It can be simple to neglect the essential tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the forklift. When you pick the wrong tire for your forklift, you can put huge increases on your operating costs, and more importantly increase your safety risks. If however, you pick correct type of tire you can enjoy improved safety, substantial cost-savings and an overall more efficient operation. A properly chosen tire could really lessen the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40 percent longer.
The lift truck tire is a quite complex component of the equipment. It is thus, easy to pick the wrong kind accidentally. There are lots of different brands of tires and types, with various compounds and treads. This means you should be completely prepared with the correct information when you are purchasing tires so that you can decide on some tough and safe options to help extend the life of your forklift.
The specific type of tire selected for a forklift depends on the type of surface you would be using the equipment on. For instance, smoother surfaces and indoor applications normally utilize tires that are made from rubber and that are smaller in size. On the other hand, outdoor applications require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These features give them a great grip on uneven and rough surfaces.
Forklift Tire Safety
Every year, 200 individuals are killed in lift truck or forklift related accidents each year. Ensuring lift truck safety, like proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to avoiding these terrible and dangerous mishaps from occurring.
Pre-Work Check
The tires of the lift truck needs to be inspected prior to every shift. Tires must ideally have the right air pressure, which is set by the manufacturer of the tire. This is extremely essential because if the tire pressure is too low, the equipment could accidentally tip over when a load is being lifted.
Types
The tires used on indoor forklifts would be made out of solid rubber.
Other factors
The OHSA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration require that lift trucks utilized on a continual basis need to be checked at the completion of every shift. The driver has to inspect the machine for any type of mechanical problems and the tires must be inspected for excessive wear, cuts or obvious tire damage. Any problems that are detected should be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.