Mobile Bases: Why always two fixed/two swivel?

[Peter Aeschliman]

My take, having read all of these comments:

Light items: 4 swivel casters is best for easy maneuverability, Johnson bar is also good you're a euro kind of guy/gal
Heavy items: It's a toss-up between johnson bar and 2 swivel/2 fixed. Johnson bar might be a little freaky for tall machines (bandsaw), but best for machines with a lower center of gravity. But if you have limited room, Johnson bar is probably best. 4 swivel casters will work, but you'll need some muscle and patience.

I know some disagree, but that's my take on the general consensus.

[glenn bradley]

My take, having read all of these comments:

Light items: 4 swivel casters is best for easy maneuverability, Johnson bar is also good you're a euro kind of guy/gal
Heavy items: It's a toss-up between johnson bar and 2 swivel/2 fixed. Johnson bar might be a little freaky for tall machines (bandsaw), but best for machines with a lower center of gravity. But if you have limited room, Johnson bar is probably best. 4 swivel casters will work, but you'll need some muscle and patience.

I know some disagree, but that's my take on the general consensus.

I will add (from experience) that you need room to use the Johnson bar and should factor that in to your floor plan.

[Peter Quinn]

My absolute favorite method is a pallet jack, assuming you have the room to operate it. It combines the best aspects of 2 fixed/2 swivel and the johnson bar set up, and articulates nearly as well as 4 swivels, assuming the machine base can accommodate the pallet jack. I have an almost #800 shaper I need to mobilize, haven't really found a great way to do it, it needs to be rock solid in use. I regret that more machines aren't set up to accept a pallet jack. My shaper was on a few blocks at the shop where I bought it, they moved it around with a low profile narrow pallet jack, what a breeze to move. I have done similar in the past at work, but then you have to have a place to store the pallet jack!

[David Kumm]

My two cents. A good pallet jack- most often narrow- is very handy if you have room to maneuver the 4' long forks and the weight is under 2000 lbs. Two hard white wheels and a lifting bar is great for shapers, combo machines, heavy stuff that has a good way to attach the lifting bar. If you go with four swivel, have them be Zambus type casters rated for way more than the weight of the machine. If the machine is over 1000 lbs I use the 1650 or 2200 lb ones. They work much better than the 600 or 1000 lb wheels. The worst choice for heavy machines are rubber covered swivel wheels. They will always be pointed in the wrong direction and you will need to turn them with a wrench laying on the floor. Anything under 500 lbs is so easy to deal with you can use either fixed or swivel.

[Myk Rian]

I just realized,another reason other than the higher cost of swivel casters,you will need 4 locking levers instead of 2..

A piece of rope around the wheels, on the floor stops it from wandering.

[Cary Falk]

A piece of rope around the wheels, on the floor stops it from wandering.

Or an extension cord. . I make all of my moblie bases just so I can have all 4 wheels swivel. I have to fit my tools into a jig saw puzzle on 1 car portion of a 3 car garage when I m done for the day. Two fixed and 2 swivel wheels would make that very difficult.

[Robert Chapman]

The SawStop Industrial base has four swivel casters and is raised and lowered by a foot pedal operating an hydraulic jack. When raised all four casters allow unlimited maneuvering. When lowered the saw sits on the floor. In my opinion it is far and away the best mobile base on the planet.

[Art Mulder]

Let me echo what has been said: In a small shop, 4 swivel wheels are far easier to maneuver.
In a large shop, the 2+2 design works better.)

I just realized,another reason other than the higher cost of swivel casters,you will need 4 locking levers instead of 2.

Nope.

In my experience, Ken, I typically lock only ONE wheel under my Tablesaw or Jointer. On rare occasions I will lock two.

[Ole Anderson]

Don't have much to add other than both types have their place. I recently made an 8' long push cart for four stacks of stackable chairs. Put castors at each corner and straight wheels in the middle. Much easier to steer, but even harder to push up against a wall.

[ray hampton]

4 or 6 swivel wheels on a cart is okay IF you got a helper to pull the cart from the front while you push the cart

[Mike Cutler]

The worst are the "tripod" models, 2 fixed in front, one swiveling in the back. I have 3 of them and if I had to always move the machines on them, I would have none of them.
I have a mixture of all in my garage shop. The heaviest mobile base being 4 swivels to move a 1500#+ Jointer. It's only got 4 swivels because I have to maneuver it in a small area. It wants to go just about any direction other than absolutely straight.

Plywood/lumber cart is 6 wheels. Two fixed wheels in the center, swivels on the ends. It doesn't move with all 6 on the ground. There are only 4 on the ground at any one time. The two in the center, and one of the end pairs. You can just about spin it in a circle in place.

[ray hampton]

The worst are the "tripod" models, 2 fixed in front, one swiveling in the back. I have 3 of them and if I had to always move the machines on them, I would have none of them.
I have a mixture of all in my garage shop. The heaviest mobile base being 4 swivels to move a 1500#+ Jointer. It's only got 4 swivels because I have to maneuver it in a small area. It wants to go just about any direction other than absolutely straight.

Plywood/lumber cart is 6 wheels. Two fixed wheels in the center, swivels on the ends. It doesn't move with all 6 on the ground. There are only 4 on the ground at any one time. The two in the center, and one of the end pairs. You can just about spin it in a circle in place.

I beg your pardon BUT IT will move with all 6 wheels on the ground BUT two of the wheels will be scuffing the floor and moving a lock wheel takes a lot of calories

[Mike Cutler]

Ray

I didn't word that sentence correctly. I guess I should have said that it doesn't require all 6 wheels too move.
The design of the cart is such that the two center wheels make the center of the cart higher than the ends. If you could balance it perfectly, both of the end sets of wheels would not be in contact with the ground. The ends "teeter totter" on the center set. There are always only 4 wheels in contact with the ground,with the center set always being two of the four.
I guess you could make all 6 swivel. I've just never seen one like that.

[Mike Cutler]

Ray

I didn't word that sentence correctly. I guess I should have said that it doesn't require all 6 wheels too move.
The design of the cart is such that the two center wheels make the center of the cart higher than the ends. If you could balance it perfectly, both of the end sets of wheels would not be in contact with the ground. The ends "teeter totter" on the center set. There are always only 4 wheels in contact with the ground,with the center set always being two of the four.
I guess you could make all 6 swivel. I've just never seen one like that.

[ray hampton]

Ray

I didn't word that sentence correctly. I guess I should have said that it doesn't require all 6 wheels too move.
The design of the cart is such that the two center wheels make the center of the cart higher than the ends. If you could balance it perfectly, both of the end sets of wheels would not be in contact with the ground. The ends "teeter totter" on the center set. There are always only 4 wheels in contact with the ground,with the center set always being two of the four.
I guess you could make all 6 swivel. I've just never seen one like that.

I seen some carts with 5 or more wheels and the extra wheels would track wrong and scuff the floor and the carts that I use would not balance but rock from one end wheel to the other end