Wheel, wheel diameter 49 mm, hard wheel in solid sheet metal, 8 kg load capacity, twin ball bearing

Small, hard and entirely in metal. The guide roller with a diameter of 49 mm is made from sheet metal with a bright chrome surface and runs on double ball bearings. There is no soft tread here that can wear, flatten or age; what rolls is metal, straight through.

The tread width is 16 mm and the hub width 21 mm. The hub bore is 8 mm, the temperature range runs from -20 °C to +70 °C and the weight is 0.07 kg. The load capacity is given as 8 kg per wheel at 4 km/h, and that figure is worth pausing at: this is a guide and running wheel for light moving parts, not a transport wheel for cart loads. Full dimensions are in the manufacturer's data sheet.

The very combination of a low load and double ball bearings says something about what the wheel is meant for. In guiding functions it is not the weight that is the challenge but the running precision; the wheel has to run easily, without play and without binding, thousands of cycles in a row. Two ball bearings in the hub give stable running even when the force comes in at an angle, for example when a sliding hatch is loaded sideways or a fabric guide pulls unevenly.

Typical applications are light sliding hatches and sliding doors, curtain systems in industry and workshops, steering wheels for belts and fabrics, pull-out units in cabinets and machine guards and lighter linear movements in fixtures and automation parts. The format also turns up in stage and exhibition work, where light walls and doors have to slide in a track without binding. The sheet metal version makes the wheel insensitive to the oil, chips and dirt of a workshop; particles that would embed themselves in a soft tread a metal wheel simply rolls over.

The choice between a metal wheel and a plastic wheel in this format is mostly about environment and noise. Metal takes heat, splashing and mechanical damage better than most tread materials, and the wheel is not affected by standing still under a heavy load. On the other hand, metal against metal gives a clearly audible run, especially in a steel track, and the vibrations carry on into the structure. Where the noise level matters, a wheel with a tread in ABS, TPE or polyurethane is the quieter alternative in the same size class. Think about the surface too; the narrow metal tread concentrates the pressure on a small area and can mark soft materials such as wood and plastic.

The temperature range covers most indoor industrial environments, from chilled warehouses to spaces close to process heat. The metal wheel is not affected by UV light or dry air the way some polymer treads are over time either, which makes it a predictable choice in structures meant to sit for decades. If you need several wheels in the same function it is wise to order them at the same time; wheels from the same production batch give the most even running.

Assembly is uncomplicated: an 8 mm shaft through the hub, spacers against the inner rings of the bearings and a lock with a nut or a pin. Check that the shaft is straight and that the track is free of burrs; at such a low load it is almost always the geometry, not the wheel, that decides how well the structure runs. And if you need more than one wheel in the same track, mount them in line and measure the diagonals; misaligned guide wheels wear both the track and the bearings.

Need a data sheet or more dimensions before you decide? Get in touch and we will send the documentation.