After you have received your new castor wheels, it is important that you take good care of them so that they will endure the hard work you will put them through. In this article, we will treat the most common problems that will cause your castors to wear down faster and will hinder their ability to roll smoothly.
We advise you to plan routine inspections to look for these problems.
1.Keep your castors clean from dirt and corrosion
Depending on the area where your castors operate, you might have to deal with dirt and moisture that will get trapped in the bearings and the raceways.
To inspect this, you can check how freely the swivel assembly turns. When this isn’t the case, dirt or rust may be hindering the movement. Use a scrub brush to try to remove the dirt and corrosion as much as possible without having to disassemble the castor wheel.
2.Ensure the castors and bearings are properly lubricated
Lubrication of the castor and its bearings is one of the most important aspects. This prevents the bearing from wearing down. Reapplying lubrication is necessary roughly every six months, but factors such as the amount of usage, humidity and chemicals used in the area of operation can impact how often you need to check the lubrication. After washing or submerging the castors in water, reapplication of the lubrication might be necessary.
Use High-Quality all-purpose grease for lubrication. Make sure to use a food-safe option when lubricating castors that are being used in kitchens or other areas where food is prepared. You will also need to make sure that the lubrication you are using can handle high temperatures when the castors are used in places such as ovens, furnaces and other warm areas.
3.Check the fasteners
When using the castor wheels, vibrations can loosen the fasteners slightly over time. Regularly control the fasteners and welds of the castors to see if there are broken parts or id it needs to be tightened. If the caster has a king bolt nut, make sure it is securely fastened as well.
4.Inspection and repairs
During your routine checkup of the castor and its parts, make sure that none of them has cracks or other malfunctions. When using plastic or rubber wheels, also check the state of the material, as it may develop flat spots.
It is always a good habit to keep replacement wheels, bearings, and fasteners on hand to avoid costly downtime in your operation.
