There are endless options for wheels to move a load. From simple to complex movements, there are ideal wheels for heavy loads that you can use that can make your operations more effective. Wheels can move heavy loads on bolster cars, feeders, turn tables, crucibles, moving machinery and more. Moving heavy loads within a factory can pose an interesting problem to solve if you don’t have the specific knowledge of the options out there.
An Internet search may only bring back results that don’t fit the job. When you need to move something across your factory and a caster won’t get the job done, where do you go from here? In this post, we’ll examine powered and unpowered heavy-duty wheels to move heavy loads across factories and in extreme environments to help you find the solution you need.
Manual Wheel Solutions
It’s not easy to find a wheel solution when you need to move a heavy load. Your internet search may bring back a ton of results that don’t tell you which industrial wheels for heavy loads are cut out for the job. Casters are a common search and are used on many products we use day to day like shopping carts, chairs, push carts, and dollies.
They are easy to find and install to make moving lower weights in simple ways relatively easy, including swiveling in a 360° motion. Casters are typically a manual type of wheel, meaning it is non-powered or a non-driven wheel using a motor. Depending on your application, a heavy-duty or high-capacity caster may be a viable option.
When you know that manual movement is not your goal, you may need to find another option for your application, such as heavy-duty industrial wheels. As you look at options, you have to first think about the velocity of movement. In simplest terms, velocity is travel speed, and many wheels are not made for speedy travel. This is why there is a wide array of options for manual powered wheels and why we see these commonly in our daily lives.
In addition to velocity, some applications require a “smart” wheel. A “smart” wheel can be many things, but we are defining it as a wheel that can hold a large-rated load capacity, be powered to move along a rail, and have controls to move along the desired path.
Wheels, in General
Wheels for heavy loads are specialized to meet capacity and environmental needs. They can support loads of 10 tons, 25 tons, or even 70 tons or more as they travel across an area of your factory. Typically, wheels used for heavy loads are unidirectional, meaning they move along straight lines and curves but not in 360° motion. They are designed from materials that withstand the stresses put on them.
There are many different materials and wheel designs to meet high-capacity needs and extreme environments. There are many wheels that travel on rail but one wheel design is a flanged wheel. A flanged wheel has wheel extensions that run outside of the wheel running surface. The extensions or flanges prevent the wheel from rolling off the rail and prevents potential harm or damage.
Now that you have found industrial wheels for heavy loads that can handle the load capacity and be powered, you now need to engineer the system to make those movements happen. This creates a challenge for you because you must source the other components, like the bearings, shafting, power, mounting hardware, and structural components, to build the rest of the project out.
When you purchase wheels from a manufacturer, you simply get the wheel and the manufacturer may not provide any additional products or services, requiring you to do the engineering and use multiple sources for the additional components. A solution to this challenge is to find a manufacturer who can create a complete solution to meet the goals of your final product.
Wheel Blocks and Systems That Work Together
As you move your thoughts from a wheel to a wheel block or wheel block system, there are some key differences. As we talked about, a wheel by itself may not include the other components you need to create the end solution you need.A wheel block is a unit that includes the wheel, bearings, and support structure within a fixed housing.
The “block” is simply the housing that contains all of these components. Because the wheel block includes all of these components, there is limited engineering necessary from your internal team. The engineering of the wheel block itself has already been completed so once you have determined the correct size, the wheel blocks can be immediately installed.
When you find a source for wheel blocks, chances are it is a manufacturer who can provide you a complete solution. A complete solution can be defined as a manufacturer who can provide modular components to move and power the final design. After all, these wheels for heavy loads are just one part of the solution when you need a powered wheel system to move heavy loads in your facility. Purchasing all the driving components from one source makes diagnosing any issues with the drive system easier since all the engineering was completed by one source. It also eliminates multiple contacts between multiple companies.
About Our Heavy-Duty Wheels
Demag is a manufacturer who can provide a complete solution to move heavy loads throughout your facility. Our components are modular so they are designed to work together seamlessly. You can think of these in the sense of an erector set or tinker toys, those fun toys you may have played with as a child, where all the components fit together and you can build almost anything.
Demag can engineer a complete driving solution that includes the gear motor, wheel blocks, electrification and connecting components. Our wheel blocks are easy to maintain and replace. When sized correctly, they have at least a 10-year life span, but in some applications, they last for decades.
It seems as though there are endless options for wheels to move heavy loads. The key is to make sure you find the solution that will meet your goals. When you need a powered wheel, a caster likely will not meet your project needs. By finding a manufacturer who offers heavy-duty industrial wheels to meet your capacity needs and can provide a complete solution, you can be confident that the components are engineered to work together to create a solution to meet your needs.
If you have existing Demag wheel blocks on your application, read more about the flexibility of our LRS wheel block. When you need to have your existing Demag wheel block serviced or replaced but you don’t know what model you have, read more about where you can find identifying information on the wheel block. Learn more about Demag wheel block and wheel block systems on our website. You can also read about gearbox basics so you understand how the motor and gearbox work together to meet your project requirements.
Contact Demag for Heavy-Duty Industrial Wheels
Do you need to power a wheel block using an AC induction motor and gearbox for your project? Read more about selecting an AC induction motor for applications requiring precise start/ stop points with intermittent motion.
Also, contact us today for help in finding industrial wheels for heavy loads that are perfect for your application.