Casters for larger machines

[Carl Beckett]

I have a couple relatively large machines I would like to put on casters (think in the 500 to 1000 lb range).

Does anyone have a particular type/style of caster they recommend? (pricing that I have seen range from $8 to $80 each - of course I prefer to be on the lower end of this range).

It will be rolling across relatively smooth concrete floor.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Carl, I'd suggest a semi live skid approach as opposed to casters however since you're knowledgable I'm assuming you've rejected that approach for a reason.........Regards, Rod.

[Jeff Monson]

Carl, I have a Felder AD741 jointer/planer on Great Lakes casters, it weighs 1280lbs. I use the foot style http://www.greatlakescaster.com/products.php?cat=262 like these. They work great for my application. You can definately tell you are pushing a heavy machine, but they roll very well and lower very easy.

[Tom Wassack]

Greetings from NC!
McMaster-Carr has a great selection of casters and since you're on concrete, you don't have to be concerned about the hardness of the caster. My shop has wood floors and caster hardness can damage them, but McMaster-Carr has an excellent tool for hardness (durometer) selection. Here's a link - http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-casters/=lldjvw

Regards,
Tom Wassack
Asheboro, NC

[Chris E Smith]

Carl, another alternative is a pallet jack. In my shop I have a welding table that doubles as a woodworking table, 4"x8"x 1" steel plate, and weighs around 1500 lbs. I move it out of the way whenever I bring a car into the shop for an oil change. My Unisaw (rarely moved) and it's outfeed table, as well as my 8" jointer (frequently moved), and RAS are all on custom made pallets of plywood and double 2x4" blocks. I have a couple of very heavy blacksmithing tools that are similarly outfitted and I can move everything myself easily.

[Keith Outten]

I second the pallet jack method. The mini pallet jack from Grizzly or Northern Tools is the hot setup, no more casters for me in fact I will be removing the castors on the machines that have them already installed :)
.

[Jim Neeley]

I have the foot-style on my ~2k # wood storage unit. One key caveat on these small, hard wheels is that they are susceptible to small pieces of rock or wood. The smaller (and harder) the wheel, the more the impact.

Jim

[Bruce Page]

Carl, I put a set of these on a machine table I built recently. A set of 4 is rated at 1100 lbs. I picked these because of the slick ratchet mechanism that raises & lowers the foot pad. A set of 4 cost me $200 delivered.

http://www.needcasters.com/eshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=GDR-60F&vis=1

[johnny means]

Carl, I put a set of these on a machine table I built recently. A set of 4 is rated at 1100 lbs. I picked these because of the slick ratchet mechanism that raises & lowers the foot pad. A set of 4 cost me $200 delivered.

http://www.needcasters.com/eshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=GDR-60F&vis=1

+1 on these. Though, I recommend the Woodcraft version which cost considerably less. I have a 1000# bandsaw on a set of these and they work great. I can almost do the waltz with the saw

[Mark Carlson]

I like to use leveling casters like the ones already mentioned for my big machines. Its nice to be able to level your machines on an uneven concrete floor. The ratchet style look cool, kinda expensive, but the ones that work with a wrench are fine too.

~mark

[Jim Andrew]

Someone posted a pic of a machine on a wooden mobile base. Thought, maybe that would be a fun project, so last time Menards had a sale, noticed they had casters on sale. So I bought some with steel rollers. My G0453 planer has steel rollers, and it rolls very easily, so got those, as they handle considerably more weight than the plastic ones. My floor is concrete, so they won't hurt the floor.

[David Kumm]

500 to 1000 lb machines move prettily easily so you can't go wrong if the wheels or castors are rated about 1/3 more than the machine weight. When you get over 1500 lbs you have to choose correctly. Soft wheels turn and start out hard. At that weight the Zambus carrymaster casters shine and are worth the upcharge over Great Lakes IMO. I also use pallet jacks but they can drop a machine a little hard to the ground so rubber bumpers or some carpet helps. Dave

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I have an Oliver lathe on the Great Lakes castors, they work very well. Plus one on the pallet jack though. Only problem with it is that it you have to store it someplace.

[Bruce Page]

+1 on these. Though, I recommend the Woodcraft version which cost considerably less. I have a 1000# bandsaw on a set of these and they work great. I can almost do the waltz with the saw

Yeah, I paid dearly for the ratchet feature. My knees can't take squatting/kneeling while fumbling with a wrench. It only takes a few seconds to set each pad with the built in ratchet.

[Bob Falk]

+1 on these. Though, I recommend the Woodcraft version which cost considerably less. I have a 1000# bandsaw on a set of these and they work great. I can almost do the waltz with the saw

+1 on the Woodcraft locking casters....I have all my equipment on them (Robland J/P, Oneway lathe 2436, Laguna 18" bandsaw, etc.). They go on sale from time to time and seem high quality....

[Mark W Pugh]

+1 on these. Though, I recommend the Woodcraft version which cost considerably less. I have a 1000# bandsaw on a set of these and they work great. I can almost do the waltz with the saw

Which ones? I'm looking on line and do not see adjustable casters.

[Mike Ruggeri]

On my Minimax combo I have Zambus casters (around 1300 lbs) and on my Laguna bandsaw I have Great Lakes casters (a little under 500 lbs I am guessing). Both are the leveling pad type and they work very well. I can move the bandsaw with minimal effort and the MM moves fine despite its heavier weight. I think I paid a little under $100 (can't remember exactly) for 4 Great Lakes and the Zambus run somewhere around $200+ for 4. My casters aren't the ratcheting type but the more basic spin the disk type that move the pad up and down. I find that I never need to spin the pad down that much as it only takes a little bit of pressure at all 4 casters to keep the machine in position.

[David Kumm]

There are a bunch of Zambus 300 lb casters on ebay at $25 each. If you don't need the stem mount they are a good deal. Dave

[Gerry S. Wojtowicz]

I'm sure glad I came here. I was planning on trying to design some kind of lifting mechanism for the woodworking bench I'm building (maybe something similar to what Norm Abrams had built for a mobile bench on NYW). But these casters seem like they will do the trick. Thank you all.

[Carl Beckett]

Thanks for all the great ideas!!

Some of these were a little more expensive than I was hoping for (ok... Im a tightwad - sometimes). But after the inputs here on a couple of the machines I think I will just suck it up and get something that is known to work well.

Would love a pallet jack, but as mentioned I really dont have the storage space (am selling some equipment just for the floor space!)

Casters are just the easy option, since there is a flange already on the bottom edge of the machine just for this purpose.

[Gilbert Vega]

Which ones? I'm looking on line and do not see adjustable casters.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2021166/25291/woodriver-machine-leveling-caster-plate-mounted-4-pack.aspx

I have similar ones (G-DOK Foot Master Leveling Caster GD-80) on my Stubbylathe and they work great.

[Carl Beckett]

Got a couple sets of the casters from Woodcraft - they are great, thanks for the referral!

Now..... one of the machines could benefit from a sled/skid type approach. Anybody have a particular design or plans that they recommend?

[Rod Sheridan]

Got a couple sets of the casters from Woodcraft - they are great, thanks for the referral!

Now..... one of the machines could benefit from a sled/skid type approach. Anybody have a particular design or plans that they recommend?

Hi Carl, please see this thread.........Rod.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?88687-Hammer-A3-31-Mobile-Base&highlight=hammer+b3+mobile+base

[Jim Matthews]

Rather than build an additional frame, consider using a J-bar (Johnson bar) and rolling pipe.

If you're not moving them frequently, this will be sufficient.
If you're doing it frequently, I would have a wooden track on hand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EaAAXV8WuU