Month: November 2019

Choosing a Hardwood Floor Furniture Caster

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You have a beautiful hardwood floor, but your chairs, tables, and other furniture on casters are all hard plastic and nylon. These hard material wheels will cut and scratch the floor easily. What solutions are there, you might ask?

Hardwood floor casters are available for any common connections types out there. These casters are made of soft polyurethane, rubber, or other materials specifically designed for hardwood floors. In most of these cases, the casters will not only be hardwood safe, but they will also roll and perform better. Materials that have more grip will roll easier than harder wheels, so you won’t skip or skid across the floor but instead roll smoothly.

Is a caster hardwood floor safe just because it’s rubber or soft material? No! A small diameter rubber wheel can cause as much damage as a hard wheel. When choosing a caster, get one that distributes weight over a wider area. Twin wheel casters are a good idea, or a large soft single wheel caster.

The investment of some quality hardwood floor casters greatly outweighs the cost of replacing or fixing a hardwood floor.

Is Stainless Steel Non-Magnetic?

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Over the years, we’ve had a few people contact us in regards to our stainless steel casters. “Hey!” They say, “You’ve sent me the wrong casters. These are supposed to be stainless steel, but they’re magnetic.” We understand the concern, but have no fear… magnetism and stainless steel are not mutually exclusive. For example, stainless steel kitchen knives are often magnetic.

There are various types of stainless steel with a range of magnetic properties based on the atomic structure of the steel. Without getting too complicated, chromium content is what gives the steel its stainless properties. Sometimes, other materials are added to give specific attributes to the steel such as malleability or hardness. One such added material is nickel, which when combined with the steel creates the non-magnetism.

Our most commonly sold stainless steel casters are made with ferritic stainless steel, and they are magnetic. Some applications, such as MRI machines or special lab equipment, must have non-magnetic steel. If this is the case for your application, please give us a call at 1-800-215-8220 to discuss more options.



Twin Wheel Casters VS. Single Wheel Casters

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One question we get a lot here at SCC is, “Why choose a twin wheel caster instead of a single wheel caster?”

A twin wheel caster offers several distinct advantages over its single wheeled counterpart. Perhaps the most obvious advantage is weight handling capacity. If we take two casters with the same wheel diameter and material, but one is twin wheeled, it will handle more weight. Another way to look at this advantage is that we can use a smaller twin wheel caster to reach the same weight bearing capacity as a larger single wheel. This can be important if you need to maintain a lower load height within a specific weight capacity range.

Another great feature of twin wheel casters is their ability to turn easily. Where a single wheel caster must pivot on itself, a twin wheel caster’s wheels can rotate independently of each other, making turning or reversing direction much easier.

For more information on using twin wheel casters, give our customer service team a call at 800-215-8220 and we’ll be happy to help you out.

Chair Casters for Carpet

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Carpet is very common and casters can be used on anything from low ply to shag carpets, but the types of casters used will vary.

For a low ply carpet, any hard wheeled caster will do the trick. Nylon, hard rubber, or other hard material will work well for the wheel. These materials will grip the carpet less than softer materials, making it easier to turn and roll. A rubbery material will grip the carpet, and feel like its sticking when they are moved.

For a shag or thick carpet, not only should a hard wheel material be used, but also the largest diameter caster wheel possible. Many times a large wheel is not desired, but the largest one possible should be used in this cast to prevent the caster from binding up in the carpet.

Many chair and furniture casters can meet these demands, so be sure to discuss your carpet type and options with a caster and wheel representative by calling us at 800-215-8220.

Caster Wheels for High Temperature Environments

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Most casters and wheels for industry and commercial applications contain some ability for exposure to temperatures above the norm. Typically, temperatures to 180 degrees Fahrenheit are possible. For those environments where higher temperatures are expected, such as a bakery oven or autoclave, caster wheel composition must be considered.

Recommended exposures to high temperature and length of operation vary. Also, consideration to the type of heat is necessary. These factors, along with floor surface, determine the possible lifetime of the caster wheel.

For locations with a dry heat, high temperature Phenolic wheels perform optimally. A safe range for estimating usage would be temperatures up to 475° F for 30 minutes of continuous operation.

When moist heat is expected, a glass-filled nylon wheel for high temperatures is the favored option. Conservatively, 475° F for 30 minutes continuous use provides the best scenario for a prolonged wheel lifetime. It should be noted that glass-filled nylon wheels are not for use in dry heat.

For issues of high heat, high temperature Phenolic and glass-filled nylon wheels are a solution for most environs. As noted, usage is permitted beyond the given parameters, but life expectancy of the caster wheels might be greatly reduced.