One of the primary considerations for choosing casters is the “load,” which refers to how much weight each caster will support. Calculating the load you need for each caster or wheel is simple: just divide the weight of the furniture, equipment, or cargo by the number of casters.

 

Let’s say, for example, that you’re buying replacement casters for a four-wheel cart that’s used to carry loads of up to 200 lbs. Just divide that number by four to get 50 lbs per caster. Easy!

 

Or what if you need replacement casters for a five-wheel office chair? Choosing 100-lb capacity casters ensures that the chair will hold even the heaviest individuals—up to 500 lbs.

Increasing load capacity In some industrial applications, you might need to increase the capacity of, say, a flat dolly for moving heavy equipment. Maybe you need to move a piece of equipment that weighs 5000 lbs, but your highest capacity four-wheel dolly is only rated at 1000 lbs per wheel (4000 lbs total load capacity). In this case, you could install additional wheels, for example, one wheel in the middle of the dolly, to raise the load capacity to 5000 lbs. Or you might want to make sure you have extra capacity by adding two wheels, one on each side, so that you have two rows of three, or a total of six, 1000-lb capacity wheels, for a total capacity of 6000 lbs. When adding wheels, make sure to use the same size and capacity wheels. Ideally, you should use the same exact make and model of wheel or caster as the existing ones. Call California Caster California Caster sells wheels and casters for virtually any industrial, commercial, or residential application. Please visit our website to find out more, and feel free to contact us anytime for friendly, professional service.