Heavy duty casters and wheels are the workhorses of industry, moving merchandise and equipment by the ton across shop floors and warehouses. You'll find industrial casters in a whole range of sizes and load capacities for just about any application. Whether you're looking for the heavy duty caster assembly itself or for caster wheels, keep your needs in mind as you shop suppliers' catalogues.

Capacity is obviously your first consideration when you're looking for industrial casters that can handle heavy loads and stand up to tough conditions. You should know, however, that rated capacities for heavy duty casters and wheels are based on ideal conditions. Always choose a caster or wheel with a significantly higher capacity than the loads you'll be moving. Keep these other factors in mind when making your caster and wheel purchases:

1. For manual moving, don't load heavy duty casters to more than half their rated capacity to avoid injury.

2. Use super heavy duty casters and wheels for motorized loads.

3. Choose a heavy duty wheel with performance, not necessarily floor protection, in mind.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take advantage of customer service from distributors of heavy duty casters and wheels

Commercial heavy duty casters are available in so many sizes and styles that making the right choice can be difficult. Look for manufacturers and distributors who guide you through the maze with downloadable catalogs, application finders and online or telephone support.

I recommend: Caster City offers plate-mounted heavy duty casters with capacities ranging from 3,000 to 15,000 lbs. The site also features application and maintenance tips. At Caster Concepts, search for heavy duty industrial casters by application, with ratings up to 35,000 lbs. Service Caster carries its own product line plus many others; download a catalog or call for assistance in making your choice.

Move the biggest loads with super heavy duty industrial casters

For loads in excess of 10 to 15 tons, you need super heavy duty casters and wheels. These monsters are designed to hold up under the heaviest weights, in the most difficult conditions. High capacity casters are meant for use with motorized loads. Be sure to match them with heavy duty wheels.

I recommend: Find super heavy duty casters rated up to 40,000 lbs at Perlin Casters & Equipment, which keeps more than 100,000 caster models in stock and can offer 1-day processing on most orders. They'll also design custom heavy duty casters for your needs. Payson Casters' 900/901 series of industrial heavy casters is rated up to a colossal 68,000 lbs

Get the right heavy duty wheels to keep things rolling

Shop for heavy duty caster wheels to support high capacity loads and keep them moving smoothly. Look for large diameter wheels for easier manual moving. You'll have to sacrifice the floor protection of pneumatic or hard rubber wheels and casters for the durability and weight-bearing qualities of forged steel or cast iron, but you can compromise with polyurethane on a metal core.

I recommend: Trew Industrial Wheels carries drop forged steel heavy duty wheels in more than 50 sizes, with capacities up to 6,500 lbs. Find the PT series of Revvothane wheels, poly on cast iron, in diameters up to 16 inches and capacities up to 14,740 lbs. at Revvo Caster Company. Choose V-Groove iron wheels, notched for running on rails in automated production lines, at Cisco-Eagle.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be sure to clean and maintain your commercial heavy duty wheels and casters regularly to protect both your investment and your employees' safety.