High Quality Casters For Big, Heavy Toolboxes

Jon:

Actually, you already have one possible solution. Your Versa Cart.

The Versa Cart's center wheels are made to take heavy loads, and being much larger in diameter than regular casters are able to easily roll over small objects like floor mats or whatever. And being as they are lower than the casters you can spin the Versa Cart in place on it's center wheels.

The Versa Cart has large wheels that stick out and are easy to trip over. The Versa Cart also raises the height a few inches. I'm as "tall" as I want to go.

Jon Banquer San Diego, CA

ur Versa Cart.

oads, and being

Here are the exact numbers:

From the floor to the bottom of the pan of the Versa Cart =3D 8"

From the floor to the bottom of the cabinet without a Versa Cart =3D 6"

If you look at the stack up of my main toolbox setup you will see I don't have 2" to give. I'm in the process of putting a mirror in the top flip open drawer at the very top of my toolbox stack just so I can easily see what's in there.

Jon Banquer San Diego, CA

Jon:

If you swapped the 5 drawer middle box for a 2 drawer one, you'd gain that 2" back and more.

The wheels DO stick out, but I don't have a problem tripping over them. You could always put some curb-finders on the cart so you don't hit anything with the wheels while moving it around. And you have the option of standing on the front wheel if you want to dig around in the bottom of the top area.

Well there's always the counter height vidmars....beings the next size up is

59 tall, ( lista is 60 IIRC ) otherwise add wheels wear high heels and just maybe..

Not a chance. I love the 5 drawer middle box.

The large outside wheels on the Versa Cart just suck. I hate them and I'm all done with this type of wheel and how it sticks out. It's dangerous and obnoxious. The only thing I like about the Versa Cart is the strength it lends to the bottom. Maybe I should trash the big wheels and see if I can find some expensive high quality smaller roller bearing casters for the bottom of the Versa Cart.

I can reach in, I just can't see in. The mirror will totally solve this problem.

Jon Banquer San Diego, CA

I'm going to use a counter height Lista / Vidmar on casters for the box I keep my straps, t-nuts, threaded rod, Kant-Twist clamps, knee's, etc. in.

GWS Enterprises in Valencia, CA has one but he's a real jerk. I like the box, though. He's re-listed it at least once.

Jon Banquer San Diego, CA

Jon:

You want dangerous? Put some Ben Hur spikes on them, that would at least keep others from walking near your box - now THAT would be dangerous. OSHA DIS-approved for sure. LOL Or for safety's sake, you could make some sheet metal fenders & fender skirts for the big wheels with rounded edges so your legs are protected from hitting them. You might even get them Brown Wrinkle Finish powder coated to match.

Possibly take the big Versa Cart wheels off, and use the casters alone, which seem to be pretty strong. Or add a couple of casters from your main box to the middle of the cart, if you believe they are weak and need some extra support.

Jon - Both Really:

Ahhh those dual wheel caster are a must have item for the macho value. Kinda like a dually truck. LOL

Google Albion and Jarvis. Both claim to be American made, so the casters are probably at least assembled here. Both offer very high quality wheels and casters that will handle anything you could possibly throw at them. Swivels can be had with double row ball bearings, and there are many styles of wheel with urethane treads.

Industrial Castor and Wheel is where I bought Jarvis wheels and casters, in Sacramento, 800-345-7555. They do have an outlet somewhere in SoCal.

Jon

For used castors of all types...Unicorn Metals in La Habra, Cal.

Ask for Rito at the Lambert Rd site.

Gunner

Keep the wheels you have, put a big piece of 3/4" pywood across the bottom...and put that silly shit on top in the drawers.

Why doesn't he take those big-assed wheels off his old hotdog cart and put them on his versacart?

This way, he can get up/down off curbs more easily, as he goes door to door with his versacart, sharpening knives'n'scissors'n'shit for housewives'n'shit.

Look at phenolic. A bit more chip resistant.

Wes

I spent 30 minutes tonight looking at both Albion and Jarvis. The Jarvis caster with PosiLock looks similar to what I've seen on Lista's.

To modify the Vera Cart perhaps:

Jarvis 81 series with PosiLock breaks. Not sure which wheels to go with... Moldon polyurethane with a cast iron core or solid elastomer. What do you spec / prefer for a heavy load in a shop environment?

Jon Banquer San Diego, CA

I've not bought wheels for a shop environment. I spec'd the Jarvis Futura series wheels and castors on a medical device.

My personal preference is phenolic wheels for low rolling resistance. I don't move carts and rollaways very often, so no big deal to sweep the floor. If I had to move them often or over anything other than smooth concrete, I'd go with a metal core and the thinnest urethane tire possible.

Jon

The one nice thing about the Versa Cart is that when setup like this...

it's very maneuverable. The Versa Cart can also be setup with the two big 10" solid rubber wheels on one end and both swivel casters on the other end which is nowhere near as maneuverable.

Do you think if I set up the Versa Cart with 5" fixed casters in the middle on both sides and kept the same position for the swivel casters (in the middle at each end) that I would have a much more maneuverable platform than the traditional toolbox setup which consists of fixed casters on one end and swivel casters on the opposite end?

Jon Banquer San Diego, CA

Jon: Since I knew my box was going to be very heavy I put swivel casters at every corner of the versa cart. (see my home page)

Since you don't like the 10" wheels (or my fender skirt idea) I think fixed casters in the middle is a good compromise. You could consider 4 swivel casters as well if you're going to have a lot of weight (grinding vises, V-blocks, 2-4-6 blocks, sine vise, drawers full of lathe tool bits, etc. etc.) in your box. But if you go that route you might think about thin spacer plates under the fixed casters so they end up a little higher than the swivel ones for ease of control over an uneven floor. Also putting the fixed casters under the center of mass might make it more "steerable".

Four swivel casters on the ends seems like a good idea... it's already got the threaded holes in place to accept them.

I think the middle only has two threaded holes on each side. I'll take a closer look as soon as I get a chance. If I'm correct I'll have to find a way to add 2 more threaded holes on each side to accept the fixed casters.

Jon Banquer San Diego, CA