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Welded Steel Cart Knowledge Base
Industrial Steel Cart Know How - Important Basic Information
Industrial steel carts serve an integral part of any
facility in regards to the transportation and movement of material to various
locations. Not only does a cart offer
transportation solutions, it can also improve efficiency and worker
productivity. When selecting a cart for
your facility it is imperative that you carefully consider many important
factors that will lead you to choose the correct size and configuration that
best suits your application. We will
outline these factors in the following sections.
Construction
Our heavy duty industrial carts utilize a fully welded construction using 12 gauge steel shelves and 3/16” thick corner posts with bolt-on casters. This superior design and construction ensures
a heavy duty, rugged cart that will last for years. Many carts on the market today use lighter gauge steel and are of a bolt-together design, while these carts may suit light duty transportation, our welded steel carts will outlast and outperform others many times over throughout the lifetime of the cart. To state in simply, our carts are
built like a tank!
Because our carts are fully welded, they will arrive at your
dock fully assembled, ready to roll off the skid. There will be no down-time or installation
necessary when you order an industrial cart from DC Graves.
Shelf Size and Lips
Selecting the proper shelf size will ensure that your cart
can handle your material properly. We
offer shelf sizes in various sizes, our smallest being 18” x 24” up to our
largest size 36” x 72”. Please keep in
mind that shelf size refers to the usable inside dimension of the shelf. When you order a cart with a 24” x 36” shelf
size, the actual usable shelf is 24” wide by 36” long. . Therefore, the overall dimensions of the steel carts will be slightly larger than the selected shelf size.
Please keep in mind that all carts ordered 36” wide will
NOT fit through standard doors.
Our 12 gauge steel shelves have a 1-1/2” lip on all four
sides. The shelf can be welded into
place to create a shelf with 1-1/2” lips up for retention of material or can be
welded in opposite for a smooth, flush work surface. Many carts will have a flush top shelf and
lips up on the bottom shelf for retention. This shelf configuration can be modified on most carts to cater to your needs. In addition to the 1-1/2” lips we offer a variety of heavy duty industrial carts with lips 3”, 6”, or 12” deep for the ultimate in product retention.
Casters
Our casters are of the bolt-on variety meaning they can be
removed and replaced with ease. Many carts with wheels on the market today have the casters welded onto the cart directly. So, if one of your casters happens to be hit
by a fork truck and damaged, then the carts are essentially rendered
useless. DC Graves casters are bolted
onto caster channels underneath the bottom shelf. Should one of your casters ever be damaged or
need to be replaced you simply have to remove them and bolt-on your
replacements. This ensures an extremely
long life cycle of the carts.
The standard caster for most carts we offer is a 5” diameter
x 1-1/4” wide tread urethane caster. The
standard set comes with two swivel casters and two rigid casters. The two swivels ensure easy maneuvering
around corners and other obstacles while the two rigid ensure a straight ride
when going down long hallways or corridors.
Caster sets can be upgraded to an all swivel configuration which allows
the user even more maneuverability when navigating tight spaces. Although the all swivel configuration allows
for superior turning and handling, it becomes more difficult to maintain a straight
path when moving down a corridor. In addition to all swivel, you can add wheel brakes to two or all four casters to stop your industrial cart with wheels and maintain its position.
We also offer our casters in a wide variety of sizes and
wheel types. Our smallest caster is 4” x
1-1/4” all the way up to 12” x 3”. Some
standard sizes include, 5” x 2”, 6” x 2”, and 8” x 2”. Please keep in mind that the larger the
caster, the easier your cart will be to push.
As stated before the urethane caster is the standard on many
carts. Some other wheel types we offer
include, Thermo-Rubber, Mold-On Rubber, Phenolic, Steel, Full and
Semi-Pneumatic. Please call us anytime
to discuss the ideal caster for your situation.
Lead Time and
Shipping
All of our standard welded steel carts fall under our
QUICK-SHIP program. Any standard size cart, quantity 1-5 will
ship in 7-9 business days after receipt of order. Quantities 6 and above will ship in 2 weeks. This fast turnaround ensures you will receive
quality material in a timely fashion.
Our heavy duty industrial carts ship fully assembled shrink wrapped on a skid. Because of the weight and size of
the carts they are too heavy to ship UPS or FedEx and must be shipped via
common carrier (LTL) on a truck. We do
offer some models that are small enough to be shipped UPS, this includes some
vertical panel trucks and our small package line of carts designed to ship in a
box via UPS or FedEx.
Please call us anytime to obtain a shipping estimate or if
you have any questions.
Selecting the Correct Casters
When ordering a steel cart, selecting the correct casters for your application is extremely important and will ensure that your cart rolls smoothly over your surface. We offer various caster types and sizes to fit a multitude of different applications which we will cover in the following paragraphs.
Polyurethane Casters
Polyurethane casters are typically the standard caster used on most carts we sell. These casters are non-marking, easy rolling, quiet, and best for varying floor conditions. Great for use in offices, on tile, and other indoor applications.
Thermo Rubber Casters
Thermo rubber casters are gray, non-marking, soft rubber which offer the quietest roll of any caster available. These casters offer good shock absorption compared to other harder casters and offer the best floor protection of any caster available. These casters are not recommended when moving heavy loads as they are harder to push.
Steel Casters
Steel casters are recommended in settings including the following, extreme heat and cold, presence of chemicals, block wood deck, or steel flooring. These casters have a high impact rating.
Phenolic Casters
Phenolic casters are an extremely hard plastic caster. These casters offer the best roll ability when under heavy load. One drawback of these casters are they are very noisy. Not recommended for tile floors or use in schools. Please select these casters if you do not care about noise and are looking for the best roll under heavy weights.
Mold-On Rubber Casters
Mold-On rubber casters consist of a center core of which rubber has been molded to. These casters offer good floor protection and work well on varying floor conditions. These casters work well in situations where there is debris on the floor.
Full Pneumatic Casters
Full pneumatic casters are ideal for transporting sensitive materials that can be harmed by vibration. They are also ideal for use outside, transporting your cart over lawns or broken pavement. Full pneumatic casters are basically an air filled tire, and you must maintain pressure in all four tires at all times to ensure proper roll. If one tire goes flat, the cart is inoperable.
Semi Pneumatic Casters
Semi pneumatic casters are similar to the full pneumatic described above. The difference being that these tires are filled with gel rather than air meaning there are no air pressure maintenance concerns. These casters will not give the same vibration protection as the full pneumatic but are perfect for many applications. DC Graves highly recommends the semi-pneumatic caster over the full pneumatic for any situation where vibration concern is not the most important concern. These casters are perfect for uneven floors, and bar grating deck on mezzanines.
Caster Configuration
The standard caster configuration is two rigid casters at the handle end and two swivel casters on the opposite end. This standard configuration suits most applications and is perfect to maintaining a straight line when moving a cart down a straight corridor. All swivel optional configuration replaces the two rigid casters with two swivel casters. This configuration allows for better cart maneuverability in tight spaces. When moving a cart with all swivel casters down a straight corridor it is harder to maintain a straight line.
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