Air Skid: Rigging Kit

The Air Skid Rigging Kit comes fully equipped with 6 Air Skids, 2 spare Air Bearings, a 6-port Air Skid Controller, and six 32-foot hoses, all designed for efficient and secure operations. It also includes an 85-foot supply hose, Velcro ties for organized hose management, a crank handle for convenient hose storage, and a dead-man control for safety, ensuring the system operates only when engaged. Everything is neatly stored in a durable Knack Box, providing a compact and portable solution for all your rigging needs.

An air bearing or air skid is a low friction system that uses a thin film of air to lift and float a load above a floor surface. Rather than relying on wheels, rollers, or tracks that create friction and require significant force to move, an air bearing eliminates contact between the load and the floor entirely. The result is near-zero friction, allowing a single operator to glide a load weighing tens of thousands of pounds with minimal effort. Airfloat has been engineering air bearing systems for industrial material handling for over 50 years, with applications ranging from aerospace assembly to power plant maintenance. 

Many people believe a perfect floor, polished to a mirror finish, is required in order to use air caster technology. Most Airfloat equipment is designed to operate on machine-troweled concrete. However, the floor does need to be reasonably flat and level. View our flooring specifications or call 800-888-0018 today to speak with an application engineer to discuss your flooring conditions.

An air caster system works in three steps: inflate, float, and move. First, compressed air flows through a hose to the air caster manifold. The manifold distributes air to each air caster in the set. As the air casters inflate, they create a thin pressurized film between the load and the floor. This film supports the full load and eliminates almost all friction. Once floating, the load can be pushed, pulled, or rotated in any direction with minimal effort. When the air supply is shut off, the air casters deflate and the load settles back onto the floor. No power other than compressed air is needed, and if the air supply is lost, the load simply lowers gently to the floor. 

Most plant air systems and adequate pressure (usually over 80 psi) for air caster technology. However, make sure the airflow is strong enough for the equipment you’re looking into. The required air consumption for the efficient operation of air casters is 3 SCFM per foot of air bearing perimeter.

Airfloat Air Skids range in size from 10 inches to 54 inches, with single-skid capacity from 500 pounds to 60,000 pounds per skid. Custom sizes are also available.

If total plant air demand in your facility causes pressure to fluctuate greatly, a regulator will be needed to give a constant supply pressure. If supply pressure remains fairly constant (80-100 PSI), a regulator is not required. Regulators that are required for controls or components will be built into the equipment.