Heavy components and bulky goods in a warehouse should be transported easily and safely without the need for excessive exertion by employees in the case where a manual trolley is used. As a warehouse manager, you can reduce physical exertion among employees by using industrial carts or transporters. These trolleys are fitted with castors that make movement convenient and comfortable. Furthermore, most industrial castors can take a beating for days, helping you save on maintenance costs. Here is what warehouse managers should know about industrial casters.

Condition of the Warehouse Floor -- Is the surface of the warehouse floor even or uneven? Rough surfaces and obstacles might cause the castor to suffer from wear and tear even for tougher models. The entire castor system such as the swivel, bearings, and wheels could be damaged over time due to the pressure of the heavy load coupled with the surface defects. If you want the castors to last longer, ensure that the warehouse floor is repaired as regularly as possible.

Load of the Castor -- Every trolley has a specific carrying capacity that is determined by the castors. Knowing the capacity will guarantee a long service life of the castor. One common industrial formula for calculating the acceptable weight of a castor is to add at least 25% to the total load and then divide the result by three. The figure you get gives you the average load that each castor can handle. The uneven nature of a warehouse floor could make the trolley use three castors instead of the four, and thus the need to calculate the total load using three wheels instead of four. In addition, when large components and goods are dropped on the trolley/transporter abruptly in what is referred to as shock loading, then the castor can experience considerable shock, which affects the load.  

Castor Flutter -- A castor can sometimes swing from side to side in an uncontrollable fashion when the transport trolley is moving forward. Besides the uncoordinated motion, the wobbling of the castor often causes the cart to produce noise in a phenomenon called castor flutter. Improper installation of the castor in the swivel could lead to misalignment, which causes the flutter problem. Moreover, if the castors are always moving at high speeds, the caster wheels will be susceptible to flutter. As a warehouse manager, ensure that the castor wheels are operated at a low speed. Moreover, applying thick grease on the bearings regulates the oscillations when at high speed. As a precautionary measure, consider buying heavy-duty castor wheels.

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