It can really be simple to neglect the essential tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the lift truck. When you choose the wrong tire for your lift truck, you can put huge increases on your operating costs, and more importantly increase your safety risks. If however, you select correct kind of tire you could enjoy significant cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more effective operation. A properly selected tire can really lessen the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40% longer.
Tires are actually somewhat complex parts on the equipment; hence, it is easy to choose the wrong kind accidentally. There are numerous different brands of tires and kinds, with a huge array of treads and compounds. This means you should be completely prepared with the right data when you are buying tires so that you can decide on some safe and durable options to help prolong the life of your forklift.
The specific type of tire chosen for a lift truck depends on the kind of surface you will be utilizing the equipment on. Like for instance, indoor applications and smooth surfaces generally use tires that are made from rubber and that are a smaller 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.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each year, there are around 200 individuals killed in accidents related for lift truck use. Ensuring forklift safety, such as correct inspection practices, could all contribute in to avoiding these horrible and dangerous mishaps from happening.
Pre-Work Inspection
The tires of the forklift have to be inspected 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 very low, the machinery could inadvertently tip over when a load is being raised.
Types
For indoor work, forklifts that have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable option.
Other Considerations
The OHSA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration require that lift trucks utilized on a continual basis have to be inspected at the completion of each shift. The operator must check the machinery for any mechanical problems and the tires should be looked over for cuts, excessive wear or obvious damage to the tires. Any issues that are detected need to be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.