Engineers Guide to Castor and Wheel

Selection
Selecting the correct Castor Wheel for your application will ensure best performance
and longevity are achieved. The decision you make should be based on various factors,
such as Maximum Load, Floor Type and Environmental Factors...........
This guide provides some of the basic considerations when selecting a Castor Wheel

Load Capacity
One of the most important Factors when selecting a castor type is the
Weight (load) in which you will apply to each individual castor. Designers
should consider Weight Distribution, Shock Loads, and Flooring Types
when making this calculation.
If a piece of equipment, such as a Trolley, requires 4 Castors, the Designer should firstly
calculate the total weight of the equipment including any Payload. The next step is to
determine the weight distribution. In this instance, we will assume that all castors are equally
loaded. The next step, which is commonly overlooked, is the effect that flooring type has on
the weight per castor. In this instance we shall assume that the castor is being used outdoors
on a concrete floor. Due to the unevenness of the floor, it is probable that at times only 3 of the
4 castors will be touching the floor, resulting in the load being spread over 3 castors only.

A common formula for calculating the maximum possible Load on a Castor is as follows:

EQUIPMENT WEIGHT + MAX. PAYLOAD + SHOCK FORCE / 3 = MAX WEIGHT PER CASTOR
Note: Shock Force should be calculated by a competent engineer. Customers should contact their Castor supplier. As
an example, shock force from a Kerb drop is approx. 15-20% of Equipment plus Payload

Wheel Diameter
As a general rule, the larger the Castor wheel, the lower the roll resistance,
hence bigger wheels allow for equipment to be moved easily with less force.
Larger wheels are also better suited to uneven flooring surfaces, and are able to
cope better with travelling over gaps, such as between pavement slabs,
compared to smaller Wheels.

The larger the wheel, the higher the load it can carry, however it may not always
be possible to utilise large wheels on an application due to height constraints, in
which instance a Twin-Wheel Castor may be considered which offers similar
Load bearing properties, without the extra height.

Swivel or Fixed Castors

A swivel castor can pivot 360 to allow enhanced mobility of equipment. They
provide maximum mobility, and can also be supplied with a Brake. A Fixed
castor, as the name would suggest, cannot be swivelled and is ideal for moving
equipment in one direction. Users should consider that whilst larger diameter
wheels provide lower roll resistance, they also have a larger swivel Sweep.
Swivel Castors can be furnished with a Directional Lock which in effect converts
the Swivel Castor into a Fixed Castor. The 2 most common combinations of
Castor are 1) Swivel & Fixed & 2) Swivel & Swivel with Brake. The former
allowing for ease of control and the latter providing the maximum amount of
movement.

Common Castor fittings

Top Plate Fitting
One of the Most popular fittings is the Top Plate Castor, which is a
rectangular or square plate with 4 fixing holes, allowing the castor to be
screwed or bolted to the underside of the equipment. The 4 fixing holes
provide a robust connection and disperse the stress equally over the plate.
The Top Plate Fitting can be manufactured for both Swivel & Fixed Types.

Bolt Hole Fitting / Single Stud Fitting

A bolt hole / Single Stud castor is fitted with a Fork with a single
mounting point, being either a central bolt hole or single stud. A Single
mounting point allow for the Castor to be installed to the equipment
using only one bolt. They are ideal for fitting to tubes and box sections,
where the mounting face is relatively small. Threaded Tube inserts can
be supplied that press into the ends of tubes, allowing the castor to be
screwed directly into the Tube.

Expanding Adaptor Fitting

An expanding adaptor fitting is a Plastic Connector fitted to the castor stem.
The Fitting is pressed into the tube and expansion ensures a secure fit. They
are suitable for both square and round tubing.

Wheel Material
Flexible Wheels
Flexible materials such as Rubber Castors, Polyurethane Castors & PVC Castors are ideal for
Hard Flooring Surfaces, such as Warehouse Floors, Laminate & Wooden Floors, Office, School
& Hospital Environments. They offer the best protection to delicate floors, and deal better
with small pot holes and uneven floors, as well as exhibiting Low Noise properties, which can
be an important factor for many environments. Polymer based Wheels are also better suited
to applications where shock may be experienced. Some Polymers can also offer Non-Marking
Properties.
Hard Wheels
Hard Castor Wheels, such as Nylon Castors, Polypropylene Castors and Cast Iron Castor are
suitable for both Soft and Hard flooring surfaces. They offer a lower traction resistance
compared to Flexible Castor wheels when used on Flat / Even Floor surfaces. Noise level
should be considered when using on hard flooring surfaces. Ideal for furniture, hotel &
hospital trolleys, small portable equipment. Generally Hard Wheels are Robust, hard Wearing
and provide an extremely long service life.

Wheel Bearings
Plain Bore The most common type, due to cost, which simply relies on the low friction of
the wheel bore to allow the wheel to rotate about the axle. Suitable for most applications
which are of intermittent use, and short travelling distance. Sintered Bronze & Teflon Plain
Bores may also be used where high temperatures are required.
Roller Bearings Ideal for reducing traction resistance, allowing for equipment to be moved
easily. It should be noted that the low traction resistance requires a higher stopping
resistance when the equipment needs to be brought to a stop. The Roller Bearing also
increases the load capacity of the Castor.
Ball Journal A ball journal is a precision bearing ideal for higher load capacity & radial
loads. Can be used for slow power towing applications.
Tapered Roller Bearings This type of bearing is similar to the standard bearing, however
the tapered design allows for extreme loads and is generally used on large castors only.

We hope that you found this article of interest, and would remind readers that this article is
provided for guidance only. It is advised to contact your Castor supplier to discuss the
application with their Technical Department, where they will guide you through the various
considerations and options. Ideally the castor supplier should have computer-aided
modelling systems to calculate the weight on each castor (if unevenly distributed) and any
impact that Speed, Shock & Environmental factors may have.

About Bulldog Castors

Bulldog Castors Ltd based in Leicester, United Kingdom. A technically driven company,
innovative & expertise in Mechanical & Application Engineering.
Providing a broad range of Castors and Wheels for the Material Handling Industry to fulfil
even the most demanding applications. Bulldog offer thousands of variations of Castors, such
as Wheel Materials, Castor fork materials & sizes, Wheel Sizes & numerous fixing types. Castor
forks are supplied in Zinc Plated Steel, Fabricated Painted Steel & Stainless Steel together with
coordinating wheels in Elastic Materials such as Rubber & Polyurethane, and Hard Wheels
such as Nylon, Polypropylene & Cast Iron.
Bulldog Castors Ltd offer in-house Testing facilities, an application & engineering department
and computer modelling application systems, with free technical advice available to all
prospective clients. The Bulldog Team can be contacted on +(44)0116 2970521 or
sales@bulldogcastors.co.uk. Or Visit their Website www.bulldogcastors.co.uk