Caster Wheel Upgrade on Garden Towers v. 1.x

UPDATE: We now offer casters as an official Garden Tower Project product for the Garden Tower® 2 vertical planting system. The following instructions are for our previous versions with wooden legs.

 

“About once per week a suggestion or request for wheeled Garden Tower® 2 planting systems is received from a customer or fan; the Garden Tower Project does not offer the option because Garden Tower® 2 systems are large and heavy animals. In the wrong location, a free-wheeling tower could be quite dangerous.”

 

The following instructions can, at your own risk, be used to effectively make the Garden Tower® 2 vertical planting system more mobile. Customers also use large planter dollies and drum dollies for the same purpose. None of these approaches should be used on soft, rough, or inclined surfaces.

Project Notes

  • Try to find casters made out of nylon plastic as opposed to metal.  This will ensure you don’t have to worry about rust degrading the structural integrity of the caster.
  • It is extremely important to make sure the drill bit you use creates a hole that is the same size as the castor shank, or even slightly larger. If the hole is smaller than the shank, you risk splitting the wood when attaching the caster.
  • Use Gorilla Glue or a similar formulation. This glue is waterproof and will last many years. Using more glue than the recommended 10 drops may result in a big mess, so caution is necessary.

Method

1. Purchase three heavy duty casters rated at 100lbs or greater.

2. While in the hardware store, have the caster “shank” sized by an employee.

3. Purchase a drill bit that is the next size up (1/64″ – 1/32″) from the castor shank diameter.

4. Purchase a very small squeeze bottle of “gorilla glue” (highly recommended).

5. Place a mark in the center of each leg, and drill as straight as possible into each leg at least one eighth inch deeper than the total length of the castor shank.

 

6. Pour enough water to fill each hole in the legs. After the third hole is filled with water, wait five seconds. Now turn your Garden Tower® 2 system (or legs) right side up to drain all of the water out.

 

7. Add exactly 10 drops of gorilla glue into each hole on each leg.

 8. Using a mallet or hammer and a small wooden block, push or gently tap each caster into its respective hole until it is completely seated in as far as possible.

 9. Using duct tape ripped into thinner strips, if necessary, secure each caster onto each leg. This is necessary, because the glue expands several times over while drying and has the potential to force the caster out of the hole. If you sized your drill bit properly, then simply tipping your Garden Tower® 2 system right side up will ensure that the casters are not pushed out by the foaming glue.

 

10. After about a three hour wait, any excess glue that has seeped out of the hole can be easily removed with a sharp utility knife.

 

Again, this is for HARD and LEVEL surfaces only.

 

This procedure is not an official recommendation of the Garden Tower Project.

 

 

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