Engineering terminology throughout industry, whether it be institutional, manufacturing, shipbuilding, construction, etc., has a certain amount of commonality.

What this series of pages is intended to do is clarify wheel & castor terminology.

Accessories
Control how the castor behaves. Brake, Directional Lock or Total Brake.

Bearings
Fallshaw use four different types of bearings in standard production. Precision ball bearing, deep groove ball bearing, roller bearing and plain bearing.

Forks (castor bodies)
Come in two types, swivel or rigid (fixed). Swivel are available in a number of different mounting styles, whilst rigid are only available in plate.

Mounting
There are many ways to mount a castor. Explained here are the most common types of mountings used throughout home and industry today. Not shown here are specialised mountings designed for specific purposes - these are usually 'one-off' and because of low volume can be quite expensive to produce.

Threadguards
Mounted between the fork body and the wheel, these are designed to keep foreign materials such as lint, string, fibres, etc. from getting caught between the wheel hub and the fork, thus seizing the wheel. Threadguards are made from either steel or plastic depending on the wheel chosen. In most cases they also keep out dust and dirt and so prolong the life of the bearings and axle. Threadguards can give a more streamlined appearance to a castor. If plastic guards are fitted, they can be moulded in custom colours for identification i.e. different company departments may have their own designated trolleys - coloured guards make them easy to spot. Matching the colour of threadguards with trolleys can also add to a corporate image. (NOTE: Minimum quantities apply when ordering coloured guards.)