If you operate a brick-and-mortar retail business, you may want to invest in shopping cart casters. Shoppers, of course, use carts to carry products. On the bottom of these carts are casters. Whether you’re installing new shopping cart casters, or if you’re looking to replace your existing shopping cart casters, there are several things you should know about them.
What Are Shopping Cart Casters?
Shopping cart casters are undriven wheels in a mountable frame that are designed for use with shopping carts. Also known simply as cart carts, they allow the carts with which they are used to roll.
Most shopping carts feature a set of four shopping cart casters: two at the front and two at the back. When pushed, they will roll, thus allowing shoppers to easily carry their products while they shop.
Common Features of Shopping Cart Casters
Nearly all shopping cart casters have a swivel assembly. Some of them have a kingpin-based swivel assembly, whereas others have a kingpinless swivel assembly. Regardless, most shopping cart casters can rotate 360 degrees thanks to their swivel assembly.
The wheels used in shopping cart casters are typically made of a relatively soft material. Most of them aren’t made of stainless steel or other metals. To minimize shock and protect the floors on which they are rolled from scratches, the wheels are made of a softer synthetic material, such as polyurethane on polypropylene.
Most shopping cart casters feature a weatherproof finish. Zinc is a common finish used in their construction. The wheel is typically made of a synthetic material, but the frame surrounding the wheel is made of metal with a weatherproof finish like zinc.
Choosing Shopping Cart Casters: What You Should Know
Like with other types of casters, shopping cart casters are available in different sizes. Some of them, for instance, have larger wheels than others. When choosing shopping cart casters, check the wheel diameter to determine the wheel size. A large wheel diameter indicates a large wheel.
You may discover a wheel width measurement for shopping cart casters as well. The wheel diameter refers to the distance from the center of the wheel to the outside of the wheel. The wheel width, on the other hand, refers to the width of the wheel.
You should consider the weight capacity when choosing shopping cart casters as well. All casters have a weight limit — and shopping cart casters are no exception. If you exceed this limit, they may fail. Fortunately, there are durable shopping cart casters available with a high weight capacity. Some of them can handle up to 250 pounds each.
