A baker’s rack is essentially a giant shelf on which you can cool off or transport baked goods from one place to another. You need good quality bakery rack wheels for this transportation process since the baked goods being carried are probably very delicate, and you don’t want hours’ worth of effort that went into baking those goods to go down the drain because you did not have the right wheels!

So here are some things you have to be vigilant about when choosing wheels for your bakery rack:

Features Of Baking Rack Wheels

There are some specific features that all bakery racks must have so that they are able to be transported smoothly and can withstand extreme conditions. Here are some of the most common features:

Heat Resistance

Heat resistance is the top-most priority for baking rack wheels. Since baking racks are exposed to high-temperature air to keep the items on them warm and fresh, the wheels on the rack are supposed to be able to resist these high temperatures and be resilient. If the wheels are not heat resistant, they might get damaged and no longer offer smooth movement. Non-heat-resistance wheels also wear away easily on baking racks and need to be replaced constantly.

Plate Attachment

Most baking rack wheels often come with a mounted plate attachment as well. This mounting plate allows equal and even weight distribution throughout the rack by increasing the surface area of the wheels. The plates, therefore, improve the load capacity of the wheels and allow for smoother movements.

Leveling Features

Baking racks need to often be leveled close to or further above the ground as well since reaching the highest parts of these racks can be tricky. Therefore, most bakery rack wheels are also leveling casters.

Chemical Resistance

There are high-powered chemical sterilizers and cleaning liquids used in environments where food is baked. These chemicals can damage the structure of the casters used on the racks if they are not resistant to corrosion. Therefore, baker’s rack wheels are usually resistant to corrosion as well.

Swiveling

Since bakery racks have to be transported from one place to another, using swiveling casters is the only way to go since the path is not usually linear and the rack needs to turn corners as well.

Shock Absorbing

To prevent the goods on top of the rack from getting damaged due to uneven flooring, you need to ensure that you use shock-absorbing wheels on the baking rack. If there is a crack in the floor or if the rack needs to be transported over a rough path, the impact can damage the goods on top of the rack and ruin a lot of effort.

Do Baking Rack Casters Need To Be Heavy Duty?

Baking racks carry a lot of goods from one place to another, but most of these goods are lightweight; therefore, the casters do not necessarily need to be heavy-duty. The heaviest load on the wheels is usually of the rack itself, which is made of wrought iron or similar heavy metals. The baked items on top of the racks are usually much less weighty. Ideally, the casters you use on the baking racks should be able to carry around 350 lbs of load with ease.

If you use very heavy-duty casters on a baking rack, not only will the extra load capacity be redundant, but the movement of the rack will also be very slow. In kitchens and bakeries where baking racks are used, the environment usually requires a lot of speed and quick transport, in which case heavy-duty casters will only hinder the productivity of the environment.

Materials Used For Baker Caster Wheels

Most bakery rack casters are made of phenolic nylon material. Phenolic material is able to withstand high temperatures without undergoing any damage. There are other types of high-temperature wheels available for bakery racks, which include glass-filled nylon wheels and even high-temperature rubber wheels. These wheels are not only able to withstand high temperatures, but they can also move very smoothly in high or low-temperature environments. Functioning in different temperatures is a feat regular casters cannot perform even if they can survive in high-temperature environments.

Importance Of Taking Care Of Baking Rack Caster Wheels

It is essential to be able to maintain the caster wheels on your bakery rack since you do not want these wheels to be damaged and wear away quickly. You need to take special care of them; otherwise, the extreme temperature environments you expose them to could cause the wheels to break down, and the need to replace them will arise very quickly. If you are able to maintain the quality of your wheels by giving them monthly checks and cleanups, you will notice that they last for a long time, and there is no need for constant replacement.

Since the wheels are being used in a high-temperature environment constantly, debris on the floor can stick to the wheels because of the heat and accumulate on it if the wheel is not cleaned properly. Therefore, we advise you to perform a thorough cleaning of the wheels as well when you are cleaning the rest of the rack since the accumulation of dirt and debris on the wheel will hinder the smooth movement of the wheel.

Other than that, if there are cracks on the floor of your culinary environment, it is also advised to repair them as quickly as possible. If the rack constantly comes into contact with cracks in the floor, not only will the goods on top of the rack be damaged, but the wheel itself will be in danger of getting damaged or cracked, or even broken. It is smarter to repair cracks in the floor than constantly replace wheels.

Conclusion

Bakery rack wheels need to be strong and resilient to survive in these harsh-temperature environments. It is easy to overlook something as small as the wheel on a huge baking rack, but you must remember that the wheels are an integral part of the rack and the smooth and easy movement of the rack depends on the condition of the wheels. Therefore, you need to be careful about choosing and maintaining these wheels.

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