This guide is for workshop supervisors, store managers and buyers who order casters for a new trolley or rebuild an old one. The mix of swivel and rigid casters decides how the trolley steers and how easy it is to push. Get the plan right on paper and you avoid a second order.
What swivel and rigid casters do
A swivel caster turns freely, so the wheel follows the direction you push. A rigid caster does not turn. Its wheel only rolls straight.
Swivel casters make a trolley easy to turn in tight space. Rigid casters make it hold a straight line. Most trolleys need some of each, and the right split depends on how you use it.
Our catalogue lists both types. The medium duty series is listed as swivel and rigid top plate casters, with brake options. It also lists swivel threaded stem casters and swivel bolt hole casters.
The common layouts for a four-caster trolley
This section is general practice, not a catalogue rule. Your trolley and your floor may call for something different.
- Four swivel casters. The trolley turns on the spot and moves sideways with ease. It can also wander, because nothing holds it straight on a long run or a slope.
- Two swivel and two rigid. This is a common layout. Fit the rigid pair at one end and the swivel pair at the other end, like a hand cart. The trolley tracks straight and still steers.
If you follow your old trolley, keep its layout unless it gave you trouble. Note what was wrong, such as a trolley that drifts or is hard to turn. Tell us, and we can talk it through.
Where to put each caster
Think about the route first.
- Long straight aisles: more rigid casters help the trolley hold its line.
- Tight corners and small rooms: more swivel casters help.
- Slopes and ramps: tell us. A trolley on a slope needs a brake plan as well as a steering plan.
Casters are usually fitted near the corners of the frame. Tell us the frame size and we will help you decide.
Fit casters of the same height, so the frame sits level. Order them as a matched set, so every caster in the plan comes from the same series and wheel option.
Also think about who pushes. A trolley pushed by one person at one end can use the hand-cart layout. A trolley pushed from any side needs more swivel casters.
Count the load per caster
Work out the full loaded weight of the trolley. Then divide it by the number of casters, and leave margin. Do not count on all four wheels sharing the load equally, because a floor that is not flat can lift one wheel.
Our catalogue rates the medium duty series 51 (single ball bearing) from 30 to 160 kg. It rates series 52 (double ball bearing) from 35 to 170 kg. Tell us your weight and we will confirm the right series.
Our catalogue also lists universal trolleys at 150 to 200 kg, in seven models: TC-300W, TC-150, TC-300, TC-150S2, TC-300S2, TC-150S3 and TC-300S3. Tell us what you plan to carry and the size of the trolley, and we will confirm which model to look at.
Brakes on a mixed layout
A brake on at least two casters keeps a trolley from rolling when you load it. In our catalogue the brake versions are swivel casters, and rigid casters are listed without a lock. Tell us how you load the trolley and we will help you decide.
You can browse swivel and rigid models with and without brake in our caster finder.
What to send us for a quote
- What the trolley is and what it carries.
- The full loaded weight.
- The number of casters you want, and how many swivel and how many rigid.
- Where the casters are fitted: top plate, threaded stem, bolt hole or other fitting.
- Which casters need a brake.
- The floor type and the route, including slopes and tight corners.
- A photo or the model code of your old casters.
Request a quote on our website or message us on WhatsApp, and we will confirm the right series for your trolley.