A V-grooved wheel has a V-shaped channel machined into the tread that rides on an inverted-angle rail. The rail does the steering: the cart follows a fixed path with zero drift, hands-free. V-grooved casters carry up to 16,000 lb per wheel and are the standard for guided transfer lines and tow-line track systems.
The V in the wheel tread sits down over a steel angle-iron rail set into or onto the floor. As the cart rolls, the rail constrains it to the track — it physically cannot wander off the path. That's the entire value: repeatable, hands-free routing for transfer carts, assembly-line indexing, and tow-line trains that have to hit the same position every cycle.
The V-groove angle and the rail angle have to match — that's the one spec that can't be approximated. Wheel material follows the load: cast iron and forged steel for the heavy end up to 16,000 lb, polyurethane-grooved for lighter guided carts on finished floors. Confirm the rail profile before ordering.
An inverted-angle steel rail — the V in the wheel rides the peak of the angle. The wheel groove and rail angle must match.
Usually rigid — the whole point is fixed-path travel. Swivel V-groove exists for transitions but the rail does the steering.
V-groove rides an angle-iron rail; U-groove rides round pipe or bar. Different rail, same fixed-path principle.
Our US-based caster engineers will match the right build to your load, floor, and application.
Call 844-439-4335
