One of the main variations in castor design is between rigid and swivel castors, both of which can be useful in different situations. Here’s what you need to consider before choosing one type of castor wheel over the other.
Range Of Movement Required
Rigid castors work exactly as their name suggests. They roll backwards and forwards in a fixed position, allowing movement in a straight line only. For this reason, they are also referred to as 'fixed' castors. A swivel castor, on the other hand, comes with a cylindrical mounting known as a 'raceway' that allows the wheel to turn up to 360° when necessary.
Operational Safety And Stability
Keep the working environment in mind, and the skill and experience of trolley operators, when specifying a castor type. If you foresee a lot of twists and turns in transporting goods around a warehouse, and they are only going to be used by trained employees, then swivel castors can offer that bonus movement and flexibility.
Something to consider though is that swivel castors sacrifice some strength and stability to achieve this, making them harder to control when overloaded due to the natural extra movement within the castors. It is not always advisable, therefore, to equip trolleys for customer use purely with swivel castors.
Some swivel castors can be locked in place to restrict movement and enable better control – and many trolleys use both rigid and swivel castors, e.g. rigid castors at the rear for stability and swivel castors at the front to enable steering.
Load Bearing Capability
Rigid castors are capable of carrying larger weights than swivel castors - what the rigid option lacks in manoeuvrability, it can make up for in sturdiness and strength. If you have a simple yet heavy job for it to do that doesn't require much change of direction – e.g. back and forth deliveries along a single warehouse trackway – a rigid castor could well be the best option.
Find Out More
If you're unsure about the best option for your transport equipment, stillages, or trolleys, or simply require more information, it's best to choose an experienced supplier like Steps and Stillages who can help with this and other castor decisions. Please get in touch with one of our friendly service team today to find out more.
