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 could end up accidentally with a huge increase in fleet operating expenses, or increased safety risks, which is worse yet. If on the other hand, you choose right type of tire you could enjoy significant cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more effective operation. A properly selected tire can really reduce the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40 percent longer.
The lift truck tire is a somewhat complex component of the machine. It is therefore, easy to select the wrong type accidentally. There are so many different brands of tires and types, with a wide variety of treads and compounds. This means you must be completely prepared with the right data when you are purchasing tires so that you can choose some durable and safe options to help extend the life of your forklift.
Your business should select the specific tire for their machinery 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 operations require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These characteristics give them a great grip on surfaces which are rough and uneven.
Lift Truck 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 accidents from taking place.
Pre-Work Check
The tires of the lift truck have to be inspected before every shift. Tires must ideally have the right air pressure, which is set by the manufacturer of the tire. This is really important because if the tire pressure is too low, the machine can inadvertently tip over when a load is being lifted.
Kinds
For indoor work, lift trucks that have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable alternative.
Other factors
The OHSA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration require that forklifts utilized on a continual basis have to be checked at the completion of every shift. The driver has to check the machinery for any kind of mechanical problems and the tires have to be looked over for excessive wear, cuts or apparent tire damage. Any problems which are detected have to be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.