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Non-Slip Casters for Low-Friction Surfaces

Threaded or Grip Ring Stem Models: How to Choose the Right Caster for YouThe next time you’re pushing a cart mounted on casters, try to notice the tiny details of what takes place when you change direction. For example, let’s say you’re traveling in a straight line on a smooth concrete floor, and your hands push the cart handles with equal force.

Next, you want to make a right turn. What happens with your hands? Your left hand exerts slightly more force than your right. Down at ground level, that off-center force is translated from your hands, through the cart handle to the center of the top plate of each swivel caster. The wheel contacts the concrete floor slightly behind this point—the exact distance determined by the swivel lead designed into the caster.

Why does the caster turn? Friction happens to play an important role. As you push more with your left hand, you’re exerting a sideways force on the wheel. The friction between the wheel’s tread and the concrete creates a pivot point around and it follows the top plate of the caster around the curve to the right.

What Happens Next?

What happens if there is no friction? Trying to control the cart’s motion becomes much more challenging. Thanks to Isaac Newton and his First Law of Motion, part of which says – “…an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction, unless acted upon by an unbalanced force,” the cart wants to keep moving in a straight line. For us to apply a sideways force, we need the slight resistance of the wheel’s tread against the concrete. Friction provides that resistance.

The Importance of Friction

Without friction, the situation is similar to pushing a cart with four rigid (non-swivel) wheels across a sheet of ice. When you try to make the cart turn, it may pivot around a central vertical axis, but the whole thing will keep moving in the original direction.

Usually in the world of mechanical design, friction is a bad thing – we try to eliminate it. But in the special case of trying to control casters on low-friction surfaces, any bit of friction we can find is a good thing. Friction can help us to control the direction of equipment while it’s in motion, and keep equipment from moving while it’s parked in place.

When it’s time to choose casters for low-friction surfaces, the key is to pick the right tread material for the wheels. What’s the best choice? Actually, that depends – on the type of low-friction surface you’re dealing with.

Low-Friction Surfaces, from Mild to Extreme

Not all low-friction surfaces are the same. It’s important to know what causes the lack of friction in your application.

Ice or Water – This can cause some wheel materials like cast iron or steel to rust.

Oils – Oils can cause degradation of some types of tread materials.

Caustic or Harsh Chemicals – This can dissolve or destroy the materials used for treads and wheel cores.

Understanding the source of low friction – water, oil, chemical or something else – can help you pick components of your casters that resist damaging effects, and stand up well over time.

Three Non-Slip Wheels from Albion Casters

When it comes to selecting casters for low-friction surfaces, a good choice might be to select casters with tread material that is somewhat resilient, rather than rigid. The extra give of a resilient tread can make better contact with the slippery surface, and help provide the friction needed for control of your equipment.

Douglas Equipment is an authorized distributor for casters from Albion Inc., a division of the Colson Caster Corporation. As examples of the type of wheels you might choose for low-friction surfaces, here are the descriptions of three wheels from Albion.

  • AX Wheel – This wheel has a polyurethane tread, which is mechanically and chemically molded onto an aluminum core. The resilient 85 Shore A polyurethane glides smoothly. It is soft like rubber, which helps it grip low-friction surfaces, but with the ability to stand up to oils and chemicals, thanks to the polyurethane tread. The rounded tread of the AX Wheel gives it superior ergonomic performance. The wheel can carry loads as high as 1500 lbs. per wheel.
  • Vulkollan Polyurethane Wheel – This type of wheel uses high quality polyurethane from Bayer AG, Germany, to form the tread, which is mounted on a cast iron wheel. The tread has excellent rebound resilience, with a hardness rating of 95 Shore A, for a good grip on low-friction surfaces. It’s resistance to oils, grease and ozone is superior. In extreme conditions, the wheel may last much longer than most polyurethane wheels. It can carry loads as high as 3600 lbs. per wheel.
  • IS Rubber Tread Wheel – The IS Rubber Tread Wheel has a Thermo Plastic Rubber (TPR) tread mounted on a polypropylene wheel. The non-marking gray tread has a hardness rating of 85 – 88 Shore A, which means it will have a better grip on low-friction surfaces than harder tread materials found on other wheels. It is rated for loads up to 600 lbs. per wheel.

Remember, it’s critical to pick tread composition and wheel materials that can stand up to any destructive aspects of the material that creates your particular low-friction surface.

Get a Grip – Call Douglas Equipment Today!

As we’ve seen above, not every low-friction surface is the same. Some can cause metal to rust; others can dissolve or destroy tread material. What’s the best tread compound and wheel material to choose for the casters in your particular situation?

Douglas Equipment is a distributor for all of the major caster companies in North America. Each of the manufacturers we represent makes casters that can help maintain control on low-friction surfaces. If you contact our customer support department, our experts will be happy to discuss your unique application, and recommend casters that will perform well for you – and that will last a long time! You can reach us at 800-451-0030. In the Miami area, you may call 305-888-3700. We can also be reached online through our contact form. We hope to hear from you soon!