One of the decisions you’ll have to make when shopping for casters is whether to choose single-wheel or twin-wheel casters. All casters have at least one wheel. Plate casters are mounted via a flat square- or rectangular-shaped metal plate, whereas stem casters are mounted via a threaded rod. Regardless of the mounting style, all casters have at least one wheel. There are single-wheel casters, and there are twin-wheel casters.
What Are Single-Wheel Casters?
Single-wheel casters feature a single wheel. They are available in plate and stem mounting styles, and you can find them in different materials. They are known as “single-wheel casters” because only contain a single wheel each.
What Are Twin-Wheel Casters?
Twin-wheel casters, as you may have guessed, have two wheels. They are also known as dual-wheel casters. Each twin-wheel caster contains a pair of wheels. The two wheels are typically placed side by side in close proximity.
Choosing Between Single-Wheel and Twin-Wheel Casters
While prices vary depending on the mounting style, material and other factors, single-wheel casters typically cost less than twin-wheel casters. With only one wheel each, they require less materials and labor to produce, so manufacturers often pass these savings down to customers in the form of a lower price.
Single-wheel casters are better protected from debris. Debris is less likely to accumulate inside of them because they only have a single wheel. Twin-wheel casters have two wheels each, so there’s twice as many crevasses where debris can accumulate. And because they are better protected from debris, single-wheel casters are easier to maintain.
Twin-wheel casters, on the other hand, can support heavier loads. If you’re looking for casters to use with heavy objects, you may want to go with twin-wheel. Most twin-wheel casters are capable of handling heavier loads than single-wheel casters.
Another advantage of twin-wheel casters is weight distribution. They will distribute the weight of their respective load more evenly than single-wheel casters. If you install four twin-wheel casters on the bottom of a cart, that’s eight different wheels. Each of these eight wheels will distribute some of the cart’s total weight. Using four single-wheel casters, conversely, will result in just four wheels.
You may discover that twin-wheel casters are easier to turn than single-wheel casters. Single-wheel casters pivot on themselves. Twin-wheel casters have two wheels, and each of these wheels can turn separately of each other. As a result, twin-wheel casters are smoother and easier to turn.
