Reel Solution with DRIVE CASTER® Trike Reduces Manpower and Increases Maneuverability.

Situation:

A leading supplier of carbon fiber, honeycomb, and other composite materials for the commercial aerospace industry contacted Caster Concepts with a heavy problem.  When wrapped on a reel that is 19 feet long, 32 inches wide, and 9 feet tall, these lightweight materials become very heavy.

Unloaded, these reels weigh 900 pounds and quickly climb up to 2,000 when fully loaded. And on top of being heavy, they were also awkward. These reels became a safety risk and a liability concern whenever maneuvered. A task that typically took 2-3 workers to perform.

Solution: DRIVE CASTER® Trikes to do the heavy lifting.

The crack engineering team at Caster Concepts was up for the challenge. They aimed to develop a DRIVE CASTER® to move these reels efficiently and safely without wasting manpower. Their solution passed its trial run with flying colors: A DRIVE CASTER® Trike.

The DRIVE CASTER® Trike is excellent for applications where trailers must be moved in enclosed spaces that are hard to maneuver.  Because of the number of carts needed to transport these long reels, each cart was equipped with a special hitch that allowed a trike to be placed at each end of the cart when it was unloaded.

The DRIVE CASTER® Trikes were a big success and became the start of future projects with the company. Now, that’s what you’d call reel efficiency.

Benefits:

  • Easy to operate and maneuver
  • Eliminates the risk of overexertion injuries
  • One person can move loads that previously may have required several