How often should castors be replaced?

There is no fixed calendar interval for castor replacement — a hire-fleet castor lives a different life from one that rolls across a warehouse floor twice a month. The honest answer is condition-based: inspect before every use, and replace at defined failure signs.

The pre-use check (30 seconds per castor)

• Brake: apply it and push hard. A locked castor must not rotate or swivel. Any creep condemns the brake.
• Wheel: spin it. Look for flats, chunks missing, cracking, or tread separating from the hub.
• Swivel: rotate the fork; it should turn freely without notchiness or wobble in the head bearing.
• Stem and legs: the castor stem must seat fully in the leg with its locking clip working; adjustable legs must thread cleanly and hold height.

Replace immediately when you see

• A brake that will not hold on smooth floor — this is the castor's safety function; there is no "gentle use" exemption.
• Cracked or deformed wheels, seized swivels, bent stems, or corrosion that pits load surfaces.
• Flat-spotted wheels that thump as the tower moves — the bearing is next to fail.

Extending castor life

Roll the tower only when the manual permits, on firm clean ground, with no one and nothing loose on it. Store the tower with brakes off (springs relax), out of standing water. Rinse plaster and mortar off wheels the day they happen — set mortar grinds bearings.

Buying replacements

Match the castor to your tower system: stem size, wheel diameter and load rating are all specified per model. Mixed or undersized castors change the tower's height and rating. Genuine replacements for our towers are in the spares range — and replace in matched sets where wear is general, not one shiny castor amongst three tired ones.