Casters and wheels – why they are not the same thing?

Often, the term ‘Wheels’ and ‘Castors’ is used interchangeably. However, it must be noted that they do not refer to the same object because a wheel is just a solid round object that rotated on an axle or a shaft. This passes through its centre. A caster on the other hand, is made up of a wheel that is installed in a frame, known as caster bracket or a fork or rig. This is the basic difference between casters and wheels.

A caster is often used in step ladders, swivel chairs, trucks, trailers, trolleys and many other industrial material handling equipments.  Depending on their applications, wheels and castors are available in a number of materials, shapes, sizes and diameter. For instance, some casters wheels are suitable for outdoor use while others are suitable for indoor use. Also, there are certain casters that function optimally both indoors and outdoors.  

Now, let us take a look of two most commonly used casters, namely:

Swivel Caster

In such type of castor, the frame is swivel type with a wheel installed in it. This castor can rotate 360°, which makes it apt for chairs, furniture and drum dollies or for trolleys used to carry plastic crates and other goods.

Rigid Caster

As the name indicates, the frame is rigid with a wheel installed in this type of casters. It is mainly used for moving things in a linear fashion either forwards or backwards. For instance, you can use them in step ladders or in certain industrial trolleys.

To Conclude

So, this was just a hint about casters, which along with rectangular tanks or plastic megabins are immensely useful in a commercial setup. You can read more about them on various websites.