Zambus/Greatlakes caster question

[Brian Cosgrove]

Hi. I bought a set of Footmaster casters from Great Lakes caster and am somewhat disappointed with how hard they are to adjust with the handwheel once he weight of the machine starts to become a factor. Does anyone else notice this problem? The Zambus appear to have an additional metal nut on them to allow use of a wrench once you get to this point. Do any models of the Great Lakes casters have the extra nut? The ones I bought were gd-60s
http://www.greatlakescaster.com/foot_master___leveling_caster___gd_60s___550_lbs__ _threaded_stem-GD-60S.php?cat=262

Thanks, Brian

[Michael Heffernan]

Brian,

I have a set of Great Lakes casters on my Grizz G0514X2 bandsaw. I agree that they are difficult to raise and lower the foot with the thumb wheel. But, for the price of $15 each ( I used the LV-1710-NYP-S-M12, 220 lb. capacity per caster ) it was an economical solution. As I don't often move my BS around the shop, they work well for me. If I do have to move the saw, I wind up using a flat pry bar to take the weight off of each caster and spin the thumb wheel. These casters roll smoothly across my shop floor with little effort.

If you need to move your machinery around often, I would suggest the FootMaster casters that have a retractable ratchet integrated for raising and lowering the foot pad. They are a lot more expensive, but I would think they are worth it when it comes to moving your machines.

This one has 12 mm. threading for a post (550 lb. capacity)
http://www.greatlakescaster.com/foot_master___leveling_caster___gdr_60s___550_lbs_ __threaded_stem___ergonomic_ratchet-GDR-60S.php?cat=262
This model has 1/2 inch threading (550 lb. capacity)
GDR-60S-1/2

There is also one with a mounting plate, as well as higher capacity casters with the ratchet mechanism.

I don't have any experience with the Zambus casters, I'm not even sure where you can buy them. They get good reviews as well.

If you order from Great Lakes and are a member of WoodNet, call them to place the order and mention WoodNet. I believe you get a 15% discount.

[David Wong]

I purchased the same foot master gd-60s model casters from great lakes, for my bandsaw (~600lb). I choose these over the more inexpensive great lakes brand because the foot masters appeared to have a larger opening for operating the thumb wheel. I agree that the gd-60s casters can be difficult to raise and lower with the weight of the machine on them, but I found that a 10mm open box wrench fits the sprockets on the thumb wheel perfectly. Using the 10mm wrench to help operate the thumb wheel is a breeze. I have not had to move my bandsaw much yet, so I cannot comment on any excess wear on the thumb wheel, but so far there is not a scratch.

[Brian Cosgrove]

David, Thanks for the advice. I called Great Lakes this morning to ask them about other options and without me mentioning your solution, they informed me that the casters were designed to allow use of a 10mm wrench. They also said that because this was the intended design, using a wrench will not harm the handwheel. It would be nice to tell people this!!!! I am sure I am not the only one that has had this problem, so hopefully this info will help others.
Brian

[Andrew Pitonyak]

How far up do these go? Rephrased, how much out of level can this correct?