Selecting casters (wheels) for mobile carts?

[Anthony Watson]

I am planning to rebuild my mobile work table, and one of the first things I need to decide on is the wheels. How do I know which size I should use? I have used 2" casters on previous carts and they generally work OK, but I'm wondering if upgrading to 3" casters would offer any benefits.

Also, I've always used 4 swivel casters for my carts, as it allows me to push the table sideways up against a wall. But I see most mobile bases only have two swivel casters and the other two are fixed. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each setup?

In the past, I just picked up casters from the local home center. Are there better quality casters you would recommend for the concrete floor of a garage shop?

Thanks,

Anthony

[Matt Benton]

I get 4" casters from a local caster supply house. Both wheel and swivel lock together, rated at 290 lbs. each, and are about $10 a piece.

Try to find a caster or industrial/material handling company locally before looking at the BORG or woodcraft...

I would strongly recommend getting all 4 casters that will swivel and lock in any position.

[Art Mulder]

The advantage of two fixed wheels is when pushing a cart over long distances -- such as on a grocery cart at the store.

In a small shop - such as I have - I would strongly recommend making sure that all four wheels swivel. this lets me push a cart in any direction. Otherwise you end up doing a lot of back-and-forth to get a cart where you want it to go.

It would be nice if all four wheels locked, but I think you can save money by just having 2 that lock, and 2 that don't. I have that on a few carts (like my jointer) and I find it works fine. I usually just lock one wheel on my jointer and it stays put.

[Todd Hyman]

Hartville Tool carries some great casters and they are reasonably priced. You can also use a Woodnet disocunt (10%). Here is the link.
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11883

[Brian Clevenger]

I get 4" casters from a local caster supply house. Both wheel and swivel lock together, rated at 290 lbs. each, and are about $10 a piece.

Try to find a caster or industrial/material handling company locally before looking at the BORG or woodcraft...

I would strongly recommend getting all 4 casters that will swivel and lock in any position.


Can I get the source you use for your casters?

[Bob Rufener]

The advantage of larger casters is that they will more easily roll over sawdust and other debris on the floor. (I should have about 12" casters) It is nice to have all 4 casters that lock but normally, I only lock two of them and that is usually adquate. I think the last casters I bought were on sale from Rockler and work very well.

[glenn bradley]

My rolling work table has all swivels and all lock as the garage floor is sloped and you never know what direction a rolling table will be positioned in. My fliptop used to be all swivel but I now maneuver it quite near other machines when putting it away and rolling it out. I found 2 swivel and 2 fixed offered better control for that task. They are all 3" and that is as small as I would go.

[Matt Benton]

I got my casters here. Their website leaves much to be desired....

http://www.castersftw.com/

[Adam Cavaliere]

Maybe my expectations are low, but I have been pretty impressed with some casters I bought from HF. I picked up some at the BORG the first time around and was not impressed at all. I'd recommend checking out the HF selection as their prices are very good.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I got some wheel-lock only casters from HF. The lock works well enough but the nylon wheel slips on my concrete floor while mounted to my router table.

If you will be pushing on the cart while the wheels are locked then you need to get total lock (swivel and wheel) casters. Equipment like a router table, workbench, or jointer.

If you need to keep the cart from rolling but won't be pushing against it then the $2.50 each HF ones work well enough. This would include storage carts or equipment stands with self-feeding equipment like a planer.