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Casters vs. Wheels: What’s the Difference?

Not knowing the difference between casters vs wheels can cause a very wrong order. As a result, you could waste company money. To avoid this, it’s best to know the traits that separate wheels from casters. 

Read on to learn some of these. 

What Are Wheels? 

Wheels are circular objects that spin around an axel in the middle. Beyond this, their colors, sizes, and thicknesses vary. Their purpose in machines is to help them move. 

Many moving machines and devices use this invention. Cars, trains, and airplanes are great examples of these.  

What Are Casters?

A caster usually includes a wheel in its design. However, there’s much more to the device than this.

Along with a wheel, this device also includes what holds it. This is usually a fork-like shaped ‘bracket’ that sits on top of a wheel. A thin bar often goes through its axis and keeps it attached to the bracket. 

Casters Can Swivel

One major difference between wheel vs casters is the directions they can move. Wheels alone are mostly limited to forward and backward movement. Sometimes, such as with cars, they can turn up to 45 degrees. 

The brackets of many wheel casters, however, allow them to turn 360 degrees. Most know these as swivel casters. Some good examples are the ones made by LINCO

Casters Get Used Differently 

When users need to move objects in multiple directions, a wheel alone won’t do. Instead, they mount casters to the bottoms of these objects. 

A cart is a good example. Factory workers often use these to transport products around.

Factories usually have multiple areas in all directions. Therefore, regular wheels aren’t as effective. 

Pieces of furniture often have casters as well. Examples are chair castors, desk casters, and so on. As people often move these to many locations in a room, wheels won’t help here.

Casters May Have Multiple Wheels 

Another difference between these two objects is the number of wheels. When people use the word ‘wheel’, they’re referring to one of these objects. However, the design of a caster can include more than one wheel. 

By doing this, a manufacturer can ensure greater durability in their products. This can make them better at handling heavier weights. In other applications, they can last longer.  

Casters Vary More Than Wheels

As mentioned, wheels vary mostly based on their size. The materials that make wheels can vary (i.e. wooden wheels are possible), but most are made of rubber and metal. 

This isn’t true with casters. There is a greater variety of casters than there are wheels. Each of these types is best suited to specific applications. 

Therefore, it’s important to make sure that you choose the right caster type. Product listings will probably recommend situations for each caster. Read these and understand them before you make a purchase. 

Did You Like This Article on Casters? Consider Reading More

Don’t feel you have to stop here. There’s a lot more you can learn about the different casters.

Consider researching further. You can improve your business’s productivity level if you do. 

Did you learn a lot about casters? You can learn a lot more with our hundreds of other articles. Be sure to check them out. 

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