Selection criteria for wheels and castors
 

The following criteria should help you select the right wheel or castor. If in doubt the best way to reach a decision might be to try it out.

Tractive - and rolling resistance

The tractive resistance is the force necessary to get a still wheel moving. The rolling resistance is the power that is necessary to keep a moving wheel going. Both resistances depend on the size of the wheel, the kind of coating and the bearing as well as the condition of the floor surface.

Load capacity

Tare + load = maximum load capacity. The load capacity for a vehicle with four wheels should be divided by three because not all four wheels carry the load evenly (uneven pavement etc.)at all times. The load rating in the catalogue are for a maximum speed of 6 km/h on a smooth, even and clean surface at a temperature of about 20 C.

Impact load

When driving through pot holes and crossing railway tracks or thresholds etc. the wheels and castors receive an impact or blow that exceeds the load rating and can result in damage or ultimate failure. If that cannot be avoided, you should select wheels with an elastic coating as well as a big diameter and you should choose a castor having a given load capacity many times greater than appears to be warranted.

Surface condition of the floor

The condition of the floor surface is an important criterion for the choice of the wheel material. For sensitive floors (tiles, ceramic etc.) we recommend wheels with elastic coating e.g. polyurethane or Vulkollan*, solid rubber or elastic-solid rubber. Furthermore, it should be taken into account that black solid rubber wheels can leave black markings behind on the floor. In this case we offer special wheels(blue or blue-grey). For more solid floors wheels with a low rolling resistance like steel, polyamide or cast-steel wheels can be used. The result: smoother rolling and a higher load capacity

Environmental conditions

Environmental conditions are also important when choosing a wheel or castor. You can gather a detailed overview of the chemical resistance of the different materials from the opposite table. In wet conditions a material that does not rust should be chosen and for high temperatures we offer heat resistant wheels.

_{* Vulkollan=registered trademark of Bayer AG, Leverkusen/Germany}