Caster weight advice

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

earhtmother

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Mar 22, 2010
Messages
975
If I want to put casters on the coffee table stand for the 100g how do I figure out the load on each caster - 1/4 of total weigh for each wheel?
 
I assume so but guessing stand, substrate to allow for - would over-design. Just out of interest - why do you want them on?
 
So if I ever have to move the awkward, heavy sucker across the 9" room to the other wall I don't have to drain & relocate fish first
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ah, gotcha - yes, in another 15 minutes will be shifting this tank to new house. Been keeping an eye on gumtree sales here in case it gets cracked....
 
If you look on the package, they usually will say the load limit and what the load is per caster. I would figure out the weight you have in the tank and double it for the casters. They arent expensive.
 
Get heavy duty industrial casters. The kind you see on very Large tool chests and steel work benches. That will be plenty for a 100g
 
If you look on the package, they usually will say the load limit and what the load is per caster. I would figure out the weight you have in the tank and double it for the casters. They arent expensive.

^^THIS^^
Tractor supply has a wide variety of wheels from steel to soft urethane. I would just guess that 800lbs per wheel to be safe.
Are your floors level? This could turn out to be a bigger problem if not...
One or two wheels would be good with brakes on them. I know no one will just bump and move the tank but it might just want to roll??
 
If you look on the package, they usually will say the load limit and what the load is per caster. I would figure out the weight you have in the tank and double it for the casters. They arent expensive.
$30+tax each is expensive to me when I need 4 so looking at approximately $140
 
Coral - I already figured 2 swivel, 2 set , it was figuring out the weight I was confused about. Almost $150 for 4, OUCH ?tank may be a little longer in progress than I figured. Also qondwring about placement, I was **assuming** centered under corner posts or should they be exactly at table corners?
 
What size tank are you looking to put on this? Regardless, I would not put tank over say 29gal on casters. I would not put any tank on cheap swivel casters. If one needs to move a tank then draining water and sliding on floor (on felt pads) will not be to cumbersome. I wouldn't consider a setup that requires tank to be moved frequently.
Just my 0.02 worth, good luck!
 
A) Not expecting to move it frequently, hopefully never. B)These are not CHEAP casters and are designed for moving heavy equipment - with a weight capacity of 1500 lbs I feel pretty secure trusting them to hold an 1100lb tank (I figure 850lbs water 100lbs gravel 50lbs glass 50 lbs table)
 
Was under impression that cost of heavy duty casters was a concern for you. 1500lb of caster will probably hold that much, consider point load on your 4 points of flooring material (laminate on concrete slab I would be concerned)

But ultimately:
A) Not expecting to move it frequently, hopefully never...
Hence no need for casters.

But of course do build what you like.
 
If you ever had to move it you would drop half the water out of the tank. So essentially you are moving around the equivalent of a filled 50g tank. As for it sitting on casters....if the caster can hold the weight it will be fine. The concern would be being careful when moving the tank around.
 
Steel wheels will cause damage to floor IMO.They and the weight are completely unforgiving....
Also Agrasyuk is correct about point loading..
You are now looking at placing all the weight on aprox. 4 square inches..
I would not expect more then 1 inch of wheel surface to touch the floor so...
300lbs per square inch easy ? That is standard weight for a square foot in household building I believe...
I have large tables in my shop on urathane wheels that I place over a thousand pounds on safely ,but really don't think I would be comfortable with an aquarium on such with anything other then concrete slab like in my shop.
Next lets get back to where to locate wheels...Most of the time they should go on outside corners for stability but the load bearing post are in from the corners?????
I would be very concerned if not just plain nervous...
 
Back
Top Bottom