Rolling a rack on carpet

[David Mathog]

Anyone have experience with a rack in carpeted room?

We've got a 20 x 2U system in a single rack which when fully
populated is going to weigh on the order of a thousand pounds.
The room which holds it is covered wall to wall with industrial
carpet. It's a computer room - it's also a class room.  Don't
ask.  There's concrete underneath the carpet.  From the top
of the carpet to squished all the way down to the concrete
is about 1/4".  I'd hoped that the 4  2" wheels would roll
on this thin carpet, but with the rack partially loaded
with 5 nodes it already requires considerable force to roll it.
Fully loaded it's not going to roll unless induced to do so
by several very burly bodies.

Removing the carpet isn't an option and neither are
bigger wheels.  Some sort of base plate to put
under it is needed - about 4' x 8' would provide enough
motion when we need to pull the rack out..  1/4" aluminum
should work but it would cost $300 for the sheet
and the edges would be hazard to the barefoot undergrads.
Particle board is cheaper but given the small size of
the wheels they would probably crush holes into the board, which
could be worse than being on the carpet.

Perhaps a thick piece of plywood, maybe with linoleum or
other flooring applied over it would work?

Anybody solved this one this before?

Thanks,


David Mathog
mathog at caltech.edu
Manager, Sequence Analysis Facility, Biology Division, Caltech