Aim for Cost-Effective, Not Cheap

For starters, let’s make something crystal clear: compromising on quality is never worth it. While low-cost dock equipment can be a head-turner, always be wary of it at first glance. It’s possible the reason that price is so alluring might be due to what it lacks compared to the competition. For example, a cheaper truck restraint might have a weaker composition or lack rust resistance, making it more likely that you’ll need to replace it sooner than anticipated. It might even break mid-use and cause damage to your business or injuries to your employees. Keeping an eye out for any suspicious listings when shopping is of utmost importance if you want to avoid these situations. Look to local and regional professionals that work with reputable manufacturers. Like Barron Equipment, they should be willing and prepared to do a site visit to help you determine the best product for your application.

“Customers are generally looking for the right equipment at the right price,” says Mitch Konkol, District Sales Manager at Poweramp. “This can look different depending on the market the customer is in and their experience with dock equipment. A high use, high volume, heavy weight application will need equipment that can stand up to the heavy daily usage with little downtime. Other customers have light usage but low volume that still want a good product without breaking the bank. The real difference maker for different sectors is how they incorporate safety into the dock space. As safety becomes more and more important around the loading dock, it can lead many customers to a higher initial investment in quality equipment to incorporate safety items such as barrier lips, vehicle restraints, interlocking, and restraint bypass monitoring.”

When purchasing industrial casters, people can get lost in the sea of information surrounding the multiple possibilities. At Barron Equipment, we’d like to provide the most information possible to help you make an informed decision about your casters that will provide the best ergonomics and highest efficiencies for your company.  

One aspect of casters that can become complicated is choosing the type of brake for the casters. Not all casters come with wheel brakes. This is an optional add-on to many of our swivel casters and some of our rigid casters. Here’s a breakdown of the different types of caster brakes we offer: 

The Face Contact Brake 

A Face Contact Brake mounts directly onto the tread of the wheel. It is engaged at the trailing end of the caster and it locks directly onto the face (or the tread) of the wheel.  

Benefits of this type of brake are that they are fantastic for everyday use and they have the capability to be field installed. This brake is also commonly used on Mother/Daughter carts transported long distances throughout a factory.  

Barron casters that include a Face Contact Brake have part numbers that end in “FCB.” 

The Built in Brake 

The Top Lock Brake 

Rather than being mounted on to the face of the wheel, like the Face Contact Brake and Built in Brake, the Top Lock Brake is mounted to the side of the caster with a lock that activates on the top face of the wheel. 

Because of the placement of the activation pedal, there is a smaller swivel radius for the swivel caster, making this brake an ideal option for applications in tight spaces.  

While this brake is only available with our 40 series, Industrial Casters, it does have the option to be added to a rigid caster, which is not common for most brake types. Another advantage to the Top Lock Brake is that they are field installable. If you purchase a 40 series caster and decide you need a brake later, Barron can help get top lock brakes installed in the field.  

To find casters with a Top Lock Brake, look for part numbers that end in “TB.” 

The Ideal Stop Brake 

The Ideal Stop Brake is a total lock brake and is the best caster brake offered by Barron Equipment. It not only locks the wheel, but also the swivel raceway simultaneously. The pedal of the brake does not rotate with the swivel part of the caster, so it’s always accessible. The main disadvantage for other brake types is that they are not always accessible if the caster swivels under the cart.  

Another advantage of the Ideal Stop Brake is that it eliminates the need for floor locks. Two brakes can also be merged into one by using a foot bar to engage two brakes at once. The only disadvantage for this type of brake is that it’s only available on 40 series Industrial Casters – specifically 6 inch and 8 inch wheel diameters.  

Caster models with Ideal Stop Brakes have “IS” at the end of the part number.  

Check out the video below for more information about our Ideal Stop Brake.  

Additional Items

A couple of other options available for casters include a Ring Activated Demountable Swivel Lock or a Foot Activated Demountable Swivel Lock. To activate the Ring Activated Lock, a ring is pulled. For the Foot Activated Lock, a pedal is stepped on to activate the lock.  

The purpose of these locks are to lock swivel casters into place so they can essentially become rigid casters. This can be beneficial when you’re moving a cart into a tight area that requires four swivel casters, but then needs a change in application to have two rigid and two swivel casters. A ring can be pulled or a pedal can be stepped on to engage the lock on two out of the four casters, allowing for more versatility within the application. 

Casters with Demountable Swivel Locks will have “DSL” at the end of the part number.  

Caster Brake Comparison Chart

Conclusion 

Barron Equipment carries a wide variety of industrial swivel casters and industrial rigid casters, along with caster brakes that allow for higher efficiency and longer service life of casters. Still not sure which caster is best for your application? We have a team of specialists dedicated to educating people on the different benefits and types of caster products. Fill out the form below and a caster specialist will be in touch soon!  

A couple of weeks ago, our service crew installed new racking in our warehouse. At first, I was a little confused by this. What’s wrong with our current racking? Why did we need to get new racking? Did something happen that I didn’t know about? After asking these questions, I found out that we were just upgrading our racking system. But if it isn’t broken….why would we need to fix it?

Whether it’s performing preventative maintenance on equipment or replacing equipment entirely, here are three reasons why either of those decisions can be more beneficial for your company in the long run:

Safety

Just because equipment looks safe on the outside, it doesn’t mean it’s actually safe to use! Racking in particular often gets dinged up by fork trucks and other equipment. This can really affect the structural integrity of the racking system.

You never want to put your employees in a position where they can get injured. So doing racking inspections and having preventative maintenance performed on doors and truck and loading dock equipment is a must!

Efficiency

Newer racking systems and truck and loading dock equipment are built to be more efficient for the end user. One of the reasons we replaced our racking system in our warehouse was because the loading and unloading from the rack was more efficient than the previous racking system. Efficiency leads to happier employees and higher productivity.

Productivity

It’s simple. New equipment that is easier to use will increase your productivity and thus, your profits.

Contact us for a rack inspection or to set up preventative/scheduled maintenance today!

It is an unprecedented time in our culture and we’re all doing the best we can to stay safe and healthy. Here are 3 cost effective ways to keep a virus at bay.

STILL RESPONSIBLY OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Poly-what?

An interview with the original owners of Barron – Barb & Ron Modjeska

What did you do before you started Barron?

“We both worked at Material Handling in Bettendorf, Iowa.”

Why did you decide to start Barron?

“I wanted to set up a separate division at Material Handling selling everything but forklifts, we called them allied lines.  These included dock equipment, conveyors, storage rack, etc.  The owner of Material Handling didn’t think there was enough money in allied lines, so he didn’t see the need. I didn’t like selling forklifts, so I quit and started Barron.”

How many employees did you have in the beginning?

“Just the two of us.”

What are some of the challenges you faced with starting a company?

“The recession in the early 1980’s.  The area lost about 20,000 manufacturing jobs,  J.I. Case closed in Bettendorf and Rock Island, Caterpillar closed in Bettendorf and Mt. Joy, and John Deere cut way back.”

How were you able to overcome the challenges you faced from local manufacturing companies making cuts during the recession?

“When the economy was so bad, we made a greater effort and made more calls. We also had to adjust our income down.”

What was your biggest accomplishment over the 23+ years of owning Barron?

“Over the 23+ years, the fact that we developed a good reputation and gained great lines of products. The best part was that we hired great employees, and kept them.”

If you could go back and change anything, would you? If so, what would it be?

“Not one thing!”

What advice do you have for the current owners of Barron?

“They’ve done an outstanding job!  Just treat your employees well and the rest will come.”

What is Barron up to now?

Cultivating Corporate Culture

Family, food, and fun are some words that our employees would use to describe Barron. While several of our team members are related, once you’re a part of the Barron team, you become family! We enjoy having our monthly Barron employee cookouts where we get to know each other and enjoy some good food. We also take part in other fun events such as baseball games, concerts, bowling, etc.

Expanding Influence

With two locations, we are looking at expanding our brand not only throughout the Midwest, but throughout the whole country. We have found that even though we’re a smaller, local company, we have the potential to become a nationwide brand. Our dedication to our customers and our ability to find custom solutions are what sets us apart from other material handling companies.

Working Together as a Team

Teamwork makes the dreamwork! As cliché as that phrase is, we’ve found it to be true. We are a sales driven organization, but we recognize the importance of each and every employee and how we can all work together to achieve a common goal. By investing in software and programs that allow for greater communication amongst departments, we’ve found our team cohesiveness has improved. We are excited to ring in new year and the new decade with a strong focus on team work and an emphasis on servant leadership.

Cheers to Many More Years!

We are so thankful to be able to celebrate our 40th anniversary in December of 2019. It has taken a lot of hard work, perseverance and team work to get to where we are today. We are excited to be able to grow our business and reach new markets. Special thank you to all of our loyal customers who have made us as successful as we are today.

Lots of companies come out with their own calendars. Whether it’s poster-style, pocket calendars, or flip-book style, they all do the same thing — tell you the date. So why would you need one from Barron Equipment & Overhead Doors? Here are 4 reasons why!

1. It’s functional

Calendars are great to look at, but they’re meant to be used! Scribble in appointments, meetings, events, birthdays, you name it. The best calendars are the ones that can be personalized for your needs. Our new style of calendar is a flip book style that allows big enough spaces to write information in for each day. This creates the perfect amount of functionality for our calendars.

2. It’s informational

Lots of people wonder what we do at Barron Equipment & Overhead Doors. Basically, if it’s in your warehouse, it’s in our wheelhouse! The Barron Product calendar features a different product group every month with information and pictures. The Barron Caster calendar does the same, but with caster specific information. Both are great for expanding your product knowledge of the material handling industry and understanding what Barron has to offer.

3. Deals on deals!

It wouldn’t be fun if we weren’t giving anything away! We have a variety of offers each month of the calendar. Some of these offers on the product calendar include: 15% off scheduled maintenance, 10% off residential garage door openers, free rack inspections, etc. The caster calendar offers 20% off of your first online caster order. All of these amazing offers add up to over $1,000 worth of deals.

4. It’s FREE!

Did we mention both of these calendars are free? That’s right! Over $1,000 worth of deals for free! Order yours today by clicking one of the buttons below, or email us for more information.

Ergonomics are somewhat of a buzzword in this day and age in the manufacturing industry. Ergonomics can be defined as the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment. Ensuring your factory/warehouse is ergonomically friendly is important, not only for safety, but also for increased productivity and profits.

Here are 3 reasons you should schedule an ergonomic walkthrough with us:

Ergonomics should be an important aspect of your business. If you haven’t been making ergonomics a priority, we can help! Give us a call or fill out the form on this page to schedule your complimentary ergonomic walkthrough today!