What is the difference between castors and wheels?

What is a wheel?

If you think back to your school days, you probably recall that it was the Ancient Greeks who made the wheel. Their rudimentary but world-changing device quickly became a crucial part of civilisation and has been used for thousands of years.

The definition of a wheel is “a circular object that revolves on an axle…”. A wheel can be either fixed below a vehicle or other object to enable it to move easily over the ground, or it can form part of a machine. Wheels are one of the most important components across all industries as they reduce the friction of an object and allow for easy transportation of heavy equipment.

The Elesa range of wheels are made from quality materials such as polyurethane, technopolymer, rubber and duroplast. These smooth surfaces ensure that loads can be moved without the operator using too much energy.

In our catalogue you will find wheels with either pass-through holes or ball bearings to seamlessly align with your equipment. We also supply wheels with steel and aluminium centres to provide extra stability.

Our wheels are available in varying specifications for both light and medium-heavy loads to meet your industrial needs.

What is a castor?

What makes a castor different from a wheel? A wheel has limitations in that it only spins on a single axis. Whereas with a castor, a mounting system holds the wheel in place and can allow it to swivel and move in different directions.

Castors are a great alternative to wheels as they can be mounted to an object that needs to move in several directions. Equipment that requires castors include furniture, heavy machinery, and waste disposal bins.

The Elesa catalogue features a wide range of castors made using technopolymer, rubber, duroplast and polyurethane. Our castors are available mounted onto fixed or turning plate brackets made from high-strength steel. We recognise that while castors are a versatile component, they are not one size fits all. We supply castor wheels designed to bear extra-heavy loads of up to 23000 N. Our castors are also available with or without a brake to provide extra functionality.

As you can now tell, castors and wheels are extremely useful components. They may be small products, but they can make life a lot easier. For the full range of castors and wheels, check out the Elesa catalogue.