Retractable Casters Help

[N8TGK]

Buy these 4 or 6 and adjust your weight estimate down 75 lbs or so . These wheels don't have levelers either . On a table that large that's something to consider .

My new estimate is heavier because I only counted the legs and not the rails or other little bits like the backsplash.

And yeah that's a good point about the levelers. Dang, I was hoping to keep this project relatively small but I guess it's going to snowball.

 

[N8TGK]

Well it’s your monkey, but if’n it were mine, I’d find a nice wall to back that up against and consider it home for good. Nothing good can come from an 1100 pound, 8’ long table rolling around the shop on swivel casters.

There’s plenty of solutions for wheels for that thing, but it seems unlikely to me that what you’re wanting will be durable enough. And I still think your gonna have to buy 2 four packs, or 6 singles.

Almost 12 feet long. I definitely won't be moving it often, it's just more a thing of I want it to not be a giant project when I change the layout of my shop, or if for some reason I temporarily need it on the clear other end of the building. If I had heavy equipment I wouldn't worry about it but I don't.

But yeah, I am starting to think that it's at least too much work for now.

 

[Dabbler]

When I built my 5 ton Gantry crane I used locking 5" steel casters with urethane treads. About 75$ each. but they are rated at 2800 lbs each. But you will need to weld a plate on the bottom of each foot in most cases.

 

[Just for fun]

Are the cross pieces strong enough to jack it up with a floor jack? If so, maybe weld some heavy duty casters to some pieces of pipe that are large enough to fit over the existing legs.

I'm not sure you would be able to get it jacked high enough though to be able to get enough pipe over the legs for it to be stable.

Since it would just be temporary, I bet four wheels would be enough.

 

[455dan]

Do you know a set of 4 with a 1000lb weight rating? I was looking at some but they're all in the 600-800lb ratings and that's not enough. Problem is sets of 4 aren't heavy duty enough.

I bought 2 sets of Vevor roller levelers for my 1224 lathe so i could move it when needed using 6.
I just got the DRO installed but the wheel pad install is next. They seem to be well made



leveling-caster-set-of-4 so each set of 6 pushing the limits should be over 3300 lb working load with a max load rating of 1100lb each.

showing $45 for one set of four when I checked
Maybe strong enough?

 

[jwmay]

You could keep your eyes out for a used pallet jack. That would be my preference for moving something like this…if not a small forklift.

 

[strantor]

You could keep your eyes out for a used pallet jack. That would be my preference for moving something like this…if not a small forklift.

+1
A pallet jack is a useful thing to have. I brought one home they were throwing away at work, all that was wrong with it is a slow bleed-down and the rubber on the casters was crumbling. I just chipped/peeled/scraped the rubber all the way off and now it runs on plain steel rollers. Everything too heavy for normal casters gets put on a pallet or a purpose built welded skid with forklift pockets (not as complicated as it sounds).

 

[Ultradog MN]

You could keep your eyes out for a used pallet jack. That would be my preference for moving something like this…if not a small forklift.

Agree!
I got this pallet jack about 1 1/2 years ago.
Then I modified a cage type pallet box for holding miscellaneous scrap so I can slide the jack under it to store it.
One footprint for both items saves some real estate in my garage.

 

[Dan_S]

Maybe something like this would work for you.
I have a very heavy table with 1 1/2" bolts for feet under the legs so you can level it as needed. I wanted to be able to move it easily.
I installed the casters as shown.
To move it I simply screw the bolts up so the weight is on the casters. Then screw them back down when I get it to its new location.

Imo, this is probably the best option. Cheap, simple, & customizable.