Replacing castor wheels that have broken away from their connector plate or that have had their tread shredded due to wear and tear can be a much cheaper option than replacing the entire piece of equipment they're connected to altogether. Castors usually attach to equipment by way of their connector plate, usually with just a few screws or bolts, so you can easily unscrew or unbolt the old castors and attach new ones. Before you do that, note a few tips on how to choose the best specialized castor wheels for hospitals, industrial settings, and even for equipment you have at home.

1. Capacity

Most castors will have a capacity rating, but this capacity rating is often figured for a bare, smooth floor at a very slow speed. However, if you're choosing castors for hospital equipment, you may be rushing a sick patient to another room or rushing equipment into their room. At home or at a production facility, you may need to push rolling equipment over extension cords, chips in the floor, and the like. The capacity rating you see advertised may not be taking into account these factors, so choose a higher capacity rating for your castor wheels than you think you'll actually need.

2. Resilient versus tread

Castors can be smooth on the outside, referred to as resilient, or they can have treads. The treads can be a better choice for surfaces that are not smooth, such as a concrete floor in a production facility; this floor will usually have pits and grooves that may cause resistance to a resilient wheel. Treads are also good if you'll be moving equipment over soil or dirt, such as when  you roll your toolbox out of the garage and put it next to the driveway. 

On the other hand, note that treads might tear up a finished floor, so they may not be good for interiors, and metal shavings and other small bits can get caught in those treads. In production facilities or your own garage where there are shavings, sawdust, and other similar debris, resilient castors may be better.

3. Attachment plate

Check the attachment or face plate when choosing new castors and be sure you get the same size and type; large plates may not fit on equipment designed for smaller plates, and furniture castors have sleeves that slide into the legs of the furniture. Note these differences when choosing castors, as the right face plate is just as important as the castor itself.