Strange But True: Castors On The Eiffel Tower?

By Author: Mark Farrell
Total Articles: 56
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Castors on the Eiffel Tower in Paris? Considering most locals think that the structure is already a monstrosity that blights the skyline such a thing would not surprise them and would probably instead cause them to roll their eyes a little. However much an eyesore it is though, it is a huge tourist attraction that brings people to Paris from all over the world year after year. People pay to travel up it to check out the view, take photos of it and hand over good money to take in a tour or two as offered by guides underneath its hulking mass. So what if there was small industrial type wheels on the Eiffel Tower? You know, those small wheels that you see on the underside of industrial roll cages, catering trolleys, hospital medical supply trolleys and the like. Well, believe it or not there were actually wheels on the Eiffel Tower at one point in time – May 29th, 2010 to be exact – but few people know about it.

Tag Khris, a champion roller skater, was the one to set wheels on the Eiffel Tower. He took his life in his own hands and set a new Guinness world record by launching himself off the structure and down a quarter ...
... pipe ramp. This was about 40 feet because he did it off the first floor. There was a giant air bag at the bottom to make sure that he came to no harm though so the crowd need not have been nervous. Such a feat, jumping and then freefalling, is officially known as dropping. It is dangerous but offers a spectacular sight and definitely beats having Castors on the landmark in any other way.

There has never actually been any form of wheel fixed to the underside of the Tower itself to move it. They would have to be some pretty big Castors to achieve that! However, it is worth imagining what advantages this idea would have. For example, the Eiffel Tower could be paraded through the town (if the roads were big enough). It could be moved to accommodate Parisians that moan about how hideous it is. In all honesty, this probably would never work in this particular case but there are examples of statues and structures that actually have them attached, the most notable of which is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington DC. The designer, Lawrence Halprin, had them fitted to give the wheelchair authenticity and they are actually visible at the back of the sculpture.

In the case of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the Castors are fitted for aesthetic value only but there are heavy duty ones available that could potentially hold quite a load. For example, the 2BZQX/XXH/SZ series can hold up to 11500kg and so is perfect for heavy duty loads in various industrial settings or even in making stone statutes mobile. As such, you may laugh at the idea of wheels on the Eiffel Tower but you have to question whether or not holding and moving a load that heavy is indeed possible!

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