It can really be simple to neglect the essential tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the forklift. When you choose the wrong tire for your forklift, you could put huge increases on your operating costs, and more importantly increase your safety risks. If however, you pick right tire you could enjoy significant cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A properly selected tire could really reduce the downtime for replacement and probably last 40% longer.
The lift truck tire is a quite complex component of the equipment. It is therefore, easy to choose the wrong type accidentally. There are lots of different brands of tires and types, with different compounds and treads. This means you have to be completely prepared with the correct data when you are buying tires so that you can select some safe and durable alternatives to help prolong the life of your lift truck.
The specific type of tire chosen for a lift truck depends on the type of surface you will be utilizing the machinery on. For example, smoother surfaces and indoor applications usually utilize tires that are made from rubber and that are a smaller size. On the contrary, outdoor applications need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These characteristics give them a great grip on surfaces that are rough and uneven.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each year, there are roughly 200 people killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring lift truck safety, like for example correct inspection practices, could all contribute in to preventing these terrible and dangerous mishaps from taking place.
Pre-Work Check
Prior to each and every shift, the lift truck's tires need to be inspected. Ideally, they must have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the manufacturer. This is really essential because if the tire pressure is very low, the equipment could accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
For indoor work, forklifts that have solid tires made out of rubber are the best choice.
Other Considerations
The OHSA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration require that lift trucks used on a continual basis need to be checked at the completion of each shift. The operator needs to inspect the machinery for any kind of mechanical issues and the tires need to be checked for cuts, excessive wear or obvious damage to the tires. Any issues which are detected should be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.