How to Choose Treads for Your Wheel and Caster Combo
When you are purchasing parts for a rolling bed, trolley, or other piece of wheeled machinery, you are going to need to choose a wheel and caster combo set in order to make sure that the pieces work together properly and wear down evenly. However, you need to make sure that you choose the correct wheel and caster combo for your needs. Here are some questions that you can ask yourself in order to make sure that your wheel and caster combos are as effective as possible.
1. Do I Need to Protect the Floors?
If you are going to be using your trolleys, beds, or other wheeled machinery on softer floor materials such as wood and linoleum, then you are going to need to purchase treads for the wheels that have rubber or are padded in some other way. Otherwise, the steel wheels are going to scratch up the floors, which will end up costing your company a lot of money to fix. Even though the rubber treads cost a little bit extra in many cases, they will almost always be cheaper than refinishing your floors.
If, on the other hand, you have concrete floors, you can choose a very cheap tread that does not provide the floors with much protection because the concrete will be able to withstand the impact or because the floors do not have to look nice.
2. Do I Have the Money to Cover Regular Replacements?
Look at the budget for the particular department that needs the wheel and caster combos. See if you have the budget to pay for replacement treads once every few years. If you don't have the money in your budget for these costs, then you are going to want to make sure that you purchase more durable treads upfront. These treads are more expensive at first, but they will be able to save you a great deal of money in the long run because you won't have to pay for as many replacement treads.
If you can't afford the more expensive treads in the beginning, settle for cheaper treads and make sure that you replace them on a regular basis.
3. Are People Going to Be Pushing the Machines?
Finally, consider the machinery that the wheels and casters are going to be attached to. If people are going to be rolling the machinery, then you will want to get harder wheels because they are easier to roll. If machines are going to be doing the rolling, then you can get stronger, softer treads that will be able to absorb more impact and last longer, but will be harder to push.
For more information, talk to a company that makes steel casters, like Garland's Inc.