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April 23 2021 
Tip 1: Need a longer stem? Make your own.
Many customers ask about longer ½″ threaded stems for their caster builds. We stock the most popular lengths, but you’re not limited to them.
Ollie’s Tip: On our Model 3, Model 9, and select SS-9 diameters, we offer an option called HK1/2 — the Hollow Kingpin. Instead of a fixed stem, the caster ships with a clean ½″ hole bored straight through the swivel bearing. You supply your own ½″ bolt, slide it through, and you’ve got a stem of exactly the length you need. To install: remove the wheel (simple axle bolt), slip your bolt through the kingpin hole, mount the bracket, reinstall the wheel. Done.
Tip 2: Attaching a caster to end grain wood.
Plate mount casters put the fasteners right on the wood’s edge — not ideal. T-nut solutions aren’t much better; the nut can loosen over time even with epoxy, leaving you with a caster that rocks or pulls free under load.
Ollie’s Tip: Use the HK1/2 option and swap your ½″ bolt for a ½″ × 2½″ lag bolt (as shown in the photos). Drill a pilot hole into the end grain, drive the lag through the kingpin hole, and the caster locks in solidly. This is one of the most secure caster-to-wood installations you can make — far more reliable than any T-nut approach.
Tip 3: Specify a hardened bolt and make the stem virtually unbreakable.
Here’s a benefit most people don’t think about until something breaks: because you choose the bolt, you choose the steel grade.
Ollie’s Tip: Specify a Grade 5 or Grade 8 hardened steel bolt in the HK1/2 and you’ve created a stem that is, in practical terms, stronger than anything we could weld or press onto the caster from the factory. In real-world abuse, the wheel or the legs will fail before that bolt does. This is why we actively encourage the HK1/2 option on high-stress applications — it shifts the failure mode away from the stem entirely.
The HK1/2 is available on the Model 3, Model 9, and select SS-9 diameters. If you’re not sure whether your configuration qualifies, give us a call at 800-501-3808 and we’ll confirm it.
Please refer to the information shown on this page. If you have any doubt as to which wheel or caster is the BEST choice for your application contact us for a recommendation.
