

[Phil Thien]

It would be interesting to have pictures of the damage.

It kind of sounds like they combined two different plastics, or at least molded two different pieces of the same type of plastic (but different colors) together. If that is the case, I will make sure to avoid anything like that when sourcing casters.

[Luther Oswalt]

I will try to get some pictures later today. I know the red plastic didn't exploded, however, it is in pieces around the wheel!
Leo

[Matthias Imhof]

I have the same problem with the red 4" woodcraft casters. I bought a set of 4 and over time the red PU covers all cracked and split. I replaced each wheel with replacements I got from eBay and have not had any problems since.

I concluded that it was a bad batch of wheels, but avoided woodcraft casters ever since. Note that I have all my machines on casters, and no others ever cracked or split.

[Jim Neeley]

I've used 4 or 5 sets of the 3" Peachtree double-lockers and have had no problems with mine.

[Dick Strauss]

Matt Meiser got me turned on to SAS Casters. I've ordered maybe 28-32 of them so far for myself and friends.

[Bruce Page]

I changed out the wheels on my Woodmaster DS with a Shop Fox base to industrial rated wheels that I picked up at a local caster supply business. I think they are R&K or Faultless wheels, I can’t remember which. The original Shop Fox wheels couldn’t handle the weight of the Woodmaster and would flat spot, making it difficult to move. The industrial wheels roll easily and have not flat spotted at all. If you have a local caster supply business it might be worth it to give them a call.

[Luther Oswalt]

Thanks to all you guys ... Greg I forgot to tell you that I ordered some castors from Caster City and Dick that is also a neat site you told me about. My shop floor is concrete and is quite smooth and one work station/cart is only carrying a De Walt 735 Planter and the other is a table for assembly and general project table ... so none of the Wood Craft Red coated casters where ever under a load of any sort to cause failure. Thanks to all for your info and suggestions ... OH By the Way ... if and when I find my camera I will post pictures!
Leo

[Luther Oswalt]

Greg - I recieved the casters I ordered from Caster City and as you said they are nice and better than the ones from WoodCraft. Thanks for the tip! Now to make some time and replace the WoodCraft casters.
Leo

[Erik Tofstad]

Believe it or not I've actually had decent luck with the Caster Wheels from Harbor Freight of all places - the 3 and 4" blue ones. They can be had for a song with one of the 20% off coupons. They are one of the few things I'll still buy from that store. I've used them for several shop stations with the heaviest application being a 250+ pound router station with cast iron top. They may be insufficient for really heavy loads though.

[Ben Rivel]

Sorry to bump such an old thread, but after reading lots of reviews from various polyurethane wheeled casters on the market I am trying to stay away from them as many people complain that they fall apart. So I found a set from McMaster Carr that uses nylon covered wheels (LINK). Anyone know if nylon is a much better material and will last longer?

[Todd Burch]

I ordered white nylon casters from caster city a couple years ago. I chose them because they will not form a flat spot and were resistant to chemicals. Here's a copy of what I ordered. Very happy with them. I used them under a cast iron horizontal metal cutting bandsaw.

Ordered: 3 3NY3BX-TS22-TB $15.69
Swivel Caster, 3" Nylon Ball Bearing Wheel, Threaded Stem 1/2 -13 x 1--1/2, Brake