Ottoman caster in fixed bracket with PP hub and TPE tread, mounted with top plate

Ottoman caster in a fixed bracket with TPE tread and PP hub

This is a small ottoman caster in a fixed bracket with a running surface in TPE and a hub in PP, meant for furniture and lighter fittings where the wheel is to show as little as possible and leave no marks behind it. TPE is a thermoplastic elastomer with a hardness of about 75 degrees Shore A. The material is often gray and non-marking, which means the tread rolls quietly and without blackening a light floor.

The tread is soft enough to damp small shakes and keep the noise down when the furniture is moved across parquet, tile or laminate. At the same time TPE is light, so the whole wheel weighs little and does not load the structure. Since the bracket is fixed, the wheel rolls straight ahead; it does not steer by itself but holds the direction it was mounted in, which suits low-sitting furniture that is mostly pushed in and out.

What about rolling and starting friction? A soft material such as TPE settles slightly against the surface and takes a little more force to get going than a hard plastic wheel. In return it glides more quietly and grips better on smooth floors, so it does not slip away at a light push. Compared with a hard wheel in plain plastic, which rolls more easily but can clatter and scratch, the TPE wheel is the gentler choice in a home or an office. If you want the lowest possible rolling resistance under a heavy load, a hard wheel is right, but then at the cost of noise and floor protection.

The PP hub is light and takes damp without rusting. This series is supplied without a separate bearing, which keeps the design simple and maintenance-free at the low loads it is built for. The load capacity sits at up to 40 kg per wheel, that is to say intended for furniture and smaller objects, not for workshop carts or heavy equipment.

The wheels come in diameters from 40 to 50 mm. A larger diameter rolls somewhat more easily over thresholds and joints, while a smaller one keeps the overall height down so the furniture sits low to the floor. The wheel is mounted with a top plate with four screw holes, which gives a stable fastener against a flat underside and makes it easy to screw into wood or sheet metal.

Where does it fit? Ottoman casters in a fixed bracket with a TPE tread often sit under footstools, ottomans, sofa sections, bed drawers and light storage furniture. It also works well under low rolling shelves and display stands in shops, where the unit has to be moved a stretch without marking the floor. The non-marking tread makes it a safe choice on light and delicate floors indoors.

Think about the operating environment. TPE is happy at normal indoor temperature and in dry spaces. The material is not built for outdoor use, cold or high heat, and the load capacity is not to be exceeded, because the wheel then loses both its run and its service life. If the furniture stands still for a long time under load, a soft tread can take a light flat spot that evens out once the wheel rolls again.

Are you unsure which diameter suits your furniture or how low you want it to sit? Get in touch and we will go through height and load together.