SYS - RB, Cart, Roll Board, Trolley Reference.

[semenza]

Here are measurements, size comparison, compatibility, and some notes for the three different generations of the Festool / Tanos four wheel Systainers carts.

      Though not the official names, I am calling them generations one , two, and three for easy reference and tracking.

  Generation One. Festool model product #    Tanos product #

      14 3/16"  x 18 1/4"  x 5 1/8" Tall. Wheel diameter is 2 3/4".  This one uses four rubbery connectors for attachment.

      The following can be attached --Classic Systainers, T-Loc Systainers (except Midi size), 'M' size Sys3 (except Organizer),            T-Loc and Classic Sortainer (aka; Drawer Systainer), SYS- Combi, Sys-MFT,  Sys Storage Box (aka; SYS SB) T-Loc Tool Box, Sys3 TB 'M' (Tool Box).

      This has the smallest footprint and is the most compact. But note that it appears to take less space than it actually does due to the outboard corner castor placement. The connectors work fine but are a bit of a nuisance to connect and disconnect. It is not compatible with Midi, 'L' size or XXL Systainer units.

[attachimg=1]            [attachimg=2]            [attachimg=3]              [attachimg=4]                    [attachimg=5]              [attachimg=6]            [attachimg=7]                    [attachimg=8]                    [attachimg=9]                      [attachimg=10]            [attachimg=11]

 

[semenza]

Forgot to finish this ^^^  It does not have complete info yet, but still may be helpful.

Seth

 

[Michael Kellough]

It is useful, thanks Seth.

I have several of the Gen. 2 version but the excessive size and cost led me to try a cheaper alternative.

View attachment 1

18x12 $10 Harbor Freight dolly

Although much less secure than the real thing the carpet effectively prevents the Sys from sliding and the smaller wheelbase is good enough for a tall stack as long as the floor is fairly smooth. In tight quarters the fact that the wheels are small and don’t stick out beyond the frame also saves space.

 

[Lincoln]

I had a pair of the Gen1's that travelled with me all over Australia, doing shopfitting work - they racked up a lot of frequent flyer points! They take a lot of weight, but finally broke while we were wheeling in a big stainless steel counter into a cafe we were fitting out. I now have a Gen3 and a SYS-ROLL mobile cart, which are great, but I do miss the Gen 1's.

 

[Coen]

Nice!

I do think the first picture, due to the angle makes the first edition look a bit smaller than it really is. The 1st version had smaller caster, resulting in a lower bed.

 

[squall_line]

I got a good deal on eBay on a set of 3 Gen 1 carts.  Not as cheap as a wooden furniture dolly, but still better quality all around than a cheap furniture dolly.

I have my winter tires stacked on one of the Gen 1 carts with the rubber grippers removed to prevent long-term damage to the grippers.  I'll probably have my 3-season tires stacked on that cart here in a day or two...

The smaller casters don't roll as nicely over cracks and bumps as the Gen 2 and 3, but they suffice.  I have a few Gen 2's and 3's, plus a couple of Sys-Rolls.

I used the Gen 3 recently to carry my tools in to a mall work site, and then we used the cart under a few large pieces of furniture to roll them out into a trailer.  They're quite robust and handy to have around.

 

[Coen]

It is useful, thanks Seth.

I have several of the Gen. 2 version but the excessive size and cost led me to try a cheaper alternative.

View attachment 1

18x12 $10 Harbor Freight dolly

Although much less secure than the real thing the carpet effectively prevents the Sys from sliding and the smaller wheelbase is good enough for a tall stack as long as the floor is fairly smooth. In tight quarters the fact that the wheels are small and don’t stick out beyond the frame also saves space.

The smaller wheelbase will make it tip over earlier, the tinier wheels will result in lower riding quality and the wheels are also harder, earlier scratching laminate floors. But a lot cheaper yes  [tongue]

For the Bosch // Sortimo L-Boxx you can buy the part that attached to the box separate, so you can make / buy your own roller and still properly attach the boxes to the roller.

 

[Michael Kellough]

It is useful, thanks Seth.

I have several of the Gen. 2 version but the excessive size and cost led me to try a cheaper alternative.

View attachment 1

18x12 $10 Harbor Freight dolly

Although much less secure than the real thing the carpet effectively prevents the Sys from sliding and the smaller wheelbase is good enough for a tall stack as long as the floor is fairly smooth. In tight quarters the fact that the wheels are small and don’t stick out beyond the frame also saves space.

The smaller wheelbase will make it tip over earlier, the tinier wheels will result in lower riding quality and the wheels are also harder, earlier scratching laminate floors. But a lot cheaper yes  [tongue]

For the Bosch // Sortimo L-Boxx you can buy the part that attached to the box separate, so you can make / buy your own roller and still properly attach the boxes to the roller.

The cheap HF dolly does have harder wheels than the Sys roller so they’re not good for nice wood floors, but they’re very good on concrete. When the Sys stack gets heavy it becomes more difficult to roll because of the compression of the soft tires. The HF dolly is just as easy to roll when the stack is heavy as when light. If the HF had soft tires it would certainly tip over just try to get the stack moving.

I bought one for the smaller footprint so I could park a stack in a particular small space. Since discovering that it wasn’t bad I’ve bought several more.

 

[Charles959]

The first generation cart has a weight limit of 110 pounds.

 

[semenza]

The first generation cart has a weight limit of 110 pounds.

Thanks for the extra info.  I've probably had 80 - 100# on the first gen. Maybe more? Hmmmm, actually I bet 130# a couple times. 

Individual Sys unit / stacks that are 30 - 50# is about all I like in one "unit". And once I get three of those on a roll board the height gets to about 60". That's about all I like for no tip rolling.

Seth

 

[squall_line]

The first generation cart has a weight limit of 110 pounds.

I'm exceeding the weight limit on my Gen 1 Sys Cart on a regular basis then, because I store my winter or summer (depending on what's on the car) wheel/tire combos on them.  According to the intertubes, the wheels themselves are 25-26 lbs each, pushing 50 each with tires.

The weight rests more directly above each caster, and zero weight is on the center of the cart, so that might be why they don't seem to be bothered by it.  I haven't checked to see if the casters have flat-spotted at all.

 

[Charles959]

The first generation cart has a weight limit of 110 pounds.

Thanks for the extra info.  I've probably had 80 - 100# on the first gen. Maybe more? Hmmmm, actually I bet 130# a couple times. 

Individual Sys unit / stacks that are 30 - 50# is about all I like in one "unit". And once I get three of those on a roll board the height gets to about 60". That's about all I like for no tip rolling.

Seth

You are welcome. I recall how relieved I was when the next generation had a much weight capacity.

The weight spec is given on this page, referring to the original design:

Festool Systainer Cart (OBSOLETE)

SKU 492388

Four strong casters make it easy to move stacks of Systainers an Sortainers around.
Fits Systainers sizes 1 to 5 and Sortainers.
Heavy-duty for loads up to 110 lbs.
4 locking straps ensure that Systainers/Sortainers stay secure on the cart.
This item has been discontinued by Festool and replaced with 495020.

 

[Charles959]

The first generation cart has a weight limit of 110 pounds.

I'm exceeding the weight limit on my Gen 1 Sys Cart on a regular basis then, because I store my winter or summer (depending on what's on the car) wheel/tire combos on them.  According to the intertubes, the wheels themselves are 25-26 lbs each, pushing 50 each with tires.

The weight rests more directly above each caster, and zero weight is on the center of the cart, so that might be why they don't seem to be bothered by it.  I haven't checked to see if the casters have flat-spotted at all.

It would be interesting to know just how much of a margin of safety is built into the weight spec.

I recall years ago when buying some MetroWire shelving that if you have 4 casters, and each is rated to hold, for example, 400 pounds, the total weight that can be put on the 4 casters is 3/4 of the sum of the individual ratings, or in this example, 1200 lbs. The director of safety at a university confirmed that as an industry rule-of-thumb.

 

[Michael Kellough]

The weight rating is probably to preserve the plastic tray the wheels are mounted to. Shocks and stress from running over rough surfaces and obstacles are unpredictable but can easily be too high.

 

[posilaj@gmail.com]

Can someone suggest if there are any 125mm castors that I can install on my Gen 3 cart without substantial modifications? Ideally, I’d like them to be non-marking PU. Two of them should come with brakes and two of them normal. Sometimes I use it on rough surfaces, and I think it would really benefit from having bigger wheels.

 

[Coen]

They are just default M6 (M8?) castors I think? But maybe not readily available in the USA

 

[posilaj@gmail.com]

They are M8 and I’m looking on UK market

 

[mino]

They are just default M6 (M8?) castors I think? But maybe not readily available in the USA

Actually The Gen2 was M10, but using M12 bolts is better - the bolts can partially thread into the plastic, making for a tighter connection. So M10 should be fine with the SYS2 variety. Anyway, the bolts are not part of the casters.

But that is not the main thing. The issue is that the Festool/TANOS original casters are a lightweight variety that is height-optimised and has an optimal axis offset too. Hard to match it with off-the-shelf casters.

---
I had a couple SYS-RB bases and was thinking exactly the same - so put the 125 casters on them once it was time to use them in a mobile setting. And .. not really happy with the result. The casters are great, but just too big for the carts. Too clunky, too high, too ... heavy duty.
The original Festool casters are optimised for such a small platform. Stick to the Festool version  for the cart. If need to go over rough(er) surfaces, look for other solutions - 2-wheel trolleys or bigger platforms that can accommodate bigger, ideally air-inflated, wheels.

The wheels I used (and am not happy with), for reference:
wheel dia 125 mm
wheel width 32 mm
bolt hole 12 mm
axis offset 34 mm (this is critical on how stable such a small cart is, less is better)
install/total height 155 mm
max load 120 kg (per wheel)

 

[woodbutcherbower]

The best Systainer cart I’ve ever used is my CTL26.

 

[Sevian1s]

The handle feels solid, and the low profile makes stacking easy. I like how smoothly it rolls, even with a full load. Adding a locking feature would make it even better.