Trolley Parts & Accessories: Casters, Brakes, Shelves and Locks
A trolley is only as good as the parts chosen for the route it runs. Two carts with the same frame can behave completely differently in service because of wheel diameter, brake type, shelf thickness or door hardware. This page sets out the parts we specify on a custom trolley drawing, the range each part normally sits in, and what we need from you to quote it.
Nothing here is a stock part number. Every line is confirmed against your cargo, floor, route, cleaning method and quantity before quotation, and recorded on the drawing so a repeat order matches the first build.
Parts at a glance
| Part | Typical range on our builds | What decides where you sit in it |
|---|---|---|
| Frame tube | About 20 to 50 mm outside diameter, 1.2 to 3.0 mm wall | Span, load distribution and how much impact the cart takes |
| Deck and shelf plate | About 0.8 to 3.0 mm | Load per shelf, support spacing, whether the surface is walked on |
| Caster diameter | About 75 to 200 mm | Floor condition, thresholds, how often a loaded cart is restarted |
| Mesh and cage wire | About 5 to 6 mm wire on 25 to 32 mm tube frames | Containment, visibility, whether the cage folds or nests |
| Drawer slides | 35 to 100 kg per drawer | Hand tools (35 to 50 kg) versus power tools and die storage (75 to 100 kg or more) |
| Finish | Powder coat, galvanizing, stainless or aluminium; powder coat typically 60 to 80 µm | Indoor or outdoor use, cleaning method, corrosion risk, brand colour |
Casters and wheels
Wheels decide most of what an operator feels: how hard a loaded cart is to start, how much noise it makes, and whether it marks the floor. They are also the part most often under-specified on a drawing.
| Specification | Options to confirm |
|---|---|
| Wheel diameter | 75 to 200 mm. 125 mm is the general workhorse for warehouse and workshop trolleys carrying a few hundred kilos on sound floors. On rough or jointed floors, moving from 100 mm to 160 mm usually does more for push effort than any frame change. |
| Tread material | PU, rubber, nylon or pneumatic. Chosen for floor type, noise limit, load and whether the route crosses thresholds or cable runs. |
| Load rating | Read the rating honestly: a 300 kg trolley does not need four 75 kg casters. Ratings are set so the cart stays safe with one wheel off the ground, which is why two carts with the same printed load can feel completely different. |
| Layout | Two fixed plus two swivel, four swivel, or a directional lock. Fixed wheels keep a long route straight; four swivel turns tightly in an aisle. |
| Bearing | Plain bore, roller or precision ball, matched to how far the cart travels per shift. |
| Mounting | Top plate or stem, bolt hole pattern and plate thickness to your drawing. Caster plates are reviewed with the frame, not after it, so the load path runs into the tube rather than into the deck skin. |
More detail: caster selection for industrial trolleys.
Brakes and parking
Most carts have the wrong brake rather than no brake. A brake the operator cannot reach under load is a brake that never gets used.
| Brake type | What it does | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel brake | Stops the wheel rolling | Flat floors, light parking duty |
| Total lock | Locks both wheel rotation and swivel | Loading, inclines, anywhere the cart must not wander |
| Directional lock | Locks swivel only, keeps the cart tracking straight | Long routes, tow trains |
| Foot or pedal brake | Operated by foot, hands stay on the load | Medical, laboratory, food handling |
Brake position is confirmed on the drawing with the handle position, so the operator can reach it while holding the cart. More detail: caster brake types and when you need each one.
Handles and push bars
Handle height, grip direction and handle type decide the effort of moving a loaded cart and whether the operator can control it at the end of a shift. Handles are set from operator height, push force and the load, not copied from a catalogue.
| Item | Options to confirm |
|---|---|
| Handle type | Single loop, double handle, fold-down, removable, or a tow eye for tugger duty |
| Frame tube | Handle tube is reviewed with the frame: 20 to 50 mm outside diameter, 1.2 to 3.0 mm wall, with weld penetration at the joint taking the push force |
| Finish and grip | Powder coat to your brand colour, or a grip sleeve where hands are wet or gloved |
| Folding | Hinge and latch detail specified so a folding handle stays tight after hundreds of folds |
More detail: handle height and push force.
Decks, shelves and trays
Shelves are where most trolley complaints start: a shelf that bows under a full load, a lip that is too low, or a pitch that does not fit the carton or bin it was bought for.
| Item | Options to confirm |
|---|---|
| Plate thickness | About 0.8 to 3.0 mm, set by load per shelf and support spacing |
| Shelf format | Flat, slanted, lipped, perforated, removable or adjustable |
| Pitch and count | Set from the carton, bin or part height, plus the gap an operator needs to load and unload |
| Dividers and stops | Welded or bolted, depending on whether the cart will ever be reconfigured |
| Surface | Anti-slip, padded, or plain steel, matched to the goods |
A bowed shelf is a drawing decision made months earlier. See why trolley shelves bow and how to prevent it, and multi-tier shelf trolleys.
Mesh panels, cage doors and nesting
| Item | Typical range and options |
|---|---|
| Mesh wire | About 5 to 6 mm wire, with aperture set by what must not fall through |
| Cage frame | 25 to 32 mm tube, sized for a 500 to 800 kg load class on typical builds |
| Panels | Fixed, folding or removable |
| Doors | Side, half-drop or full drop, with latch and lock type confirmed |
| Nesting and folding | Nest pitch, hinge hardware and caster layout engineered so empty cages take less space on the return leg |
Related: cage trolleys and roll containers, nestable roll cages, foldable cage trolley design.
Drawers, slides and locks
| Item | Typical range and options |
|---|---|
| Drawer slide rating | 35 to 100 kg per drawer. Hand tool drawers usually run 35 to 50 kg; power tool and die storage drawers 75 to 100 kg or more. |
| Body sheet | About 0.8 to 1.5 mm for tool trolley bodies, depending on drawer count and locking |
| Locks | Cam lock, barrel lock, keyed alike across a fleet, or padlock hasp |
| Accessories | Pegboard and perforated panels, hooks, side rails, top tray and anti-slip mat |
| Casters | 75 to 125 mm for workshop trolleys, two with brakes |
Related: tool trolleys, mobile workbench trolleys.
Tow bars, couplings and hitch interfaces
For tugger routes and tow trains, the hitch is the part that fails first. Coupling height, tongue strength and the tracking caster layout have to be designed as one assembly.
| Item | Options to confirm |
|---|---|
| Coupling type | Tow bar, coupling arm, pin hitch or proprietary tugger interface |
| Train braking | Braking specified for the whole train, not per cart |
| Tracking | Caster layout that keeps the train following the tugger through turns |
Related: tow train carts.
Bumpers, edge guards and padding
| Item | Options to confirm |
|---|---|
| Corner bumpers | Rubber or plastic, protecting walls, door frames and the cart |
| Edge trim | Protecting goods and hands on shelves, decks and door openings |
| Padded zones | For camera cases, instruments and finished surfaces |
| Wheel guards | Keeping feet and clothing clear of the wheels |
Finish and corrosion protection
Finish follows the working environment and the brand, and it is confirmed with the cleaning method rather than chosen from a colour chart.
| Finish | Typical build | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Powder coating | 60 to 80 µm typical build, edges deburred before coating | Indoor industrial, brand colour, most warehouse and workshop duty |
| Galvanizing | Hot-dip or zinc plated | Outdoor routes, damp stores, corrosion exposure |
| Stainless | 304 or 316, with stainless casters and hardware as one set | Washdown, food, cold store, coastal routes |
| Custom colour | Matched to your standard, including fleet colours | Distributor and private-label programs |
More detail: trolley surface finish selection and surface treatment.
Ordering spare parts with the first shipment
Wheels, brakes and drawer slides wear out before frames do. Ordering them with the first shipment costs a few kilograms of freight; air freighting them later costs the margin on the whole order and weeks of downtime.
- Wheels and casters — the highest wearing part, order at least one full set per ten carts
- Brake assemblies — matched to the brake type on the drawing
- Drawer slides — the exact rating used, not the nearest equivalent
- Door hinges, latches and locks — especially on folding and nesting cages
- Handles and grips — where carts are pushed all shift
More detail: trolley maintenance and spare parts.
How to specify parts on your RFQ
The fastest quotations come from drawings where the parts are already decided. Send the load, the route and floor, the wheel requirement, the finish, the quantity and the packing method, and we will review what we would change for manufacturability before quoting.
- Trolley RFQ checklist: what to send
- How to read a trolley load rating
- Tube size and wall thickness for trolley frames
- Export packing and container loading
- MOQ, lead time and repeat orders
Standard production runs from 50 units; large or heavy-duty projects can be discussed from 10 units, and a sample or first article can be built from 1 unit so you can check the frame, welds, wheels, finish and packing before committing to a production quantity.
Send your drawing, a photo of the cart you want, or the parts list you are replacing — contact our export team and we will review the structure first.
