When it comes to maintaining the forklift, it can be easy to overlook the simple yet important tire. If you choose the wrong tire, you can end up accidentally with a huge increase in fleet operating expenses, or increased safety risks, which is worse yet. If however, you choose right type of tire you can enjoy substantial cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A correctly chosen tire can really reduce the downtime for replacement and probably last 40 percent longer.
Tires are actually somewhat complex components on the machinery; thus, it is easy to select the wrong kind accidentally. There are lots of different types of tires and brands, with various treads and compounds. This means you must be fully prepared with the right information when you are buying tires so that you can select some durable and safe options to help prolong the life of your lift truck.
Your business must choose the specific tire for their machine based on the kind of surface the machine will be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for instance, would generally use tires that are smaller in size and made from rubber. On the other hand, outdoor applications require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These characteristics give them a good grip on surfaces that are rough and uneven.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each year, there are about 200 people killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring lift truck safety, like for instance correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these horrible and dangerous mishaps from happening.
Pre-Work Check
The tires of the lift truck needs to be checked before each shift. Tires should ideally have the right air pressure, that is set by the tire manufacturer. This is very important because if the tire pressure is too low, the equipment could accidentally tip over when a load is being lifted.
Kinds
The tires utilized on indoor lift trucks will be made out of solid rubber.
Other Considerations
The OHSA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration require that forklifts utilized on a continual basis need to be inspected at the completion of each shift. The driver must inspect the machinery for any kind of mechanical issues and the tires have to be checked for excessive wear, cuts or obvious damage to the tires. Any issues which are detected should be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.