It could really be simple to neglect the essential tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the forklift. When you select 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 select correct kind of tire you could enjoy significant cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more effective operation. A correctly selected tire can actually lessen the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40% longer.
The lift truck tire is a somewhat complex component of the equipment. It is thus, easy to select the wrong one accidentally. There are numerous different brands of tires and types, with different treads and compounds. This means you should be fully prepared with the correct data when you are buying tires so that you could decide on some tough and safe options to help prolong the life of your forklift.
Your company must select the particular tire for their machine according to the type of surface the machinery would be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for instance, will normally utilize 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 features give them a great 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 forklift safety, such as proper inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these terrible and dangerous mishaps from taking place.
Pre-Work Inspection
Prior to every shift, the lift truck's tires have to be inspected. Ideally, they must have the right air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is extremely vital because if the tire pressure is too low, the equipment could accidentally tip over when a load is being lifted.
Kinds
For indoor work, forklifts that have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable alternative.
Other Considerations
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA require that forklifts used on a continual basis have to be inspected at the completion of each and every shift. The driver needs to check the equipment for any type of mechanical problems and the tires should be inspected for excessive wear, cuts or obvious damage to the tires. Any issues which are detected need to be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.