#custom casters

[clarkecasters]

Custom Threaded Stainless Steel Casters

Custom casters and wheels are our specialty here at C.E. Clarke & Son, Inc.  So when a customer recently needed to replace the threaded levelers on an X-Ray machine with stainless steel casters, he called us for help. 

Stainless steel casters are commonly available with standard mounting plates, and a few select stems.  Among the stem caster selection, the threaded option is almost always limited to a 1/2″-13 stem size (in a couple different lengths if you’re lucky).  The X-Ray machine our customer had used threaded levelers with a 3/4″-10 threaded stem.  The larger diameter stem was necessary to hold the weight of the X-Ray machine.  Although the stem of any threaded stem caster is not designed to be adjusted as a leveler, we still had to match the thread size to install casters.

One of our oldest vendors, Darnell-Rose Casters, was our go-to for this.  Darnell-Rose had no problem building these custom casters for us.  With an all stainless steel frame, stainless 3/4″-10 x 2″ threaded stem, and stainless stee wheel brake, as well as a 5″ polyolefin wheel, these casters were the perfect solution. 

So if you are looking for a one-of-a-kind caster for your application, give us a call or EMAIL US.  Customizing a caster to meet your needs is what we do, and we look forward to helping!

[clarkecasters]

V-Groove and Flanged Wheels

Many caster and wheel applications require an in-ground track on which casters and wheels can run without veering off-course.  This is the same concept as a train running on tracks, just on a smaller scale.  For applications such as this, there are a few caster and wheel options to literally keep everything on-track.  V-groove wheels, and single-flange wheels are the most common ways to achieve this.  We offer several standard options in either style which we will go over here, as well as countless customized options.

V-Groove Casters and Wheels

V-groove wheels have an angled, V-shaped groove that spans the circumference of the wheel.  These grooves come in standard dimensions depending on the diameter and width of the wheel, and run on standard size angled iron or steel fixed to the rolling surface.  While the nature of a track application would typically call for a rigid caster that does not turn at all, many times swivel casters are also used so that the cart, truck, or dolly can also be used off-track as well. 

V-groove wheels come in a variety of materials including those shown below.

The image below shows stainless steel rigid casters with high-impact polymer (Trionix) v-groove wheels, as well as a standard forged steel v-groove wheel.  Polymer wheels are great options for stainless applications that require a high capacity.  Forged Steel V-Groove wheels are the toughest of the tough, for when a high capacity, extremely durable wheel is required.

The next image shows standard cast iron v-groove wheels.  These are the most commonly used v-groove wheels for the durability and economic price point, and come in a wide range of sizes and specs.

The image below shows polyurethane v-groove wheels.  These are great for washdown or stainless steel applications, as well as applications that require more floor protection than a steel or iron wheel can offer.

Single Flange Wheels

Single flange wheels are the same basic build as a train wheel.  They run on a raised, flat-top track, and generally come in much larger sizes than v-groove wheels.  They are commonly used with a keyway and set-screw as a drive wheel.  They are also available with a double-flange for special applications.  The image below shows standard cast iron single-flange wheels with a plain bore.

For more information on various wheels for track applications, or for custom options, please CONTACT US or stop by our showroom if you are in the Richmond, VA area.  We look forward to helping you.

[clarkecasters]

Custom 3-Wheel Casters

When stability is critical, adding extra wheels to your casters can help. 

We recently had a customer replacing wheels on a cart that was being rolled onto grassy fields for sporting events.  The problem this customer was having with the original casters was a lack of stability and rollability when the ground became soft.  The single-wheel casters being used would tend to sink into the ground, creating an unstable and potentially dangerous situation, and also making it very hard to roll the cart.  We decided to widen the wheel base by adding wheels to each caster. 

We took our standard 6″ x 2″ flat free casters, and cut an extra long axle from plain steel stock to accommodate and additional wheel on each side of the yoke.

After discussing the application with our customer, we decided that we would only do this on the two rigid casters and not the two swivel casters.  Since the casters would be used primarily on soft, grassy surfaces, adding wheels to the swivel casters would create too much friction for swiveling and likely cause problems.

After cutting the axle to size, we simply replaced the original hex head axle and added washers and wheels to the outsides of the yoke. 

Note that adding wheels in this manner does not necessarily increase weight capacity.  They are mainly there as outriggers to keep the cart balanced.  We also offer standard dual-wheel casters for heavier duty applications.

If you need a custom caster solution for your application, just give us a call at 1-800-325-2753, email us, or stop by our showroom.  We look forward to hearing from you!

[clarkecasters]

DIY Custom Casters

We’ve seen it countless times:  An application that requires a unique threaded stem caster.  Some of the most common examples of unique stems are metric threaded stems (which are very limited here), or special threaded stem lengths that are not standard items.  In many of these cases, we are able to use a hollow kingpin caster (one with no stem or plate, but just a hole in the raceway) with whatever size or spec stem is needed in the form of a bolt from any hardware or fastener store.

As an example, the pictures below illustrate how we equipped a standard chrome-plated hollow kingpin caster with an extra long threaded stem for a special installation.  It really is as simple as picking your own stem from the range of sizes available at any hardware store, and installing it through the hollow kingpin.

First, remove the wheel from the hollow kingpin yoke so that it does not interfere with the installation of the stem/bolt.  The caster and axle setup will determine the tools you will need.  Here is a hollow kingpin yoke with a total lock brake with the wheel removed:

Next, insert the custom stem you chose from underneath the swivel raceway as shown below. 

Now, with the stem pushed all the way through the hollow kingpin, you can reinstall your wheel:

With your wheel reinstalled, all that’s left is to attach your caster to your application.  If you used a hex-head bolt like we did in this example, you can use an open ended box wrench to tighten the stem while installing by holding the hex head located underneath the swivel raceway. 

And just like that, you have created a custom caster for your application.  If you would like to learn more about hollow kingpin casters, and other custom caster solutions, give us a call at 1-800-325-2753.