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Since the invention of the wheel, caster wheels have been a time tested solution for getting objects around from one place to another. When considering concrete, asphalt or hard surfaces, smooth rollability and motion integrity are easily mitigated with the right quality caster wheel under your cart making your push, pull or move easy and sometimes effortless.
What’s the difference between CROWN tread casters and FLAT tread casters?
Crowned tread casters are curved and U-shaped with a narrow touch point to the ground. They are easy to pivot and maneuver around with due to the shorter traction of width to surface area coverage. These casters look great and perform well with comparable load capacities considering that they have a shorter touch point. When you have a 6” x 2” crowned wheel size, the actual touch point may very well be a small fraction of the true overall width of 2” for example. What his means is that the true net surface area coverage of ground traction is much less than 2” when considering crowned casters in comparison to Flat casters who on the other hand have a much wider surface area coverage which are true to the net overall width. Flat casters hence provide better overall traction simply because of these physical qualities.
What’s the Difference Between a Softer Wheel vs. a Harder Wheel?
The main difference between soft rubber and hard rubber caster wheels are attributed to the durometer density and hardness of the rubber. These wheels undergo different processes in manufacturing to achieve a desired hardness and load tolerance. These wheels consist of impact memory recovery by which loads cause the contraction and retraction or material flex of the rubber wheel. The amount change is in direct proportion to the flex capacity based on the percentages in additives of polyurethane or PVC plastic integrated into the rubber. Our Thermoplastic MIR wheels offer the perfect balance of a high quality wheel with strength, smooth rollability, material flex, and non-marking capabilities regardless of size and load capacity. Typically, a soft rubber wheel will work for your basic needs around the house or office at a lower cost. Hard rubber on the other hand is more for industrial applications and uses with a much higher cost parameter. The best compromise for any application would be the Thermoplastic MIR caster wheel tread that is a perfect blend of quality, durability and cost all without a single scratch or marking to any surface.
What do These Caster Wheels Offer That Other Materials Don't?
Our casters have been perceived as the highest quality casters in the market at a value. The manner in which our casters are made differs from the competition. Ours casters treads have an interwoven injection looped through the core of the caster so that the Polyurethane tread is fastened to the core with a loop interlay several times throughout the circumference of the diameter of the wheel. Many others simply connect the tread at the outer edge of the cores lip and don’t necessarily scream safety when only fastened at the lip of the core and through it. Additionally, when you are considering quality construction, adherence to environmental guidelines, and innovation, our products rise above the competition. Here is an interesting and compelling fact. While many casters are at or below their max threshold in load capacity rating, our casters are intentionally conservative with an extra 10% in reserve capacity to ensure fulfillment in our commitments when rating load capacities. Additionally, this lends to our consumer confidence index which is one of the highest in the industry with a 3 Year Limited Warranty.
Contact our specialists at Icon Caster Wheels to learn more about which products we offer and what heavy duty caster wheel is the best option for you or your business.