Casters are just wheels that mount nicely. We've been using them for a very long time. You get your choice of wheel diameters, stem or plate mount, and a boatload of material options. But, they're still mounted wheels. Don't think for a moment that I'm belittling the common caster. I love the things. Everything in my shop that can be on wheels – is on wheels. I can rearrange, or just clean underneath machines, shelves, tables. I'm a big caster fan.

Until recently, I had put zero thought into caster innovations. I have a few go-to casters that I keep in stock to wheel-ize new equipment or projects. Recently, I embarked on energy storage (NidoESS). The YIXIANG battery I had chosen enjoys working with gravity, so it really needed some wheels. Here's a photo of the caster base YIXIANG sells for their 300 lb battery (which can be stacked to make it even heavier).

Notice those funky caster things on the bottom. They got me curious. Did I miss something introduced at CasterCon 2026? Is there really a caster conference?

These are leveling casters. This caster operates in two modes. When the center black rubber leveling foot is retracted, it's a caster. Spin the red wheel to lower the leveling foot, and it's a stationary leveling pad.

These are brilliant! Let's delve into a bit of history.

Casters

The first US furniture caster patent was granted in 1838 to the Blake Brothers of New Haven, CT. The brothers were nephews of Eli Whitney, of cotton gin fame. The more influential patent, however, was David A. Fisher's refined and manufacturable design, which gained greater market traction.

Fisher's invention offsets the kingpin (pivot point) from the axle centerline, giving the now familiar swivel caster. Additionally, he added the spring retention mechanism to hold the caster in its socket.

Leveling Casters

Leveling casters, which have my eye today, are a different story. Leveling casters include an integral adjustable foot to take the machine's weight off of the wheel, while also leveling the machine. Kesling and Livesay patented the first height adjustable retracting caster mechanism in 1970 (US3534430A), then assigned it to General Motors. At that time, GM made refrigerators under the Frigidaire brand. The leveling caster allowed heavy refrigerators to be rolled into place, where they could be made stationary by turning the retracting screw (72) to retract the wheel (62), then level the foot (33). Not the most convenient, but this author recalls seeing these in more than one kitchen.

The modern integrated leveling caster is commonly credited to G-DOK Industries of South Korea, sold under their Foot Master name. G-DOK describes itself as the creator of the "Original Leveling Caster," positioning the combination of caster and leveler as a new concept.

I hope you've enjoyed this sojourn down wheel way.