Mounting Casters

[Pat]

Hi,

I can't seem to find my thinking cap and was wondering if anyone would mind putting theirs on to help me with a long over due project. I have 2 heavy metal tables that I am going to put casters on to enable me to get them out of the garage without the use of the skid loader (bobcat). I use these tables for my welding and other projects. I aquired these tables from an industrial setting and they are well built, and quite heavy. 1 of the tables is approx 5'long and 3 1/2' wide with legs made from 5"x 1/2" angle. The other table is 6 1/2' long by 4' wide with legs made from 6" x 3/8 (I think) channel.

A local waste hauling company is scrapping dumpsters and has given me permission to remove some (hopefully all I want) of the 6" heavy duty swivel casters for free. The base of these casters that are bolted to the bottom of the dumpsters is approx 4"x4" 1/4" plate.

Now for the question. I would like to mount these casters in a way that would allow me to move the table(s) outside, then be able to take the weight off the casters so they don't roll around while I am working. This would also allow me to place heavy items on the table without having to worry about ruining the casters. I am thinking about something along the line of a screw type trailer tongue jack, but just can't come up with a simple method of doing this. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated...........thanks.

[Planet X]

I'd scan thru the projects section of this board 80% sure Rock D or some body posted some good pics that show bolts/all thread rod that are used to secure a table/cart to a concrete floor.

I would consider some 1" all thread rod and weld a tee handle on it which would attach to the bench either on a leg or x-member at 2 or more corners.
These will screw into concrete female anchors to secure table from roaming. Couple of things though the weight would still be on the casters and floor placement will not be as variable since you will have to secure them to anchors that are basically set in place.

Whatever you come up with please post the pics I enjoy seeing peoples ingenuity.

[Heebo]

Caster Brakes

There are many brakes systems available to be used with casters. If you really want to go cheap just weld some angle or plate on both ends high enough to get a hydraulic jack underneath. Barely lift the weight on both ends. Another way would be to weld some angle near the floor with a threaded hole and a bolt (3/8 or larger I would guess). If you can't tap the holes make them oversized and tack a matching size nut to the top side. You really don't need much lifting capacity to make the table stationary. If you would like to see the different methods used in industry try a search for "caster brake" on YAHOO or GOOGLE etc. Hope this helps.

[Guest]

Here's how i solved that problem....Pins made from 4130 chromolly, that slide into holes in the concrete. Not all-thread.

[morpheus]

it looks like he lives in wisconsin, if he has a concrete drive then I don't think he would want to drill holes in it. Because it'd fill with water then freeze and bust the concrete. or at least that's what happens around here ...

You might try some of those dog leg pivoting jack things mounted to each leg.

- jack

[Guest]

Originally posted by morpheus
it looks like he lives in wisconsin, if he has a concrete drive then I don't think he would want to drill holes in it. Because it'd fill with water then freeze and bust the concrete. or at least that's what happens around here ...

You might try some of those dog leg pivoting jack things mounted to each leg.

- jack

Hmmm! never occurred to me...don't ever see anything freezing around here. Good point, Jack. I takes earthquakes to bust our concrete.
Your talkin' "foot locks"...they don't work all that good. You start bending something and they give.

[Planet X]

Originally posted by Rocky D
Here's how i solved that problem....Pins made from 4130 chromolly, that slide into holes in the concrete. Not all-thread.

4130 eh-rich guy- me I eat a SAD (Standard American Diet) and 1" coat hanger all-thread should be plenty strong to resist my Mcfat burger eatin physique

[Hobart Expert Rock]

HI PAT..............QUESTION...... THOSE DUMPSTERS.......... WAS THEIR A TAG ON THERE ANYWHERE GIVING MAXIMUM WEIGHT ALLOWED IN THE DUMPSTERS.............. .....I WAS THINKING IF YOUR PROJECTS NEVER EXCEED WHAT THEY COULD HANDLE YOU MIGHT JUST NEED TO ANCHOR THE TABLES FROM MOVING.... ..................ROCK.............
[email protected]

[cope]

Originally posted by Rocky D
Here's how i solved that problem....Pins made from 4130 chromolly, that slide into holes in the concrete. Not all-thread.

Rocky, thought you had a bigger Mig than that.

[morpheus]

Originally posted by cope


Rocky, thought you had a bigger Mig than that.

that's his old one, before the neighborhood kids pulled his wagon off to the playground

- jack

[Pat]

Thanks guys,

It appears that Planet X and Heebo's suggetions run along the same line as Rocky D's with the difference being Rocky D's is pinned into position without lifting the table, and Planet X and Heebo's method would actually lift the table.

Thanks for the picture Rocky D. When I opened it up everything became a little clearer when I saw them mini outriggers. I think I will try a combination using your method of attaching the brackets to the frame, and using Planet X's and Heebo's all thread method so I can get some lift.

Morpheus, you are so right about the cement cracking. I have an approx 100' long cement drive and I would probably be hard pressed to find many areas over a couple square feet that are not cracked and raised. Using the all thread method would allow me to compensate for the high and low spots and end up with a fairly level table.

Hobart Expert Rock,

Good question on the capacity of them dumpsters. I never looked but will when I patrol that area tonight. I did try to find the weight capacity on the casters but could'nt find anything. I was going to start removing some of the casters last night (on my break of course) but got tied up with an auto theft that turned into a big cluster with a drug dealing runaway auto thief that just turned 13 yesterday. The dumpsters appear to be approx 6' long by 4' wide by 4 foot deep. I was thinking of asking if I could have a whole dumpster so I could cut it down to make a large rolling oil drain pan....Ha...............thanks again

[DaveD]

I guess it all depends how often you want to move the tables. Here is an idea I have been kicking around to make my thickness wood planer and my radial arm saw easily movable (I don't like those HTC woodworking bases).

Size everything to suit the situation. This is just to explain the idea (I haven't built one yet). I'm probably going to use male and female trailer hitch material for mine since I have it laying around.

3 casters, 2 on one end by the legs and the third on the opposite end in the middle between the two legs (mount on a horizontal angle iron between the legs. Or you could do 4 of them

Building the contraption (3 or 4 needed).

Mount caster on the bottom of a 5" long piece of 3"x3" heavy wall tubing. On the top of the tube weld a 1/4" plate with a big nut on top. Now you have a steel box with the caster on one end and a nut on the other.

Next...
Fab up a heavy wall (1/4"?)steel tube about 5" long that the previous piece with the caster will slide into easily and never bind/rust up. Weld a 1/4" plate on top of the tube. Drill a 1" hole in the middle of the plate. Weld a 3/4"nut over the hole. Get a piece of 3/4" all thread rod (an acme square thread would be even better) about 6" long and weld a big nut on one end. This is your jacking screw. Grind the other end to fit loosely in the nut on the caster piece. This prevents the rod from walking on the plate and will keep it centered when they mate.

Nest the two pieces together and thread the rod in. Now you can put a wrench on the nut and push the caster piece in the outside tube when there is a load on it

Weld these assemblies at the three points so when the rod is screwed in, the caster raises the table legs off the floor about 1".
Be sure when fully retracted the caster has no load on it and can be picked up off the floor an inch or so. You will have to space the ones off the legs somehow so the casters will fully pivot without hitting the leg.

When you want to move the table just put the ratchet on the rods and screw them down till the caster lifts the table leg off the floor.

As long as the two pieces are nested together 3"to 4" when moving the table they should stay stable. Also might think of a way to protect the exposed threads from weld splatter, etc so the screw keeps working smoothly.

[cope]

Dave D

Here is a good design for a woodworking tool mobile base.

The file I have is too large for this forum, but you can see the finished product on this web site:

http://home.pacbell.net/jdismuk