Manufacturer of casters, custom wheels, stainless casters, material handling and mroe!
Caster Warehouse Inc, A Division of World Casters & Equipment Mfg
 


Atlanta Based Caster Warehouse, satisfying the needs of the United States
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Caster Terminology

This page is designed to help you determine the right caster for your application.

To help you determine the right caster for your needs, click on the subject highlighted below to jump to that section.

Part Number Nomenclature


Every caster is designated by a series number. This will help you determine the right caster by looking at the max capacity for that series listed in the online catalog. You can search by the max capacity and it will list all the series that match. The "66" tells you this is a 6600 series caster. Once you know the right series the next most important factor is the wheel size. The larger the diameter of the wheel the higher the Overall Height and , in most cases, greater load capacity. The "60" tells you 6" wheel diameter. A code of "35" tells you the diameter is 3.5", 25 = 2.5" etc. This is a code that tells you what kind of fastener the caster uses to fasten the caster to the cart. A Fastener chart is given on each series to provide the dimensions for that fastener code. Dimensions can vary from one series to another. The "01" tells you it's a Top Plate. To designate which wheel the caster has in it an abbreviated code is used. For example, "PCI" means Polyurethane Tread on a Cast Iron core. A code of "PHN" means a Phenolic wheel. A general rule of thumb is to use a hard tread on a soft floor and a soft tread on a hard floor. All Special option codes are placed at the end of the part number and can have multiple codes depending on the number of options required. Each option code will be seperated by a dash "-". "PSL" = 4-way Position Lock.

To designate a rigid caster change the part number by adding an "R" after the wheel code as follows:


6660R-01-PCI

For Stainless casters add an "S" to the prefix of the part number as follows:

S6660-01-PCI

For Material Handling products see our online Catalog

Key Measurements
 In order to make sure you get the right caster for your application, you will need to know how to measure some key measurements. The diagram below will help you understand how to find these specifications.
(Click on the underlined words if you need more information.)

A. Wheel Diameter: This is the distance measured vertically from one side of the tread to the other.
B. Tread Width: The distance measured laterally across the tread of the wheel.
C. Overall Height: The total distance the caster raises the cart off the ground. Measured vertically from the top of the fastener to the tread of the wheel.
D. Swivel Radius: The distance from the center of the Kingpin to the tread of the wheel.
E. Load Capacity: (See Below)

Load Capacity:
To determine the Load Capacity per caster, you must first find out the weight of the cart plus the load it caries. Once you know the total maximum weight, divide that number by the total number of casters on the cart to get the Load Capacity per caster. (This applies to manually pushed carts only.)
For example:

Cart weight (100lbs) + Maximum Load (900 lbs) = Total weight (1000 lbs)

Number of Casters on cart = 4

1000 lbs 4 casters = 250lbs per caster

Caution:
If you have an application where the cart is moved mechanically (i.e. Tow Lines, Forklifts, Tug Cars,) you should use a caster that does NOT have a Kingpin in the Raceway. This is because the Shock Loading of casters in these applications can exceed the maximum capacity and cause premature Kingpin failure, injury, or death. Kingpin Free casters, such as our 9000 series shown in the example, are designed to take the high shock loads in mechanical applications.

If you can only use a kingpin style caster on these types of carts then you should only calculate half the number of casters in the formula for added safety.
For example:

1000lbs 2 casters = 500lbs per caster