Moving planters with castors

A discussion of the design and functionality issues, when specifying that planters should be movable with in-built castors.

Castors are used for the manual movement, of light or moderately heavy planters, over reasonably fair surfaces. Where the planters are extremely heavy, and/or the ground is very rough, then mechanical means of movement are necessary [generally pallet trucks or fork lifts], and design options for those situations are described here: Moving Planters with Pallet Trucks or Fork Lifts

The ability to move planters with castors, quickly and easily, has a wide variety of applications – for example:

Planters on residential or commercial terraces, where the space needs to be configured for different uses at different times.
Where planters need to be brought indoors to avoid out-of-hours damage or theft.
Planting above utilities and/or services, which is very common in public realm.
Where planters are obstructing an access point, such as a drain or utilities meter.

A wide range of castors are available to suit every requirement, and IOTA will recommend an appropriate castor solution during the design detailing phase of production.

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Types of castors

There are generically two kinds of castors – Lockable and Non-Lockable – and each have their pros and cons:

1. Non-Lockable Castors

Non-Lockable [or freewheeling] castors are cheaper than Lockable castors, and they are invisible. Assuming a fair surface underneath, like paving, the planter clearance from the ground can be as little as 5-10mm. Therefore on both cost and aesthetic grounds, Non-Lockable castors are to be preferred, in all cases where there is not an absolute requirement to lock the movement.

2. Lockable Castors

Lockable castors are used where there is an absolute requirement to restrict any risk of unwanted movement.

Typical situations where Lockable castors would be specified include:

Where public liability issues apply, such as planters located on public realm outside a restaurant.
Exposed locations, such as a roof terrace, where unwanted movement might be caused by strong wind.

The principle downside with Lockable castors is that the braking mechanism must be accessible, and this generally means that the planters must have a clearance from the ground of 70-100mm [i.e. the castors will be visible, and there is thus a negative aesthetic impact]. The only solution to disguise the castors is to have a removable access panel – this adds to cost, and also makes the movement operation more time-consuming.