If your business regularly uses racks, carts, shelves or other material handling equipment, you may want to invest in a set of caster tie bars. Material handling equipment often features casters for mobility. Consisting of wheels with a mountable frame, they allow you to roll equipment. Rigid casters, however, can drift in different directions, which is where tie bars come into play.
What Are Caster Tie Bars?
Caster tie bars are support components that connect two rigid casters. They are known as “caster tie bars” because they consist of a bar-shaped piece of metal that “ties” the two casters together. One caster is mounted to one side of the tie bar, and the other caster is mounted to the opposite side.
What’s the Purpose of Caster Tie Bars?
Being that you can always mount casters directly to the bottom of equipment, you might be wondering what purpose, if any, tie bars serve. Tie bars align the casters with which they are used to ensure straight movement.
Caster tie bars are designed specifically for use with rigid casters. There are two primary types of casters: swivel and rigid. Swivel casters can rotate in all directions, whereas rigid casters only have a forward-and-backward movement. Using a tie bar will align a pair of rigid casters so that they roll in the same direction at all times.
How Tie Bars Work
The mechanics of tie bars are relatively straightforward. They act as alignment components by locking two rigid casters together in a fixed position.
Rigid casters are only designed to roll forward and backward. When exposed to heavy loads, though, they may begin to twist. Pushing a heavy cart, for instance, may cause one of the cart’s rigid casters to twist to the side. Not only will this make the cart harder to roll, but it will also expose the rigid casters to additional wear and tear.
Tie bars offer a solution. They will link the cart’s rigid casters so that they move in sync. When two casters are mounted to a tie bar, they can’t move independently of each other.
Get the Right Size
If you’re planning on using caster tie bars, you’ll need to choose the right size. Some tie bars are longer than others. If a tie bar is too long, it may extend past the cart or object, making it unusable. If it’s too short, it won’t provide a stable foundation. Common sizes for caster tie bars include 18 inches, 21 inches and 24 inches.