They work well in any mode, leg down: stationary and wheel down: moving. It's important to realize that if the bench is really heavy, your fingers aren't strong enough to twist your leg and lift the bench off the roller. I used an automatic jack to gently raise the bench, one end at a time, lower its legs, and then set it on its legs. Since my bench doesn't move that often, that's fine. But if you're expecting to turn the wheels down slightly. and move the bench often, you know it won't be easy.