Wheel castor help/suggetions please

[Der ABT]

Ok as many know im in the process of a new tank build and am thinking about putting the tank on castors to be able to access the back, move it if necessary. It will sit on a concrete slab in the basement so no worries about damaging the surface etc

its a 120g Oceanic Tech, wood stand, 50g breeder for a sump. my calculations with a little extra weight for good measure put the total tank/equip/sump/stand/hood at just around 2000-2100lbs when full

1250-1300 tank

450-600 Sump/equip (probably less since it wont be filled)

100-200 lbs stand/hood/ligthing.

 

it would be really nice to be able to move the tank slightly in the basement for cleaning etc.

 

Im not set on doing this, current tank sits just fine and probably would only move the tank once or twice a year and very carefully.

 

SO im debating on castors, most plate castors with a relatively low clearance say 4 inches arent too expensive with load ratings in the 4-600 range

 

Is anyone else using them, what brand any suggestions

im thinking of either 4x600lb castors

or like 6x400-450lb castors

 

here is what im thinking of right now

4 of the 600lbers 600lb swivel low profile

dont really want metal wheels but its an option

590lb metal

 

6 of something like this

450 lbrs

 

if anyone else has any suggestions im open to it.

 

Thanks

[Origami]

I'm not sure how well it would work (especially if one of the casters began to fail - that would be a disaster), but if you go this route, be sure to figure on some very high pounds-per-square-inch (psi) on your floor.

 

Maybe a moveable wall would be easier and safer.

[Der ABT]

haha thanks Tom, its the concrete slab in the basement so if they are poly wheels should be no problem, if its metal that makes me iffy (trying to keep it low profile to fit in the ceiling with the hood open but may just have to adjust the build of the hood)

 

My inlaws have their 110 on castors on a wood raised floor but they are also bigger wheels and he has had no problems in over 2 years but didnt really think about a failing caster.

 

hmm.more food for thought.

whenever we end up moving the casters would come off but it would be nice while the tank is where it is going to be.

[Guest thefishman65]

I placed caster on a rolling cabinet (it held 19 wine boxes) I made. They were heavy duty casters that held up just fine. However I got the lag bolts from the Home Depot bulk food section. Moral of the story is make sure the hardware you use to attach the caster is as good as the caster.

[Coral Hind]

I have a bunch of new heavy duty wheels if you want a set.

[treesprite]

I saw this subject here a few years ago. Some people had the thought that moving a tank that size with water in it could compromise the integrity of the tank resulting in disaster. I would do it for a smaller tank, but not a great big one.

[davelin315]

I had a 55 that was donated that was on casters and the guy who made it (tree on here) also had I believe a 125 "fish room" on casters. The 55 worked fine on the casters and we moved it a few times with all of the water in it but the key was that there was absolutely no flex in the stand (solid oak, reinforced to the gills) and the casters were very large and mounted with large bolts as well. I think the larger the caster the better off you are when moving it, but at the same time, you also have to make sure that the casters are all on the outside edges of the stand and that the tank is always "inside" them as well. If they turn and the tank ends up outside of the casters' radii then it could potentially roll over. Also, basement foundations are often not flat, so you'd want to level your surface out prior to using the stand and tank. Imagine if you put it on wheels and then discovered that your floor was slanted (I had this issue when I built my stand) or had low spots...

[Coral Hind]

Der ABT, Have you decided to do the wheels or not? If you want some let me know as I have plenty to pick from.

 

 

 

 

[Der ABT]

HOly wheels.

My only fear is the height limitations i have, I need to get my hood built (only thing really holding me back from completing the upgrade)

im cutting it close with height so im kinda worried about the wheels height, only reason i was going to spend money on "low profile casters"

 

But im going try and build the hood first and then i may very well be in touch

any chance you know what the load ratings are on those

 

 

as for the wheels being on the outside of the tank, i made the stand larger than the tank to so that shuoldnt be a problem

 

as for levels on the floor, if i go casters im going to make them height adjustable to level the tank via lag screws..

stand is overbuilt if you ask me and am pretty sure there will be no issues with the weight.

 

Ill probably be in touch Coralhind hopefully before the new years.

[hypertech]

Don't underestimate the stress of that much sloshing water on the tank and stand. If you're not careful moving it, the whole thing could twist, snap and crash. Most stands are not designed to handle torsional stresses that could happen if moved under load.