Today Darnell-Rose still strongly believes that the Kingpin engineered swivel caster is a superior design in ergonomic performance compared to other low-cost alternatives like the Kingpinless swivel caster.

Compared to the traditional Kingpin swivel section (shown lower left), a Kingpinless swivel section is by far much simpler and cheaper. It is constructed of a top plate with a forged inner race, an outer race to which the legs are attached and a single row of ball bearings between the two pieces. This design completely eliminates the need for a kingpin, as the name Kingpinless implies.  

Kingpin Swivel Section View Kingpinless Swivel Section View

All Darnell swivel casters are engineered and designed with a Kingpin using hardened steel ball bearings touching the upper and lower swivel raceway “on all four sides.” This protects the central Kingpin from shock loading for free swiveling under maximum loads.

All Rose swivel casters have Integrally Forged Kingpins. This Kingpin is forged with the upper raceway using SAE-1050 quality grade steel. This design allows for proper bearing adjustment whenever necessary. Designed to be virtually indestructible!

With all the above “speculation” being considered by the staff at Darnell-Rose, we thought it would be “eye opening” to perform our own ergonomic load testing comparing the Rose “Integrally forged Kingpin caster” against a well know competitors highly acclaimed Kingpinless ergonomic swivel caster, so we did just that!

Ergonomics Test July 20^th, 2023  

Darnell-Rose is challenging the industry perception that Kingpinless casters swivel easier and are more ergonomic than the traditional Kingpin versions.

With that said, we set up our own comparison test by purchasing (4) well known Kingpinless swivel casters (rated at 1200 lbs. each) online that are marketed as being:

·       Prevents user injuries by reducing required push/pull force – and improving ergonomics.

·       Are strong and durable.

·       Reduce maintenance downtime due to caster failure.

·       Carry substantial weight loads.

·       Offer optimal performance in Towline applications.

We compared them to a similar size and load capacity of a traditional Kingpin version manufactured by Rose Caster. In this case study, the swivel caster rig chosen was the Rose- SR-0482, using the same wheel as the Kingpinless version noted above once the Kingpinless version had completed its testing first.

Test conditions

Test Apparatus:

A steel frame base measuring 4’ long x 2’ wide with (4) casters mounted to each corner. A welded tow eye was fabricated to the center of the 2’ wide cart and a chain was affixed through the tow eye and attached to a Mark-10 Model M3-200 Force Guage.

A 4’ long x 2’ wide pallet with (3) 55-gallon drums filled with metal components (with additional weights added as needed) were evenly distributed on the pallet. The weight of the loaded pallet was verified with a high-resolution digital scale and weighed 3,004 lbs.

Test Conditions:

All ergonomic tests were conducted on a level and dry smooth concrete floor that was swept clear of any debris, with a room temperature at 85 degrees F. The wheels used were in a new condition to start the initial test on the Kingpinless casters.

Tests:

Three tests were performed for each of the (2) sets of casters to compare the ergonomic performance at load ratings of 720 lbs., 1550 lbs., and 3000 lbs.

Test Parameters: recorded the maximum pull force required to move the cart with Front wheels in line with the cart (parallel) and the lead following, and the Rear wheels positioned at 90-degree angles. Each test was conducted 5 times with less than 2 minutes between each move. The results were averaged for each test.

Test Results:

720 lb Test - Rose Caster more Ergonomic by 31%

1550 lb Test - Rose Caster more Ergonomic by 20%

3000 lb Test - Rose Caster more Ergonomic by 22%

Test Summary – Observations:



The Rose Kingpin caster outperformed the Kingpinless caster by 31% (720 lbs.), 20% (1550 lbs.), and 22% (3000 lbs.) when the Rear casters were positioned at 90 degrees before starting the Pull Force Test, even with the used wheels attached to the casters after the Kingpinless version had completed its testing.

Rose Kingpin Casters

Kingpinless Caster

Schematic of Caster Test Cart Rear 90 degree

Conclusion:



This test has confirmed based on the data and facts noted above that the Rose traditional Kingpin casters are more ergonomic than the Kingpinless version under a loaded condition, and debunks the market perception that Kingpinless casters swivel easier and are more ergonomic

In fact, we are so confident that our Darnell-Rose casters will outperform the competition and have a longer life span, we offer the following Lifetime guarantee:

All Darnell-Rose Kingpin casters Guarantee:

Darnell-Rose guarantees the original purchaser of Darnell-Rose manufactured swivel casters a lifetime warranty against the Kingpin bending, breaking, or failing under normal use and abuse. All Kingpin casters shown to be bent, broken, or failed due to defects in materials or workmanship over the life of the caster will be replaced without charge for materials or labor (excludes cost of freight to and from Darnell-Rose manufacturing facility.)

So, the next time you have a need for a robust, reliable, ergonomic swivel caster, don’t buy into the hype of a Kingpinless caster, Look to the American made caster manufacturer you can trust since 1921, Darnell-Rose. The Innovators in American made Mobility Solutions.