A forklift or trolley wheel that wears through in a couple of months on abrasive concrete stops your logistics and drags along constant replacements. A rubber tread crumbles in the cold, and a solid-metal wheel rattles and ruins the floor. A polyurethane wheel rolls quietly, is not afraid of oils, and lasts many times longer than rubber. Below I break down how polyurethane wheels beat traditional ones, how hardness is matched to load, and how to order a wheel to your own size.
Why polyurethane wheels are pushing out rubber and metal
Polyurethane combines the resilience of rubber with a service life closer to plastic, so one wheel both absorbs impacts and resists abrasion. The wear resistance of TIMOL polyurethane is 2-5 times higher than standard rubber, which directly means rarer replacements and less transport downtime. The wheel does not puncture, needs no inflation, and leaves no dark marks on the warehouse floor.
Unlike rubber, polyurethane confidently holds a temperature range from -60 to +100 °C. In the cold, a rubber tread hardens and cracks, while polyurethane keeps its elasticity and grip. Metal loses out in this assembly too: a steel wheel is heavy, rattles, transmits vibration to the frame, and breaks up the floor, whereas a polyurethane one rolls almost silently.
Another practical advantage is resistance to the environment. A polyurethane wheel works in contact with technical oils, gasoline, and weak solutions, and does not corrode. For warehouses, shops, and yards this means one wheel for all conditions instead of picking different materials for each area.
The economics matter too. A polyurethane wheel costs more than a rubber one at purchase, but what you should count is not the price of a single part, but the cost per kilometre of travel with replacements and downtime factored in. At an abrasion of 38-39 mm³ against 100-200 mm³ for rubber, polyurethane outlasts several sets of rubber wheels, and every replacement is not just a part but also a stop for the equipment and the labour of staff. Across a large fleet, the difference in service life turns into tangible savings on maintenance.
Open casting of the tyre onto the hub
Manufacturing a polyurethane wheel is built around a reliable bond between the tyre and the hub. First the metal or plastic hub is cleaned, degreased, and sandblasted for roughness, then an adhesion layer is applied. The quality of this preparation determines whether the polyurethane will peel off under impact loading.
The polyurethane tyre is cast by open casting directly onto the hub in a mould of the required profile. The method needs no high pressure and produces a tyre of any width and diameter, including non-standard fits. Before pouring, the mix is degassed so no bubbles remain in the tyre, which under load develop into cracks. After polymerisation the wheel is machined to exact geometry to ensure smooth running without runout.
The tyre profile is also designed for the task. A flat profile gives a larger contact patch and distributes weight better on a soft floor, while a rounded one improves the manoeuvrability of the trolley. If needed, a flange or groove for a guide is formed on the tyre. All of this is set at the mould stage, so the finished wheel needs no fitting to a particular trolley or rail.
Engineer’s tip: for heavy loads on a smooth floor, take a harder polyurethane, which deforms less in the contact patch and needs less effort to roll. For an uneven floor with thresholds and joints, choose a more elastic grade so the wheel absorbs impacts and does not hammer the bearing. If the wheel works under a constant side load, check the seat of the tyre on the hub separately: this is where peeling most often begins.
Comparison table: polyurethane versus rubber for wheels
The figures below are taken from standard engineering references (DIN 53516, ISO 4649, Matweb) and explain the difference in wheel service life on the same routes.
| Parameter | Polyurethane (TIMOL) | SBR rubber | NBR rubber | Natural rubber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abrasion (DIN 53516), mm³ | 38-39 | 100-200 | 80-150 | 60-130 |
| Operating temperature, °C | -60…+100 | -40…+80 | -30…+100 | -50…+70 |
| Hardness | 85A-95A | 40A - 80A | 40A - 90A | 30A - 80A |
| Tensile strength, MPa | 39-87 | 8-20 | 10-25 | 20-30 |
| Oil resistance | excellent | low | good | low |
The most important row for a wheel is abrasion: 38-39 mm³ for polyurethane against 100-200 mm³ for SBR rubber gives 3-5 times longer mileage to replacement at the same abrasion. Polyurethane also surpasses all three rubbers in tensile strength (39-87 MPa), so the tyre does not tear at the edges under side load. Natural rubber has high resilience but low oil resistance and a narrower temperature range, so in a shop with technical fluids it loses out.
How to match a wheel to load and conditions
Correct wheel selection starts with three parameters: the load weight, the type of floor, and the temperature of the area. For these conditions the engineer selects the polyurethane hardness in the range from 50 Shore A to 70 Shore D and calculates the tyre diameter and width. A larger diameter improves passability over irregularities and reduces rolling effort.
Harder polyurethane deforms less in the contact patch, so a heavy trolley rolls more easily and the tyre lasts longer on smooth concrete. A more elastic grade works better on an uneven floor with thresholds, slab joints, and debris, because it absorbs impacts and protects the bearing. For wet and chemically loaded areas the choice of polyurethane is obvious: it does not corrode and holds up in contact with oils.
Speed of travel is no less important. Slow warehouse trolleys suit softer grades with better grip, while fast drive wheels take harder ones, because soft polyurethane heats up in the contact patch at speed and wears out faster. So selecting a wheel is always a balance of weight, surface, and speed, not a single universal hardness value for every case.
The range of wheels and rollers is gathered in the product catalog, and the full list of the plant’s manufacturing capabilities is described in the services section. If there is no off-the-shelf solution, a wheel will be made to your drawing or sample.
How to order wheel manufacturing at the TIMOL plant
To order, provide a drawing or a worn wheel as a sample, state the diameter, width, and type of axle or bearing fit, and describe the working conditions: load weight, surface, temperature, presence of oils. The engineer takes the measurements, selects the polyurethane hardness for the load, and calculates the tyre geometry so the new wheel replaces the old one without any rework of the assembly.
Manufacturing is possible both one at a time and in runs, and worn wheels with an intact hub are restored by re-lining instead of full replacement. This noticeably lowers the cost of maintaining a fleet, because instead of buying a new wheel you pay only for a new polyurethane layer, while the expensive metal hub stays in service. For a quote on lead times and cost, reach out through the TIMOL plant contacts: our specialists will select the material and make wheels exactly to fit your operating conditions.