When it comes to maintaining the forklift, it could really be easy to overlook the simple yet important tire. If you choose the wrong tire, you could end up accidentally with a huge increase in fleet operating costs, or increased safety risks, which is worse yet. If however, you pick correct tire you can enjoy improved safety, significant cost-savings and an overall more effective operation. A correctly chosen tire could really reduce the downtime for replacement and probably last 40% longer.
The lift truck tire is a somewhat complex part of the equipment. It is thus, easy to choose the wrong type accidentally. There are numerous different brands of tires and kinds, with various treads and compounds. This means you should be fully prepared with the right information when you are going shopping for tires so that you can decide on some safe and tough alternatives to help extend the life of your lift truck.
The specific kind of tire selected for a lift truck depends on the kind of surface you will be using the machine on. For instance, smoother surfaces and indoor applications generally utilize tires which are made from rubber and that are a smaller size. On the other hand, outdoor applications require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These features give them a good grip on surfaces which are rough and uneven.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each year, there are around 200 people killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring forklift safety, like proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to avoiding these terrible and dangerous mishaps from occurring.
Pre-Work Inspection
The tires of the forklift have to be checked prior to each and every shift. Tires should ideally have the proper air pressure, that is set by the tire manufacturer. This is extremely vital because if the tire pressure is very low, the machinery can inadvertently tip over when a load is being raised.
Types
The tires utilized on indoor forklifts would be made out of solid rubber.
Other Considerations
Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA places a requirement on the frequent utilization of lift trucks. These lift trucks are required to be checked at the end of every shift. The operator should inspect the equipment for any mechanical issues and the tires must be inspected for excessive wear, cuts or apparent damage to the tires. Any problems that are detected should be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.