Wheel configuration
Castor wheel configuration
There are different possibilities when it comes to castor wheel configuration on your cart or appliances. In this guide, we will give you a quick overview of the possible configurations on your equipment. To make sure your castors work well, the configuration plays a big part in ease of handling, load capacity and each configuration has its own benefits. We will tell you more about the most common wheel configurations.
4-wheel configuration
The most common type of wheel configuration consists of 4 wheels. It is ideal for any type of industry or application and gives you a lot of possibilities when it comes to handling your appliances.
four wheel swivel configuration
When you apply 4 swivel wheels to your configuration you can easily move and turn your appliances around. This is easy for industries where loads and equipment are constantly on the move. Think about industries like warehousing or food processing. This configuration gives you the most manoeuvrability and is ideal for small places. One disadvantage is that swivel castors are more expensive than rigid castors.
Swivel-rigid configuration
This configuration consists of two swivel castors and 2 rigid castors. It is the most common configuration as it gives you a high load capacity, excellent stability and the ability to easily move your equipment in a straight line over long distances. Rigid castors are more cost-effective and steering is easy, but this configuration is not ideal for small spaces as you cannot move this configuration sideways.
Diamond configuration
A diamond configuration has wheels in the front and back and on both sides of your equipment, instead of on the corners. In this case, the equipment will pivot on the centre wheels. When you choose 4 rigid castors this is a cost-effective option, but this will come at the expense of manoeuvrability as it can’t be pushed or pulled sideways.
When you work in narrow or small places, we advise using a combination of 2 swivel castors and 2 rigid castors in a diamond configuration as this will give you more manoeuvrability and a small turning circle. One disadvantage of the diamond configuration in combination with swivel castors is the risk of overturning when the load is not centered on the trolley or cart. This configuration is not as stable as a 4-wheel or 6-wheel configuration.
6-wheel configuration
A 6-wheel configuration is ideal for trolleys, carts and appliances with a heavy load. In this case, you will use 4 swivel castors and 2 rigid castors. It turns in its own length, as the swivel castors are placed on the corners of the appliance. The 2 rigid castors are fixed on the sides for extra load capacity and stability. Manoeuvring and turning with this configuration is no problem, but you cannot move your appliances sideways. This configuration is suitable for a lot of industries and applications but is not very suitable for uneven surfaces.
3-wheel configuration
A 3-wheel configuration consists of 2 rigid castors and 1 swivel castors. This configuration is only used on light-duty carts and trolleys with loads of up to 100kg. The carts also shouldn’t be much longer than 1 metre as this configuration is not very stable. The rigid castors are placed at one end of the trolley or cart and the swivel castor is placed in the centre of the other end. With this configuration the rigid castor will carry the load as the swivel castor on the other end gives you the manoeuvrability to steer in any direction.
Need more information about the best wheel configuration for your industry or application? Want to know more about our product catalogue or bespoke solutions? Feel free to contact us or ask one of our engineers to help you.