Castor wheels for the mill

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whateg0
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by whateg0 »

Looks about like the work I did to build casters for a customer. I went with double row ac bearings for the swivel because it was more compact than separate bearings. I used the original forks because the customer wanted the locking mechanism that they used. I did have to replace all of the wheel bearings and make spacers to keep them positioned right and not have the bolt crushing them. Lots of work but very rewarding when it's done. It looks like you'll have some pretty sweet casters when you are done!
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liveaboard
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by liveaboard »

Thanks;
I used straight rod for the axles with circlips at each end, because I had some 15mm drawn rod that slips through the bearings just about right; it's the last of a 3 meter length I bought long ago.
Circlips cost pennies, and don't take up much space. It's sort of inelegant to have them at each end though.

There are washer/ spacers between the bearings and the ears for clearance.

Other work is taking priority at the moment (house, car).
And in winter comfortable working hours are fewer, even here in southern Portugal.

Hopefully I'll get back to it soon.
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liveaboard
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by liveaboard »

Today I'm leaning towards Bill's idea of hydraulic lift...
To keep the cost low (very low), and because it's more fun this way, I'll make the cylinders and use the castor mounts themselves as the pistons.
there are lots of details, none of which are too difficult but they add up to a lot of work.

The pistons will have stops; then 1 pump will do the job.

Here is my design question;
Pressure will be low, just 20 bar 300psi. Would an Oring seal do the job?

How much should an oring be compressed within it's groove?

Hydraulic seals are fairly pricey compared to Orings.

Warning; I could have a different idea by tomorrow!
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Bill Shields
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by Bill Shields »

Rings should be ok

Look at the parker catalog for guidance?
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
whateg0
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by whateg0 »

Many low end floor jacks use o-rings and while they don't last as long as u-cups, they do the job.

I've used this site's numbers before and they seem to work for the stuff I've used them for

https://www.globaloring.com/o-ring-groove-design/
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Bill Shields
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by Bill Shields »

careful with one pump -> if your loads are not equal, you will not get even lift...

unless you are lifting to a stop and don't care how it gets there (which may well be where you are headed)...
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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liveaboard
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by liveaboard »

Thanks for that link, it's useful.

Yes, opposing shoulder stops. One side will presumably lift first.
I'll need a pump, PRV, release valve, reservoir, tubes, fittings...

Easy to do by spending money, not so easy to do on the cheap.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by Bill Shields »

you can use a hand pump like what is used for a hydraulic tube bender - completely self contained...
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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liveaboard
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by liveaboard »

and expensive!
$100 +.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by Bill Shields »

doubt that i could put the parts together for that small a sum....
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
pete
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by pete »

You're exact lifting requirements are relatively simple since if one piston goes to it's full stroke the next heavier weight location gets the pressure. But fwiw I've seen some REALLY heavy items getting lifted such as separating the car body on a P&H 2800 electric rope shovel from the lower track assembly. They used a single pump going to multiple jack rams and a pretty basic set of hand turned valves to direct the flow to what ever jack they wanted as the machine was lifted and then leveled. But I doubt you'd need even that since you're only lifting just enough to get the castors down and locked to take the weight once the rams are retracted.
whateg0
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Re: Castor wheels for the mill

Post by whateg0 »

You can use a bottle Jack as the pump if you can seal off the cylinder and tap into it
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