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Thread: Decent Castors?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
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    Sth Gippsland Victoria, Aust
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    Default Decent Castors?

    What I'm looking for is value for money recommendations.

    I'm planning the layout for my shed/workshop and I want to have everything mobile. I don't want to fall into the trap of using cheap castors that become a problem, nor do I want to spend anything more than I need to as I'm a single Dad on a disability pension (bloody cancer).

    So any thoughts appreciated, experience even more so.

    Basic requirements:
    • Must be available from Bunnings or online due to where I live.
    • Will be used on a level concrete floor.
    • No plastic.
    • Must be available in both standard and locking versions.
    • Weight capacity I'm guessing at 30+ kg each.

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  3. #2
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    I know you said no plastic but Bunnings has heavy duty castors which would be suitable. I have a set of these under a very heavy worktable and haven't had any problems since I put them on about 7 years ago.

    Peter.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
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    I looked into this some time ago and your Bunnings choices are typically rubber, PVC, Polypropylene (PP), Nylon, Polyurethane (PU), cast iron, Hard maple, and Al with a thin rubber tyre. Some just say plastic and these are usually nylon although some could be ABS

    So based on your no plastics rule this eliminates, PVC, nylon, ABS and PP. I also have a "no plastics" rule but I apply that that the body of the castor rather than the tyre because some plastics can make for a very good tyre material.

    What it really comes down to is machinery weight and the environmental conditions.

    My experience with rubber, soft PVC and soft PU tyres is that I would be careful about using these especially on heavy machinery. When parked in a spot for too long they can develop a flat spot that makes it harder to move machines. You can get around this by getting bigger wheels than the load ratings - I would suggest at least double the load ratings.

    Rubber and some cheaper/softer so called PU, and PVC wheels may also disintegrated if they get exposure to some oils and solvents. This happened to one of the wheels on my thicknesser when a bottle of BLO spilled on the floor.

    If you have plenty of readies then the red PU on cast iron wheels are the bees knees but at 320kg load rating and $20+ per wheel, they are probably overkill and over budget.

    At home I have two Sidchrome tool box drawer units on top of each other on steel body with 2" PP wheels and they work just fine. PP is oil and solvent immune and the won't develop a flat spot. Apart from my forge which is on 4" PVC wheels, none of my other gear is on wheels.

    At the mens shed we have have most machines and some benches on wheels using nearly all the wheels mentioned above. Three of the large movable benches are on wheels similar to Sturdee's and they are just fine. Some of the heavy machines like a 600kg thicknesser is on fully cast iron wheels - these are bit of a pig to move around ie swivel - it depends on the quality of the bearings. Some machines are on steel body with rubber (not my first choice) wheels, but they seem to be surviving so far.

    If you are highly budget conscious for the lighter weight stuff the steel bodied PP and the steel body with PVC (like Sturdees) are hard to beat.

  5. #4
    Join Date
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    Albury
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    The better quality castors have a wider contact patch and the locking ones not only stop the tyre from turning they also lock the swivel action. I've got 2" castors of this type (https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-Polyur...4383.l4275.c10) on custom built steel frames on my table saw, belt and disc sander and jointer thicknesser and have found them fine. But, I do have a timber floor in the shed, life on concrete would depend on how often you moved the machines and how smooth the concrete is.

  6. #5
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    Wider contact patches means the tyre is less likely to form a flat spot but they are also a bit harder to turn although this is only a problem on really heavy machines.

    Another issue with wheels is you don't want them too tall as this can change the ergonomics of the machine/bench.

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    Another issue with wheels is you don't want them too tall as this can change the ergonomics of the machine/bench.
    Unless you make a frame that raises the machine only 10mm higher and mount the wheels on that frame, angle iron of 3 or 4mm thickness works well.

  8. #7
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    I must try and find the details of my favourite casters supplier. They are in the Gold Coast but I bought them from eBay. They are definately superior to other lockable casters yet at the time I ordered them because they were cheapest. Better and cheaper than Bunnies. Delivery was quick too.


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  9. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by DaveVman View Post
    I must try and find the details of my favourite casters supplier. They are in the Gold Coast but I bought them from eBay. They are definately superior to other lockable casters yet at the time I ordered them because they were cheapest. Better and cheaper than Bunnies. Delivery was quick too.
    Possibly the guys I linked to DaveVman? They used to have a huge range with plenty of good quality ones at good prices. They don't seem to have much of anything on Ebay now, possibly because Ebay is now so crap due to their changes to cope with people using their phones to buy/browse instead of a proper computer. Here's a link to their Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/pg/GC-Casto...8971221/about/ - they may well still stock a large range of good castors.

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