Commonly Ignored Maintenance Steps for Industrial Castors
Industrial castors take a lot of beating, ranging from heavy loads, high temperatures, uneven terrain, and rough handling. Over time, industrial castors wear out, with some parts deteriorating faster than others do. Therefore, implementing a proper maintenance routine specifically designed for industrial castors is crucial. Regrettably, most facility managers treat industrial castors like standard models, often leading to undesirable results. This article highlights commonly ignored maintenance steps when dealing with industrial castors.
Daily Inspections
The first rule to maintaining industrial castors is daily inspection. While you can get away with occasional checks on castors used in less intensive environments, you cannot do the same with industrial castors. The reason is that industrial operations put castor wheels through a lot of stress. For instance, although industrial castors are designed to withstand the elements, facility workers do not always follow laid-down guidelines. Notably, some workers overload castor wheels to complete tasks faster. Unfortunately, such actions lead to impact damages on castors. Thus, it is essential to inspect castor wheels daily — before and after use. During routine inspections, look for stress signs such as bends, fissures, and cracks. Not only do daily checks prevent catastrophic failure of castor wheels, but they also prevent accidents in the workplace.
Keep Spare Castors
If the castor wheels on a hospital food cart have distortions, they can be used a few more times before repairs. The reason is that such castors do not support heavy loads; hence, slight distortions are acceptable. However, the same cannot be said of industrial castors, given the loads they usually support. Consequently, you must treat distortions on industrial castor wheels seriously. While retiring affected castors might be the most prudent action, the move causes significant downtime. Therefore, it is advisable to keep spare castors available so that you can replace distorted ones immediately. Most importantly, it prevents further damages and ensures that a business does not suffer costly downtime.
Keep Industrial Floors Clean
Most people think that industrial castor maintenance starts and ends at the wheels. However, nothing could be further from the truth because keeping industrial facility floors clean is integral to castor wheel maintenance. If you invest time and money in cleaning and lubricating castor wheels, your efforts will count for nothing if a facility floor is always dirty. In fact, the mismatch makes castor wheel maintenance more expensive, time-consuming and unsustainable. Therefore, the floors on which industrial castors operate must remain clean at all times to guarantee optimal performance and manageable maintenance.