Anatomy of a Caster

Purchasing the proper casters and wheels can sometimes
be daunting. Are you looking for swivel casters or industrial casters is there a stem or a top plate. There are certain terms used by the  industry to describe parts of the caster itself. So whether you are replacing you casters on your carts and dollies or you shopping carts or equipment, or have a new project that needs casters and wheels, Buy Casters can help and hopefully this blog will be educational.
This guide is designed to help you with those terms and hopefully this can help you make a good decision on the caster that is right for you.

Pictured is a caster "Yoke or Rig" with a top  plate mounting style. 

1. King Bolt
2. Rivet or Kingpin 
9. Thrust Race
12. Thrust Bearings
13. Button
14. Nut
These attach the caster legs to the top plate.
For a stronger option there is a kinpinless model.
3. Mounting Bolt Holes
Holes for the bolts to mount the casters.
You will need to know the spacing of these to determine proper fit.
4. Top Plate
The top plate it the mounting bracket, there are various sizes and styles, stem mounted is another option, 
which is a post. Threaded stems, grip ring stems and 
expandable adapters are the most common styles.
5. Load Race
6. Load Ball Bearings
7. Yoke Base
These are all components of the swivel mechanism, better components here will allow for greater weight capacity and smoother swivel action.
8. Zerk Fitting
A zerk is required for greasing the bearings in the race way higher quality casters and heavy duty casters would have a zerk fitting.
10. Legs
The size of the legs determine the size wheels that can be used in the caster, also the legs will be fitted with a slot for mounting a brake to turn it into a locking caster.
11. Axle Hole
The axle hole on the caster legs are specific sizes determined by if the caster is light duty, medium duty or heavy duty. 1/2 " axle is the most common but other sizes are available.

These are just a few of the common terms used when describing a caster. Interested in learning more or finding casters to aid in your project? Visit buycasters.com or contact us at 1855-WHEEL11.