When it comes to maintaining the forklift, it could be easy to overlook the simple yet important tire. If you select 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 however, you pick right tire you could enjoy improved safety, substantial cost-savings and an overall more efficient operation. A properly selected tire could actually reduce the downtime for replacement and probably last 40 percent longer.
The forklift tire is a quite complex part of the equipment. It is thus, easy to select the wrong type accidentally. There are so many different kinds of tires and brands, with various treads and compounds. This means you should be fully prepared with the right information when you are purchasing tires so that you can choose some tough and safe alternatives to help prolong the life of your forklift.
The specific kind of tire selected for a lift truck depends on the kind of surface you would be utilizing the machinery on. For example, indoor applications and smooth surfaces generally utilize tires that are made from rubber and that are a smaller size. On the contrary, outdoor applications require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These features give them a good grip on uneven and rough surfaces.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Every year, 200 individuals are killed in lift truck or forklift related accidents each year. Ensuring lift truck safety, like for instance proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to avoiding these terrible and dangerous mishaps from occurring.
Pre-Work Check
Before each and every shift, the forklift's tires have to be checked. Ideally, they should have the right air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is extremely essential because if the tire pressure is very low, the machine can inadvertently tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
For indoor work, forklifts that have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable option.
Other factors
OSHA or the Occupational Health and Safety Administration places a requirement on the continual use of forklifts. These lift trucks should be checked at the end of every shift. The operator must inspect the machine for any kind of mechanical problems and the tires must be inspected for excessive wear, cuts or apparent tire damage. Any issues which are detected must be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.