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Do urethane caster wheels deform over time under load

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Ignoramus17831

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Mar 9, 2010, 4:47:24 PM3/9/10
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This question is of great interest to me. If, say, I has a 1500 lb
rated caster with a urethane wheel, would it deform under 800 lb
load, enough to make it troublesome to move. Thanks

i

RoyJ

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Mar 9, 2010, 4:54:06 PM3/9/10
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Yes. Sitting for several months will definitely flat spot.

Steve Lusardi

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Mar 9, 2010, 4:58:25 PM3/9/10
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Not in my experience. They are quite good at remaining round.
Steve

"Ignoramus17831" <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote in message news:crednQrXwstxXAvW...@giganews.com...

Brian Lawson

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Mar 9, 2010, 7:12:09 PM3/9/10
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Hey Iggy,

My take on it is that is very specific to the compound formula. We
had urethane roller guides on elevators that after a few years would
get little flat spots just when they sat over a weekend in an office
building and didn't move. First thing on Monday morning they would
rumble like crazy but then smooth out after the first 5 or 6 runs.
These problem ones were then replaced by another urethane product that
didn't have that problem. So it's in the exact formula, and I don't
know how you would find that out without some plain old empirical
testing.

Take care.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

Buerste

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Mar 9, 2010, 7:25:09 PM3/9/10
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"Ignoramus17831" <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote in message
news:crednQrXwstxXAvW...@giganews.com...

What color are they? The softer Urethane will deform but the harder ones
will not. In die work, Urethane is color coded to hardness but I'm not sure
if is an adhered to standard and may even vary per mfgr.


Ignoramus17831

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Mar 9, 2010, 9:28:39 PM3/9/10
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At the risk of causing a serious consternation, I want to confess that
I am going to make a base for this mill on casters. I will need to
move it about quite a bit. We are likely doing a house addition this
year and the mill will move into the new shop. I can always put 2x4s
under the base for stable placement.

Anyhow, I have these Colson 1500 lbs casters with dark red urethane
wheels, and I want to know if they would become unusable if I let the
mill sit on them for a week or two.

i

co_f...@yahoo.com

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Mar 9, 2010, 10:13:32 PM3/9/10
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On Mar 9, 6:28 pm, Ignoramus17831 <ignoramus17...@NOSPAM.
17831.invalid> wrote:
> On 2010-03-10, Buerste <buer...@buerste.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > "Ignoramus17831" <ignoramus17...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote in message

Try pressing your thumb nail into the urethane. My guess is: If you
can see an indentation, they will get a flat spot. If you can't, they
won't.

Paul

Joseph Gwinn

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Mar 9, 2010, 10:28:17 PM3/9/10
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In article <qeidnTIl8sNKngrW...@giganews.com>,
Ignoramus17831 <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote:

> On 2010-03-10, Buerste <bue...@buerste.com> wrote:
> >
> > "Ignoramus17831" <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote in message
> > news:crednQrXwstxXAvW...@giganews.com...
> >> This question is of great interest to me. If, say, I has a 1500 lb
> >> rated caster with a urethane wheel, would it deform under 800 lb
> >> load, enough to make it troublesome to move. Thanks
> >>
> >> i
> >
> > What color are they? The softer Urethane will deform but the harder ones
> > will not. In die work, Urethane is color coded to hardness but I'm not
> > sure if is an adhered to standard and may even vary per mfgr.
>
> At the risk of causing a serious consternation, I want to confess that
> I am going to make a base for this mill on casters. I will need to
> move it about quite a bit. We are likely doing a house addition this
> year and the mill will move into the new shop. I can always put 2x4s
> under the base for stable placement.

Why can't you use casters with cast iron wheels? These will *not* deform.


> Anyhow, I have these Colson 1500 lbs casters with dark red urethane
> wheels, and I want to know if they would become unusable if I let the
> mill sit on them for a week or two.

I would ask Colson, but I would be suspicious of anything non-metallic.

Joe Gwinn

Bob AZ

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Mar 9, 2010, 10:37:16 PM3/9/10
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On Mar 9, 2:47�pm, Ignoramus17831 <ignoramus17...@NOSPAM.

How about using whatever casters, but, after placing the mill use the
"step on feet" that will take the weight off the casters until you
need to move the mill again? I do this with a nice heavy duty
castered table that I have.

Bob AZ

Pete C.

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Mar 9, 2010, 10:55:30 PM3/9/10
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Beyond using solid metal wheels, also look to heavy duty screw down
leveling feet. I think Surplus Center has/had some levelers, and if not,
the usual sources should. If you take the weight off the wheels when the
mill is parked, caster flat spotting won't be an issue.

Ignoramus17831

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Mar 9, 2010, 11:22:00 PM3/9/10
to
On 2010-03-10, Joseph Gwinn <joeg...@comcast.net> wrote:
> In article <qeidnTIl8sNKngrW...@giganews.com>,
> Ignoramus17831 <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 2010-03-10, Buerste <bue...@buerste.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > "Ignoramus17831" <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote in message
>> > news:crednQrXwstxXAvW...@giganews.com...
>> >> This question is of great interest to me. If, say, I has a 1500 lb
>> >> rated caster with a urethane wheel, would it deform under 800 lb
>> >> load, enough to make it troublesome to move. Thanks
>> >>
>> >> i
>> >
>> > What color are they? The softer Urethane will deform but the harder ones
>> > will not. In die work, Urethane is color coded to hardness but I'm not
>> > sure if is an adhered to standard and may even vary per mfgr.
>>
>> At the risk of causing a serious consternation, I want to confess that
>> I am going to make a base for this mill on casters. I will need to
>> move it about quite a bit. We are likely doing a house addition this
>> year and the mill will move into the new shop. I can always put 2x4s
>> under the base for stable placement.
>
> Why can't you use casters with cast iron wheels? These will *not* deform.

I can, and I have them in my mcmaster cart. But I already have the
colson casters.

>
>> Anyhow, I have these Colson 1500 lbs casters with dark red urethane
>> wheels, and I want to know if they would become unusable if I let the
>> mill sit on them for a week or two.
>
> I would ask Colson, but I would be suspicious of anything non-metallic.
>

As am I. I also think that metal wheels would be easier to move with a
load this heavy.

i

Martin H. Eastburn

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Mar 9, 2010, 11:39:46 PM3/9/10
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If they are made for wheels, they are tough. Prober tables in semi-conductor
houses and other equipment are mounted on them - cleaner.

I have a heavy tube table with my large bench vice on concrete and they roll
for the past 9 years. Before that the table was in a Fab line.

Martin

Bob La Londe

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Mar 9, 2010, 11:47:56 PM3/9/10
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"Bob AZ" <rwats...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:bc04bea8-c41f-4621...@e19g2000prn.googlegroups.com...

My table saw is like that. I've got a similar base form my radial arm saw.
Never thought about one for a mill.

Steve W.

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Mar 10, 2010, 12:49:03 AM3/10/10
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Probably. The easy solution is to use them. Then put some blocks under
the base. That would be better than using just the casters because the
mill would also be more stable than on wheels.

--
Steve W.

Buerste

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Mar 10, 2010, 2:04:47 AM3/10/10
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"Ignoramus17831" <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote in message
news:88GdnawtoeP1gwrW...@giganews.com...

Please don't say you aren't going to level it!


Kevin(Bluey)

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Mar 10, 2010, 2:51:52 AM3/10/10
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I made a base for my mill which wieghs aroud 700KG I used 4 x 200KG
casters with the red urethane ,I made and attached screw down jacks to
the four coners of the base so I could jack the weight off the wheels
and level the machine .It also makes it alot more stable when using it.I
was worried about the urethane flattening and the wheels moving while
using it .
When I need to move it I just screw the jacks up and lower it onto the
wheels, reposition and raise it on the jacks an level .

--
Kevin (Bluey)
"I'm not young enough to know everything."

blu...@west.net.com.au

Joseph Gwinn

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Mar 10, 2010, 8:24:10 AM3/10/10
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In article <88GdnawtoeP1gwrW...@giganews.com>,
Ignoramus17831 <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote:

The other problem with wheels (especially if made of cast iron) is that the mill
may move around in response to machining motions. I like the suggestions of
having a caster plus a retractable solid foot of some kind at each corner.

Mills are not as sensitive to leveling as lathes, but adjustability is
nonetheless needed in at least one of the solid feet to handle floors that are
not perfectly flat, or the mill may rock back and forth as machining proceeds,
which would be really annoying.

Joe Gwinn

Ignoramus5886

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Mar 10, 2010, 8:26:30 AM3/10/10
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Once I get the mill in place, I will put 2x4s under the base.

i

Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

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Mar 10, 2010, 8:34:02 AM3/10/10
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Ignoramus5886 <ignora...@NOSPAM.5886.invalid> fired this volley in
news:fs-dnUZuQoubAwrW...@giganews.com:

> Once I get the mill in place, I will put 2x4s under the base.

That's not the best base, unless the mill is heavy enough to partially
crush the wood. In the most exact sense, you'll never get it to sit tight
on the floor without a three-point or four-point-and-one-adjustable stance.

LLoyd

Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

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Mar 10, 2010, 8:38:41 AM3/10/10
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Ignoramus5886 <ignora...@NOSPAM.5886.invalid> fired this volley in
news:fs-dnUZuQoubAwrW...@giganews.com:

> Once I get the mill in place, I will put 2x4s under the base.

I should have added... I have a #2 Cincy horizontal mill with a BP "M"
head. It's on roller bars, just because I've never really decided where
it should be.

It doesn't "rock" because the floor is quite level where it sits, but
when I'm using a big out-of-balance tool at a fairly low spindle speed,
the 3200lb machine actually rolls fore-and-back about 1/16". It's not a
problem, but a little disconcerting. You don't so much see it as feel it
when you're on the dials.

LLoyd

Ignoramus5886

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Mar 10, 2010, 8:59:51 AM3/10/10
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Oh, it will crush the wood in 2x4s, for sure.

i

Larry Jaques

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Mar 10, 2010, 4:41:01 PM3/10/10
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On Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:28:39 -0600, the infamous Ignoramus17831
<ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> scrawled the following:

I doubt it, but you can ask them easily enough:
http://www.colsoncaster.com/

I installed pinkish-red bushings for the leaf springs on my F-150
which didn't deform at all. Good schtuff, Maynard.

--
There is no such thing as limits to growth, because there are no limits
to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder.
-- Ronald Reagan

Larry Jaques

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Mar 10, 2010, 5:18:30 PM3/10/10
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On Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:59:51 -0600, the infamous Ignoramus5886
<ignora...@NOSPAM.5886.invalid> scrawled the following:

And ensure a level of within 1/4".

Bruce L. Bergman

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Mar 11, 2010, 2:36:26 PM3/11/10
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On Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:47:24 -0600, Ignoramus17831
<ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote:

They all flat spot to a degree. How much all depends on the
durometer of the caster, the load, the temperature, and time... I've
seen the tires deform so badly they crack and fall off, and now you
have a cast iron caster.

Several solutions out there, pick one. The easiest would be to use
the urethane casters on a sub-frame, and put crank-down landing jacks
or levelling screw jacks or floor locks or leveling mount "Bun Feet"
(pick one) at the four corners to take most of the load off the
casters when parked.

The casters might flat-spot a bit if they have a little weight left
on them, but it won't be a huge divot.

I'd research air bearings if you've got a big chunk of plate steel -
leave it under the tool permanently and have screw-down leveling feet,
when you need to move it just hook up the air chuck. I know it will
work, but there must be finer points to it.

--<< Bruce >>--

DoN. Nichols

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Mar 13, 2010, 12:45:26 AM3/13/10
to
On 2010-03-10, Ignoramus17831 <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote:
> On 2010-03-10, Buerste <bue...@buerste.com> wrote:
>>
>> "Ignoramus17831" <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote in message
>> news:crednQrXwstxXAvW...@giganews.com...
>>> This question is of great interest to me. If, say, I has a 1500 lb
>>> rated caster with a urethane wheel, would it deform under 800 lb
>>> load, enough to make it troublesome to move. Thanks
>>>
>>> i
>>
>> What color are they? The softer Urethane will deform but the harder ones
>> will not. In die work, Urethane is color coded to hardness but I'm not sure
>> if is an adhered to standard and may even vary per mfgr.
>
> At the risk of causing a serious consternation, I want to confess that
> I am going to make a base for this mill on casters.

Unless you provide an alternate support for it when it is in
use, you are in for some excitement. With servo motors, you will find
that a rapid move in the X or Y axis will cause a corresponding move of
the base of the mill -- related to the mass of the main body of the
mill, vs that of the table, vise, and workpiece on it.

At first, the speed of a rapid move can scare you.

If you were using the older stepper motor version, it can't go
fast enough to do much of this, but servos are *fast*.

> I will need to
> move it about quite a bit. We are likely doing a house addition this
> year and the mill will move into the new shop. I can always put 2x4s
> under the base for stable placement.

If you put them there (I would suggest 4x4s, since 2x4s on edge
would be likely to topple if the motion of the tables was perpedicular
to the 2" dimension.

> Anyhow, I have these Colson 1500 lbs casters with dark red urethane
> wheels, and I want to know if they would become unusable if I let the
> mill sit on them for a week or two.

I really don't know about that. Hopefully, someone else will
know about the dark red compound.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: <dnic...@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

DoN. Nichols

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Mar 13, 2010, 12:47:53 AM3/13/10
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On 2010-03-10, Joseph Gwinn <joeg...@comcast.net> wrote:
> In article <88GdnawtoeP1gwrW...@giganews.com>,
> Ignoramus17831 <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17831.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 2010-03-10, Joseph Gwinn <joeg...@comcast.net> wrote:

[ ... ]

>> > Why can't you use casters with cast iron wheels? These will *not* deform.
>>
>> I can, and I have them in my mcmaster cart. But I already have the
>> colson casters.
>>
>> >
>> >> Anyhow, I have these Colson 1500 lbs casters with dark red urethane
>> >> wheels, and I want to know if they would become unusable if I let the
>> >> mill sit on them for a week or two.
>> >
>> > I would ask Colson, but I would be suspicious of anything non-metallic.
>> >
>>
>> As am I. I also think that metal wheels would be easier to move with a
>> load this heavy.
>
> The other problem with wheels (especially if made of cast iron) is that the mill
> may move around in response to machining motions. I like the suggestions of
> having a caster plus a retractable solid foot of some kind at each corner.

Amen!

> Mills are not as sensitive to leveling as lathes, but adjustability is
> nonetheless needed in at least one of the solid feet to handle floors that are
> not perfectly flat, or the mill may rock back and forth as machining proceeds,
> which would be really annoying.

There is one reason for leveling the mill. The flow of coolant
back to the reservoir can be quite sensitive to leveling.

Enjoy,

nob...@nowhere.org

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Mar 13, 2010, 1:56:51 PM3/13/10
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On 13 Mar 2010 05:47:53 GMT, "DoN. Nichols" <dnic...@d-and-d.com>
wrote:

Makes me wonder what life as a machinist was like on the big WWII
ships. I worked on one that was converted to a crab processing plant
in Dutch Harbor, AK. It had a complete machine shop and I was told
they could make damn near any part they'd need as long as they had the
stock. This ship was permanently docked but it'd still list depending
on how the loads were stowed down below. I have to assume it wouldn't
be level underway. Well, perhaps akin to a broken clock being right
twice a day anyway.

Newb

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