Modern Studio Speed-Wheels for 1-1/2" Pipe (Set of 4)

Speed-Wheels are locking swivel casters with a steel pipe adapter with 1-7/8" outside-diameter steel adapters that accept every standard 1-1/2" pipe fitting. turning a fixed pipe rig into a rolling one. This set of four from Modern Studio Equipment uses 8" care-free foam-filled swivel tires on steel adapters that accept every standard 1-1/2" pipe fitting. Grips use them to roll wall rigs, build rickshaws, and assemble custom Speed-Rail dollies with no welding or fabrication.

Turn any 1-1/2" pipe rig into a rolling rig

You have the pipe. You have the fittings. What you don't have is a way to move the thing once it's built — and on a stage where the shot changes every forty minutes, a rig that can't move is a rig that gets struck and rebuilt.

Speed-Wheels solve that.Each wheel is a swivel caster mounted to a 1-7/8" outside-diameter steel adapter sized for 1-1/2" Speed-Rail®. Slide it on, tighten it down, roll. The adapter behaves like any other 1-1/2" fitting, so it drops into a rig you have already designed instead of forcing you to design around it.

Because the adapters accept all 1-1/2" pipe fittings, the wheels sit in the same dimensional family as your tees, elbows, crosses, and swivel cheeseboroughs. Nothing about the geometry of your rig has to change.

Why 8" foam-filled tires matter on a stage floor

Small casters are fine on a polished cyc floor and useless everywhere else. The 8" tire diameter rolls over cable runs, dance floor seams, tape lines, and sandbag edges — the places where a 3" caster stops dead and pitches the rig forward.

The tires are care-free foam-filled, not pneumatic. In practice that means:

• No flats. There is no air chamber to puncture on a nail, a staple, or a screw left in a set piece.
• No pressure checks. The rig rolls the same on day 14 as it did on day 1. Nothing to top off in the truck.
• Cushioned roll. You keep most of the shock absorption of a pneumatic tire, which protects whatever is bolted to the top of the rig.
• Quiet. Foam-filled tires on a stage floor stay well under the threshold where sound walks over to ask you to stop.

A locking mechanism you can actually trust

Each Speed-Wheel has a strong, durable locking mechanism. Engaged, the wheel holds position so the rig does not creep during a take or drift on a raked floor. Released, the caster swivels freely for repositioning. It is a positive, deliberate action — not a friction brake you have to hope holds.

Lock all four and the rig is parked. Leave all four free for omnidirectional moves in a tight set.

What crews build with them

Rolling Speed-Rail® wall and set rigs

Build the frame in 1-1/2" pipe, drop Speed-Wheels on the legs, and the whole assembly moves between setups instead of being torn down and rebuilt.

Rickshaws

The classic grip application. Four wheels and a pipe frame gives you a purpose-built pushcart sized to the job, whether it is hauling a rig, a monitor cart, or an operator.

Custom Speed-Rail® dollies

When a stock dolly is the wrong footprint, the wrong width, or simply unavailable, a Speed-Rail dolly built to your own dimensions gets the shot. Speed-Wheels are the rolling half of that build.

Mobile lighting and grip carts

A pipe frame, a few cheese plates, and four Speed-Wheels makes a cart that carries exactly what your package needs, in a footprint that fits your truck.

Location work on uneven ground

The 8" tire is the reason these get pulled for exteriors, warehouses, and practical locations where the floor was never poured with casters in mind.

Specifications

Quantity	Set of 4
Pipe compatibility	1-1/2" pipe / 1-1/2" Speed-Rail®
Tire diameter	8"
Tire type	Care-free, foam-filled
Caster type	Swivel, with locking mechanism
Adapter material	Steel
Adapter outside diameter	1-7/8"
Fitting compatibility	Accepts all standard 1-1/2" pipe fittings
Manufacturer	Modern Studio Equipment

Download the manufacturer's pipe and tube dimension chart (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Speed-Wheels used for in film production?

Speed-Wheels are locking swivel casters with a pipe adapter that mounts to Speed-Rail®, letting grips convert a fixed pipe rig into a rolling one. Common uses are rolling wall rigs, custom Speed-Rail dollies, rickshaws, and mobile grip and lighting carts.

What size pipe do these Speed-Wheels fit?

They fit 1-1/2" pipe and 1-1/2" Speed-Rail®, The adapter is manufactured from 1-7/8" outside-diameter steel and accepts all standard 1-1/2" pipe fittings. For 1-1/4" rigs, order the 1-1/4" version instead — the sizes do not cross over.

Are the tires pneumatic?

No. They are 8" care-free foam-filled tires. They roll and cushion much like a pneumatic tire but cannot go flat and never need to be inflated.

How many Speed-Wheels come in the set?

Four — enough to put a wheel on each corner of a standard rig.

Do the wheels lock?

Yes. Each Speed-Wheel has a durable locking mechanism that holds the wheel in position and releases for free swivel movement when you need to reposition the rig.

Can I build a dolly with these?

Yes. Speed-Wheels are commonly used to build custom Speed-Rail® dollies and rickshaws when a stock dolly is the wrong size or unavailable. For a track-based camera move rather than a free-rolling one, look at a Speed-Rail slider or a skateboard-wheel setup instead.

Will they roll over cable and floor seams?

That is exactly what the 8" tire diameter is for. Small-diameter casters catch on cable runs and dance floor seams; an 8" wheel rolls over them.