Anatomy of a Caster
Why is the anatomy of a caster important at all?
Well, when you know the anatomy of a caster, you can actually understand the differences between two casters. If one caster has precision ball bearings and another has roller bearings, you can understand that this is an issue with the caster wheel, and not the caster raceway.
Understanding the anatomy of a caster is extremely important for understanding caster rigs. Below we explore three types of caster rigs and their anatomy.
ANATOMY OF A KINGPIN CASTER
The kingpin caster rig with a CC Apex caster wheel is great for manual applications. You can see the design of this caster wheel in the diagram above. The kingpin connects everything together, and so the kingpin will literally either make or brake this caster during the course of its use. The stronger the kingpin itself, the more durable and well-built the caster.
ANATOMY OF A KINGPINLESS CASTER
A kingpinless caster is the first caster rig that can handle towlines up from a standard kingpin caster. There is no kingpin, and as you can see, the ball bearings hold the fork and the top-plate together. They reside in the inner raceway ad the outer raceway encloses them. This is a very durable design that will handle speed and the higher demands of most industrial applications.
ANATOMY OF A STEM CASTER
Stem casters are normally unsuitable for most heavy industrial applications. However, they are excellent in medical, food, and other similar applications. The stem is normally the way everything is connected, and this is accomplished with a kingpin style attachment or often a bolt and nut. Thread guards area also important for some industries to keep debris out of the hub and bearings.
There are often slight adjustments in caster design, but understanding these three types of caster anatomies will help you to understand how they vary and how one design is better than another.
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