Heavy-duty transport castors

Transport castors are indispensable components in numerous industrial applications. Special heavy-duty castors are used for particularly heavy loads, offering a robust design and high load capacity. This guide explains the applications, properties and selection criteria of heavy-duty castors, with a particular focus on Wicke’s product range.

What are heavy-duty castors?

Heavy-duty castors are industrial castors specifically developed for the safe transportation of exceptionally heavy loads. They are constructed from highly resistant materials and offer an extremely high load capacity.

Unlike conventional transport castors, heavy-duty castors are designed to reliably move weights of up to 30,000 kg. Challenging environmental conditions such as uneven floors, aggressive chemicals and extreme temperatures are not a problem.

Applications for heavy-duty castors

Heavy-duty castors are used in many different sectors:

Industry and mechanical engineering: Transportation of heavy machinery and installations
Aerospace: Movement of satellites and aircraft components
Construction: Transportation of building materials and equipment
Logistics and warehousing: Movement of heavy pallets and containers
Municipal services: Use in robust cleaning machines and vehicles
Military: Transportation of heavy equipment and vehicles
Food industry: Hygienic castors for easy-to-clean environments
Medical facilities: Quiet, floor-friendly castors for sensitive environments

Properties of heavy-duty castors

Swivel and fixed castors

Heavy-duty castors are available in different versions and consist of particularly durable components. Two designs are typical:

Swivel castors: Rotate through 360° and provide excellent manoeuvrability.
Fixed castors: Do not swivel and provide high stability during straight-line travel.

A combination of both types is frequently used to provide flexibility and stability.

Castor housings – particularly robust and corrosion-resistant

The housings of Wicke heavy-duty castors are made from high-strength sheet steel or welded steel structures. Different surface-protection methods are available:

Zinc-plated: Provides reliable corrosion protection and is ideal for standard industrial applications.
Chromated or painted: Suitable for aggressive environments or applications with additional visual requirements.

Treads: the right solution for every floor

Choosing the correct tread material is crucial to the performance and service life of heavy-duty castors:

Solid steel: Completely fracture-resistant and extremely temperature-resistant – ideal for high-temperature areas and heavy machinery.
Polyamide: Hard and resistant to acids and alkaline solutions – particularly suitable for chemically demanding environments and smooth floors.
Polyurethane / Vulkollan®: Abrasion-resistant, noise-damping and suitable for moderately uneven surfaces – ideal for more sensitive floors in factory buildings.
Resilient solid rubber: Soft, shock-absorbing and floor-friendly – ideal for sensitive floors or delicate transported goods.

Heavy-duty transport castors in the Wicke shop at a glance

Depending on the floor and application, you can choose from the materials described above within our product series. Depending on the product type, swivel and fixed castors are available with load capacities of several thousand kilograms.

Solid-steel heavy-duty castors – S series

These castors are made entirely from steel and are resistant to fracture and heat. They are particularly suitable for high-temperature environments and heavy machinery. The wheels are fitted with ball bearings as standard and withstand temperatures from −25 to 120°C.

Product example: S LAK 4/200/55K

View WICKE heavy-duty steel castors

KSG series – polyamide (PA 6)

Product example: KSG LAK 4/200/80K

This castor has a wheel diameter of 200 mm and a wheel width of 80 mm. It is manufactured from high-quality cast polyamide PA 6 and provides a load capacity of up to 3,000 kg. It is ideal for chemically demanding environments and smooth floors.

Buy our polyamide heavy-duty castors with load capacities of up to 4,500 kg.

Do you require polyamide heavy-duty castors with a load capacity of up to 30,000 kg?

Polyurethane – PE and PG series

PE product example: PE LG 4/200/50K-FSTR
PG product example: PG LLAK 4/200/50K

These castors feature a polyurethane tyre with a hardness of 92 Shore A on a premium-quality die-cast aluminium wheel centre. They are abrasion-resistant, noise-damping and particularly suitable for sensitive floors in factory buildings. With load capacities of up to 700 kg, they also offer excellent strength.

Buy polyurethane castors with load capacities of up to 2,000 kg.

Do you require polyurethane castors with a load capacity of up to 25,000 kg?

Resilient solid rubber – DB series

Product example: DB LLAK 4/200/50K

Equipped with a Wicke ELASTIC® tyre on a premium-quality aluminium wheel centre, these castors provide particularly quiet running and excellent shock absorption. They are floor-friendly and ideal for sensitive goods or uneven floors. Their load capacity is up to 700 kg.

Buy resilient solid-rubber tyres with load capacities of up to 1,000 kg.

Do you require resilient solid-rubber tyres with a load capacity of up to 15,000 kg?

Selection criteria for the right heavy-duty castor

When looking for the correct wheel or heavy-duty transport castor, consider the following criteria:

Load capacity
Impact load
Floor surface
Environmental influences
Suitable bearing

Load capacity

When buying heavy-duty castors online, the most important criterion is their load capacity. After all, the castors need to transport heavy loads safely.

For an application using four castors, the following basic formula applies:

(Dead weight + payload) ÷ 3 = required load capacity per castor

Impact load

Impact load is another important selection criterion. Will the castors need to pass over rails or thresholds? Such impacts exceed the normal operating load of the castors. Wheels with resilient treads are the best choice in these cases.

Castors with resilient PU or rubber treads provide advantages through their shock-absorbing characteristics.

Floor conditions

The general rule is:

Hard tread → soft floors
Soft tread → hard floors

Softer materials such as resilient solid rubber or PU are suitable for uneven or sensitive floors. However, black solid-rubber wheels can leave abrasion marks. Special grey or grey-blue solid-rubber wheels reduce chalking and contact discolouration.

Steel, cast iron and polyamide treads are suitable for rough, durable floors. They provide easy running combined with a high load capacity. Spring-loaded heavy-duty castors are primarily used in towed applications.

Environmental conditions and temperature ranges

Environmental influences primarily concern chemical substances. Polyamide treads generally provide good resistance to diluted alkaline solutions and acids. With temperature resistance from approximately 40 to 80°C, polyamide castors can be used in a wide range of applications.

Solid-steel castors are recommended for extreme temperatures, for example in ovens or cold-storage facilities.

Bearings

The selection of castor bearings is also important. Plain bearings, roller bearings, ball bearings, tapered roller bearings and angular roller bearings offer considerable flexibility.

Roller bearings, double ball bearings and tapered roller bearings are particularly suitable for heavy-duty castors and load carriers. They are robust and provide a long service life and low rolling resistance.

Plain bearings: Low-maintenance and suitable for low speeds.
Roller bearings: High load capacity and impact resistance.
Ball bearings: Easy-running and ideal for frequent changes of direction.
Tapered roller bearings: Suitable for combined radial and axial loads.

Examples of heavy-duty transport castor selection

Logistics company: An international parcel service used Wicke PU castors to significantly reduce noise and rolling resistance in its distribution centre while extending service life.
Mechanical engineering company: A manufacturer selected solid-steel castors with welded steel housings for the internal transportation of milling machines. Their extreme load capacity combined with low space requirements was decisive.
Cleaning-equipment manufacturer: A manufacturer of airport cleaning machines uses resilient solid-rubber castors to minimise vibrations on sensitive surfaces.

Care and maintenance of heavy-duty castors

Regular care ensures that heavy-duty castors remain safe and efficient over the long term. Fixed maintenance intervals are particularly advisable for heavily used castors in industrial, logistics and outdoor applications.

1. Cleaning

Depending on the environment, dust, dirt, oil and chemical residues can accumulate in the wheel or housing. This can impair ease of movement and damage the bearings.

Dry contamination: Remove with a soft, dry cloth or brush. Gentle cleaning is particularly important for sensitive PU and rubber materials.
Oil and greasy residues: Clean using a slightly damp cloth and, if necessary, a mild pH-neutral cleaning agent. Dry thoroughly afterwards to prevent corrosion.
Water-resistant castors: Polyamide castors and castors with stainless-steel housings can be rinsed with clean water and, where appropriate, with a pressure washer – but only if the bearings are sealed against moisture.

Important: Avoid aggressive solvents, abrasives and strong alkaline cleaning agents, particularly on PU and rubber wheels, as they can damage the tread.

2. Lubricating the bearings

Lubrication is a central aspect of maintenance because it protects against friction, wear and corrosion.

Plain bearings should be lubricated approximately every three to six months using a high-quality multipurpose grease such as lithium grease.

Roller bearings should be lubricated approximately every six months; the interval may need to be shorter under heavy loads. A long-life mineral-oil-based grease is most suitable.

Open ball bearings should be lubricated at least twice a year with high-performance ball-bearing grease. Sealed ball bearings are lubricated for life at the factory and do not require additional lubrication.

Tapered roller bearings require particularly intensive maintenance because they continuously move heavy loads with axial forces. Use a grease with high pressure-absorption capacity and relubricate when operating noise becomes noticeable.

Storing heavy-duty castors

Even robust heavy-duty castors should be stored correctly, particularly during long-term storage or when held as spare parts.

Store the castors in a dry, clean location protected from direct sunlight to prevent material fatigue, UV damage and corrosion. Ideal storage conditions are temperatures between 10 and 25°C with low humidity.

Castors with resilient treads such as Vulkollan®, polyurethane or rubber should not remain loaded at a single point for long periods, as permanent flat spots may form. Store them horizontally without load or suspend them so the wheel can rotate freely.

Grease-lubricated castors should be inspected regularly and, where necessary, relubricated before use, particularly after storage periods exceeding 12 months.

Heavy-duty transport castors from Wicke – the right castor makes the difference

Selecting the correct heavy-duty castor depends on factors including load capacity, environmental conditions, tread material, floor conditions and maintenance requirements.

Wicke offers an extensive selection of premium-quality heavy-duty castors for a wide variety of requirements. Our products combine quality, load capacity and durability for reliable operation in every environment.

Do you have questions about our products or require expert advice? Contact us on +49 (0) 202 25 28-333.