Castors: A Wheel But Not as You Know it

Castors: A Wheel But Not As You Know It

Ah the humble castor. It’s a wheel, but not just any old wheel. It’s a wheel on a rotating mount which is what makes it different from a standard wheel. When a castor is fitted to an object, it’s far easier to move.

There are two types of castor:

Swivel castors

These are designed so the wheel in the castor can rotate fully while a load is being moved. This makes moving heavy loads much easier, and negotiating tight corners or smaller spaces a lot simpler.

Rigid castors

These castors can only move back and forth, so moving objects with these castors is going to take a little more effort. Because they aren’t so easy to manoeuvre, these castors are ideal for items that don’t really need to be moved around too much such as medical equipment.

Where castors are used from day to day

Castors are versatile and the chances are that they’re being used on something you see in your everyday life. Here are some of the most common uses of castors.

Furniture

You’ll find castors on a wide range of items of furniture including office chairs, coffee tables, beds and more. You’ll often see more expensive pieces of furniture fitted with brass or cast iron wheels which gives them an instant vintage effect.

Hospitals

Hospitals are busy places, and equipment like trolleys and hospital beds need to be moved quickly and easily. Most hospital items have corrosion resistant castor wheels with brakes for added safety and security. Castor wheels used in hospitals are usually made from rubber or polyurethane because they need to be hygienic and chemical resistant.

Educational establishments

Hands up who wants to move 500 chairs into an assembly hall with as much difficulty as possible? No one? Of course not! This is why manual handling equipment for items like chairs and tables have castor wheels so loads can be moved as quickly and easily as possible.

Our range of high-quality manual handling equipment comes with many features designed to make your workplace safer and more efficient, and castor wheels are just one of them.