Equipment Stands

[olivero]

Such a shame, I guess it just is what it is and to have it work in an industrial production kitchen, its gotta be rebuilt to work in that environment.

[fixbear]

over the years I have had to design and replace numerous caster applications.  The best source for caster design and pairing to a floor, load and environment is McMaster-Carr..  They have pages of help to get a caster spec right for any application. Just put caster in the search engine and the first page up will be a design and spec.  As for the tables,  over the years they have gotten lighter and lighter.  Same with the sinks.  But if you have the budget,  you can order extra heavy, that is like the old standard.  I doubt if you will find anyone with them in stock, but special order.  The stainless and the guage is a far cry from today. We used to have real 304 and 16 gauge.  Now you are lucky to find 304 let alone that they are 24 or 26 gauge.tables.. Place your elbow on it wrong during install and it dents.

 

   The sales personnel from suppliers will try to sell anything and verbally guarantee that it is right, but try to get them to put it in writing and you will find out it is different.  You purchasing department is the one that let a inferior table get to your kitchen without the right spec’s. At least they bought a good griddle.with some weight.

[fixbear]

If the table spec was written right,  It will support the unit.  It’s very important for a person in your job to get to know the purchasing department personnel..  And, have a understanding of what they do and help them to make it better.  Most of the company’s that I developed a relation with they would come to me and ask what I thought of a bid propoosal.  That’s when you know they value your knowledge about their equipment purchase.

[fixbear]

Buy the way, your caster choice looks great.  Tile Non slip floor’s?  Terracotta,  or epoxies.

[olivero]

I am sure the unit in theory can hold it, it just doesen’t last and its not well built. I hate poor design and cheap fabrication it kills me.

 

There are so many problems and repairs I could have avoided to need to perform if people would just think with their head and have some pride in their work.

 

I have become well acquainted with our purchasing department and they do in general ask me about any purchases but now its getting to where I am asked to find the equipment they want and then the request comes from me

 

Those are a new type I tried from a recommendation in Oregon. I normally buy from Hamilton Casters as their Poly Tech wheels are awesome and seem to be practically indestructible. They also make the wheels for Cat’s fabrication line as well as the Navy jets and stuff like that and if its good enough for them, Its good enough for me…. AND they made a caster the size of an F150 truck!

 

Introducing Colossus, Hamilton’s 200-Ton Toting Casters 

 

The Colossus is really what grabbed my attention on these guys as you can just tell they do whatever it takes to get the customer what he needs and that is something I do myself which most don’t anymore.

 

John W Negus in Oregon was recommended to me from another metalworker and I called the guy, specced it out and oh boy, these bad boys are nice! They are made in china which I don’t like so much but if they are rated for it, they better hold it. 

 

Krowne used to be good, now I am seeing some odd wheels with the tread “snapping” together and is no longer molded onto the wheel. Breaks my heart…… The reason I know why it looks like that is because multiple ones have snapped and left wheels with no treads on them anymore.

 

I generally go with red wheels, not sure why that is, I originally saw red wheels on my Carter Hoffman hot boxes and I have NEVER had a problem with them so I figured maybe this red stuff is what I need, so now I am retrofitting everything in the kitchen for plate casters with hamilton casters with red polytech wheels on them, lot of work but in the end, it will pay off.

 

This was just an exception due to needing the 450 lbs on each caster.

[fixbear]

the red is usually a urethane compound.  But color is ill-relevant.  Compound has to mach the floor, and casters have to mach the load.  But the base plate design and bolt spacing also comes into the solution.  Your old casters show that the floor was dirty and the load forced over it.  That’s why the casters bent.  There are compounds that will rollover dirt, usually a softer rubber that will deform over the object. Solid steel are used in high temp..

 

   I had to come up with a solution to prevent 6000 lb of paper that was lubricated with cornstarch and air from going all over the floor that was uneven concrete. They allowed me 4 test carts at about $125 each, but after my design they built 28 and trashed the originals. They were a poly-urethane compound.

[olivero]

Nice, that sounds like a cool project.

 

I know colour is irrelevenat, lol. I just figured there might be some magic too it and the compound that normally ends up bein red, tends to work for me.

 

We have concrete, tile and wooden floor, some is waxed. so it has to be able to roll on all of it, without marking the floor and has to be resistant to chemicals and water, Polytech wheels are all that  and more. 

 

Plus, I like looking into the kitchen and seeing red wheels everywhere, kind of a contrast to the stainless look.

[j-t]

Take the wheel brakes off and it will not do that 

[davejohnsonnola]

Great looking modifications!

But is there is a “short” order cook there cussing you out for raising the grill surface another almost 2″ ?

[olivero]

You know, I might be 2 years late.

 

But….Yes, yes there was.