{"id":8079,"date":"2020-11-10T14:00:30","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T14:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/?p=8079"},"modified":"2022-04-13T17:17:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T17:17:12","slug":"what-to-know-when-buying-casters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/what-to-know-when-buying-casters\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Know When Buying Casters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Caster
Caster Mounting Options<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There are only two reasons why one would ask how to buy a caster. The first is if you are holding a worn out one in your hand. The second is if you are a manufacturer incorporating a caster in your product. Either way you want to know some caster buying basics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caster Basics. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The modern caster allows heavy items to be rolled easily in tight or limited spaces. Casters allow 360 degrees of motion in any direction with a minimum of force. They are on furniture, grocery carts, hospital beds, and many industrial material handling products.They are an Industrial commodity. Because of this they are typically produced in automated Manufacturing plants at high speed to lower their cost. Like all Industrial commodities there are multinational sources of supply. The caster at the hardware store could have been made in any number of countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are replacing a bad caster then it best be on a high-volume standard item like a grocery cart or piece of furniture. If it is older or was a custom caster<\/a>, then you may want to replace all the casters with the closest available choice. In any case a trip to your Hardware store, Industrial supply store, or an online search are your choices. Somewhere on that caster may be the info you need to find it, in the form of a logo or part number. If you cannot find that then you go looking for the application, like \u201cIndustrial cart caster\u201d google away! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are including casters in your manufactured part the\ndynamics are much different. You will likely be talking to an industrial distributor\nof \u201cMaterial Handling\u201d products, of which casters are a major driver. If you\nare buying hundreds of thousands of casters, you may still best be served by\nthe distributor with multiple options in sources. Most high-volume casters are\nnot sold directly by the manufacturer. They are sold by distributors or industrial\nsupply houses. In high volumes you need to bypass the Industrial distribution\nretailer\u2019s and get the product where they do\u2026\u2026..The stock and sell distributor.\nThey will offer multiple lines at multiple quality levels and price points.\nRetailers like Grainger or Fastenal are not set up to be competitive in very\nhigh volumes. Here is what your Caster partner needs to know when you call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n