Best And Worst Casters For Towline Applications
Choosing the right caster for towlines can be critical to the success of the application. A towline is any application where a tugger or forklift truck is towing the cart or dolly. Selecting the right caster is critical to making sure you’re not going to experience any caster disaster or unnecessary increase in noise when operating your towing application. Let's go over the best and worst casters for towlines:
CC STARK SWIVEL CASTER: THE BEST CASTER FOR TOWLINES
Simply put, the CC Stark is the best caster in the world for towline applications with high speeds and heavy weights. It works quite well with heavy push/pull applications and is an extremely durable wheel. It comes standard, with a 4-year warranty.
CC Stark has a capacity of 2,000 lbs.
The CC Stark uses a strategically designed slightly crowned tread and a waffle core to complement the polyurethane perfectly. The standard CC Stark rig itself has been designed from top to bottom with towlines and heavy weights in mind.
- The wheel design handles higher weights and dissipates heat.
- The rig is maintenance free.
- The rig has the highest durability with reinforced forks and a monstrous kingpin.
- A solidified raceway, thrust bearing, and tapered roller bearing evenly disperse weight and protect against side forces when tugging (it is smooth and therefore extremely durable).
CC APEX WITH KINGPINLESS SWIVEL RIG: A GREAT TOWLINE CASTER OPTION
6" x 2" CC Apex Kingpinless Swivel Caster
Next, we have the CC Apex wheel attached to a kingpinless swivel rig with a standard swivel lead. What you have here is a high-quality polyurethane caster wheel with dual precision ball bearings and a kingpinless rig designed for rigorous towline applications. The CC Apex paired with a kingpinless rig can take the abuse and constant motion of being towed. However, with a standard swivel lead, you will likely experience caster flutter.
Caster flutter occurs when the caster wheel is not trailing far enough behind the raceway. To alleviate caster flutter, you can extend the lead with an extended-lead rig. An extended-lead rig enables the caster wheel to naturally trail, eliminating caster flutter, reducing noise and strain on the raceway - along with all the moving parts.
CC NYLEX WITH KINGPIN SWIVEL RIG: IDEAL FOR MANUAL PUSH/PULL
6" x 2" CC Nylex Kingpin Swivel Caster
The last caster we are going to look at is not designed for towline applications. This is the CC Nylex wheel, combined with a standard kingpin swivel rig and dual raceway. If you were to tow CC Nylex kingpin casters in a tow line, a lot of strain will be placed onto the kingpin raceway and stretch the kingpin over time. A stretched kingpin will eventually lead to catastrophic failure by shooting out ball bearings onto the work environment, and that is not going to be good for anybody. Secondly, the CC Nylex is a very hard nylon caster wheel. If the CC Nylex were to be towed and make turns around corners, the CC Nylex would likely slide - which can be very dangerous in an industrial environment. Additionally, a hard wheel similar to the CC Nylex can be deafening and can potentially damage the floors when it picks up debris.
What is the ideal application for CC Nylex casters and wheels? The CC Nylex is best suited for manual push/pull of heavy carts over clean, debris-free flooring.
In summary: For towlines, a CC Stark Swivel Caster, or a caster featuring a 2" wide CC Apex wheel and a kingpinless swivel extended-lead rig is superior to a hard tread kingpin caster, but your unique environment and application determine the best product for your needs.
Check out our complete guide (article and video) to selecting casters for towlines.
Contact us today and we’ll get you in touch with one of our top Regional Solutions Managers to help with any caster issues you may have - or shop our Casters for Towlines category.