What Can Locking Castors Be Used For?

Castors, they really are everywhere we go today, in our homes, at work, and at play. It just seems like they've worked their way in the virtually every aspect of our lives, and it's a good thing to.

This is because these simple rolling devices enable us to do so much more as they function to keep the prices down on so many the consumer items we buy. That's how important castors are in manufacturing, as well as today.

But what most people are unaware of, and you may be one of them, is the level of technological advancement and innovation that castors have undergone over the last handful of decades. Particularly is amazing new developments have taken place like jacking castors and even locking castors with advanced braking systems. Braking systems that in many cases are very similar to what you would find on a modern automobile.

So then why do you need locking castors in the first place? As it turns out, there are many answers to that question and they range from relatively simple to complex. The best place to start, I suppose, would be with the simple answer look underneath your shopping cart next time you’re pushing it down the aisle at your local grocery store. You'll notice a lever down on the back wheels, it's a simple yet effective lever braking system that's there to prevent your cart from rolling across the parking lot when you're loading your groceries.

So then why aren’t the more advanced braking systems on some of today's modern castors? The reason is that so many of the castors that are used in manufacturing and commercial operations are required to hold heavier loads as they also provide a greater level of reliability. Now the simple lever brake under shopping cart works well enough to hold 50 or 60 pounds of groceries, and if it should fail there won't be a catastrophe when someone gets it small dent in their vehicle. However, it's an entirely different story when castors are used under containers and platforms that are holding much heavier loads. You see, braking castors have done away with so much of the material transferring problems that have traditionally bedevilled manufacturers. These are problems with moving products and materials from one container to another. Now with locking castors, rather than moving the materials individually, the entire container can be moved and then the break set.

For instance, the next time you're taking your recyclables down to your local recycling station take a quick look around at the containers they're using and how they are handling the recycled materials in them. What you'll find is that the containers are on castors and not just any castors, but castors with breaks to keep them stable when you dump your metals, plastics and paper in them.

Then when the containers are full, one of the workers there will simply release the brake on the bottom and roll it away to another area of the recycling station, then watch them return with another empty container, all ready to be filled with recyclables again. They'll roll it over to replace the one that was taken away and when it's in place he or she will reach down with her foot and engage the brake on it. This in turn will once again, just like the last one, keep the container stable and prevent it from rolling away if it's not on a level surface.

Ross Handling are the UK’s leading supplier of Castors, offering a wide range of products including locking castors, silent castors and castors for use on multiple surfaces.