What’re caster wheels?

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Caster wheels are used in household and industrial devices, with different designs and sizes available. Pivot-mounted casters allow for easy direction changes. Casters can be made of plastic or metal, with industrial casters being more durable. They are commonly found on chairs, tables, and furniture platforms. Offices use swivel wheels on filing cabinets, seating units, and carts. Replacing caster wheels is easy and replacement wheels can be found at most stores.

Casters are simple wheeled devices that are used with many different types of household and industrial devices. Wheels can be built in designs known as compound, non-driven, single and double. Available in several sizes, caster wheels are sometimes constructed of heavy-duty plastic or metal components.
In some configurations, the caster wheels are designed to roll forward or backward only. However, many devices that have casters also use a pivot to enhance the function of the casters. The pivot essentially acts as an intermediary between the object and the wheels, allowing the wheels to change direction with ease when needed. The pivot mounted caster wheels can move forward, then steer left or right, and then move backward without the need to stop and realign the object for direction change.

While caster wheels were once made solely of metal components, wheels designed for use with relatively light objects are often constructed with a combination of plastic and metal components or even just plastic. However, castors intended for use in industrial environments are still manufactured completely with durable metal components, as they are often called upon to support a high weight.

Many homes contain at least a few devices that have casters. Casters are commonly found on most types of computer chairs, as well as a number of occasional table or dining chairs. Simple platforms mounted on casters are often used to help move larger pieces of furniture around the home. Underbed bins are often mounted on wheels to make it easier to retrieve or store the units under a bed. Caster wheels can also be useful outdoors when added to garden trolleys, as the casters make it easier to move the trolleys from one location to another.

Offices often use devices that have swivel wheels. Sometimes filing cabinets are mounted on casters, which makes it easy to move them from place to place. Seating units for reception areas are often mounted on casters, which makes it easier to move larger objects when cleaning up the space. Casters that double as chair wheels allow employees to move more easily between computer stations and nearby printers or fax machines. Carts used to deliver mail or office supplies to different departments are also made more efficient with the use of caster wheels.

While casters tend to be durable, replacing one or more casters if they fail is relatively easy. In most cases, the job requires nothing more than loosening a screw or two, removing the damaged wheel, and sliding a new wheel into place. Because many items use standard size caster wheels, replacement wheels can be found at office supply stores and most hardware stores.




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