Castors & Wheels

Castors come in many different types. Cromwell stocks a large range of castors for various applications from leading brands like Flexello, Atlas Workholders and Bott. See our Castors & Wheels guide for more information and help for selecting your ideal castors & wheels.

Related Categories
• Roller Cabinets & Tool Chests
• Trucks, Trolleys & Lifting Tables

What are castors?

Castors are assemblies including a wheel and a mount to attach to an object to make it mobile such as racks and storage cabinets. They come in a variety of sizes, widths and load capacities depending on the application they are required for.

Types of castors

• Rigid - These types of castors are set allowing the wheel to travel only in a straight line, forward and backward.

• Swivel - These types for castors allow the wheel to pivot in any direction allotting the unit mounted on castors to turn in any direction.

• Braked - These types of castors are fitted with a brake that locks the wheel in a stationary position when on a flat stable surface.

• Locking - There are two types of locking castor, total and directional. The former locks the wheel totally preventing swivelling and any movement. Whereas directional locks the wheel on a fixed direction allowing movement forwards and backwards in that set direction.

Considerations when choosing a castor

• Load capacity - Typically speaking the larger and harder the wheels the higher the load capacity the castor will be able to withstand. An easy way to work out the loading capacity of castors is to divide the weight of the load (including the weight of the cart itself) by the number of castors.

• Wheel material - Depending on the surface the castor is on the wheel material will be paramount to smooth operation. Softer materials like urethane work well on smooth polished floors, however due to their softness have less load capacity than a cast iron wheel, which has a higher load capacity but will mark more delicate flooring.

• Wheel sizing - Larger, wider wheel are more beneficial for heavy loads as they provide greater stability when in motion.

FAQ

Are castors wheels?

Yes and no. A castor refers to the entire assembly of the mount and wheel. Whereas wheels are simply wheels on their own without the mount.