Pothole Damage and Your Wheel Alignment

Potholes are just one of the many regular hazards people deal with as they drive their daily routes. Most will try to avoid potholes as much as possible, but will eventually end up hitting a large hole that is simply unavoidable. While some only try to avoid potholes because of the jarring bump that occurs, others realize the serious issues that can come from hitting a pothole. It is important to understand pothole damage and your wheel alignment, as potholes can cause serious problems that will require repairs.

Industrial Casters And Wheels

The Problem with Potholes

Industrial Casters And Wheels

Potholes are an incredible nuisance and annoyance, but can actually do some serious damage to your vehicle. The problems are all caused by the way the pothole forces your vehicle to move, as only one of the four tires of your vehicle is going to dip into the pothole at any given time. While your car wants to completely shift to the side that the pothole has been hit, the front (or back) tire that is not in the pothole stops it from doing so. This means that the parts that focus on the alignment of the tire that goes into the pothole will bend and shift to compensate.

This shift and bend can cause a myriad of problems for your vehicle, all of them stemming from the wheel alignment of your vehicle. When your tires and the various parts that keep them aligned move, they become off and misaligned. A small wheel alignment issue may not be noticeable for a long time; save for the shaking that you will feel as you drive. Eventually, serious issues will rise from that initial misalignment.

Pulling

If the pothole damage that your vehicle sustains manages to damage or shift the caster, your wheel alignment will be off in terms of steering. If you feel your vehicle pull from one side to the other as you drive, the casters are off. This can make driving and steering somewhat difficult, as you must constantly correct for the way that your vehicle shifts on the road.

Tires

Issues with wheel alignment can cause uneven wear and tear on your tires, as the jolt of a pothole can mess with the cambers of the alignment system. When the camber is damaged, the wheel will tilt to one side or the other. The uneven wearing of the tires results, and the suspension of your vehicle will suffer.

Toeing

The toe is the third part of the wheel alignment system of your vehicle. When you hit a pothole, the toe of your vehicle can turned in (positive toe) or turned out (negative toe). This can cause the same uneven tire wear as camber issues, and can also cause the steering issues caused when the caster is off.

The initial issues caused by pothole damage and your wheel alignments are small - you'll notice a shift in driving and steering and may notice some shaking. The tire wear and the suspension wear take time to surface, but will result in the need for part replacement.

Pothole Damage and Your Wheel Alignment

Industrial Casters And Wheels

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How To Choose The Right Caster Wheels - Part 1

So you are about to make a dollie and need casters and wheels. Now don't go off and grab just any set of casters and wheels that you may find. Before you make your decision you need to figure out the specifics as to what the dollie will be mainly used for. There are many factors to take into consideration. Number one, don't think that any caster will support what you're going to me moving.

Industrial Casters And Wheels

Being a former employee of a music company's distribution division, I have experienced first hand what can happen when you decide to go cheap or get lazy and not do your homework. Moving everything from light keyboards with attached stands to church organs to nine foot grand pianos you have got to be prepared for the environments you will be working in. You find out real quick how costly it can be when you neglect to do your homework or just go cheap. Prime example... Our manager purchased and put together a new dollie with questionable plastic wheels. The dollie sat in a truck during a freezing cold winter night. The next morning we arrived at one of our warehouses to pick up a custom seven foot grand piano made to order. As my fellow worker and I used the new dollie to transfer the piano into the truck, one of the new plastic casters shattered from the severe cold, throwing the custom seven foot grand piano abruptly to the ground. The damage was catastrophic! The customer was irate. The company had to take the hit and order a new piano and in the end the manager was no longer our manager.

Industrial Casters And Wheels

Two major questions you need to ask yourself prior to purchasing casters would be...

1. What will you be using it for? Yes, I know, for moving, but moving what? Are they particularly heavy items?

2. What is the environment you will be mostly using it in? Will it be used outside as much as inside, on tile, or on carpet?

With so many wheel/caster options available, it can be quite the challenge to make a selection for your application. Let's cover the first few important steps prior to purchasing caster wheels for your application.

First and foremost is Caster Capacity. The caster capacity is the total weight an individual caster can support. In order to figure which caster capacity best suits your application you must follow this equation... Divide the total weight of the maximum load you will be needing the casters for by the number of casters you are going to attach to the dollie. Now choose the caster with a caster capacity greater than or equal to your result.

There are guidelines for regarding types of casters and floor surface ratings that should be taken into consideration.

Asphalt: Rubber, Polyurethane and Semi to Full Pneumatics are excellent, Phenolic (molded plastic) and Polyolefin are fair, and Iron or Semi-Steel are not recommended for use on asphalt.

Concrete: Rubber, Polyurethane and Semi to Full Pneumatics are excellent, Phenolic (molded plastic) and Polyolefin are good for use, and Iron or Semi-Steel are a fair choice.

Tile: Rubber, Polyurethane and Semi to Full Pneumatics are excellent, Phenolic (molded plastic) and Polyolefin are fair, and Iron or Semi-Steel should not be used.

Hardwood Flooring: Rubber, Polyurethane and Semi to Full Pneumatics are excellent, Phenolic (molded plastic) and Polyolefin are good, and Iron or Semi-Steel are not recommended what so ever.

Carpets: Polyurethane, Semi to Full Pneumatics, Phenolic (molded plastic), and Polyolefin are all good for use, but Iron or Semi-Steel can cut in and not get very good grip while transferring.

How To Choose The Right Caster Wheels - Part 1

Industrial Casters And Wheels

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