When it comes to maintaining the lift truck, it could really be easy to overlook the simple yet important tire. If you select 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 pick right tire you can enjoy substantial cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A properly chosen tire can actually reduce the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40% longer.
The forklift tire is a somewhat complex component of the machine. It is thus, easy to pick the wrong one accidentally. There are numerous different brands of tires and types, with different treads and compounds. This means you must be totally prepared with the right data when you are going shopping for tires so that you could select some durable and safe alternatives to help prolong the life of your lift truck.
The particular kind of tire chosen for a lift truck depends on the kind of surface you would be utilizing the equipment on. Like for instance, indoor applications and smooth surfaces usually use tires which are made from rubber and that are smaller in size. On the contrary, outdoor applications need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These characteristics give them a good grip on rough and uneven surfaces.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Every year, 200 individuals are killed in forklift or lift truck related accidents each year. Ensuring forklift safety, like correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these dangerous and terrible accidents from taking place.
Pre-Work Check
The tires of the lift truck have to be inspected prior to each and every shift. Tires must 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 could inadvertently tip over when a load is being lifted.
Types
The tires used 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 use of forklifts. These lift trucks must be checked at the end of every shift. The driver should inspect the machine for any mechanical issues and the tires should be inspected for excessive wear, cuts or apparent tire damage. Any problems that are detected have to be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.