When it comes to maintaining the forklift, it could really be easy to neglect the simple yet essential tire. If you select the wrong tire, you can end up accidentally with a huge increase in fleet operating costs, or increased safety risks, which is worse yet. If however, you choose correct tire you could enjoy significant cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A properly chosen tire can really reduce the downtime for replacement and probably last 40% longer.
Tires are actually somewhat complex parts on the equipment; thus, it is easy to choose the wrong one accidentally. There are lots of different brands of tires and types, with a wide variety of treads and compounds. This means you have to be completely prepared with the correct data when you are buying tires so that you could choose some tough and safe options to help prolong the life of your lift truck.
Your business must choose the specific tire for their machinery based on the kind of surface the equipment would be operated on. Smoother surfaces and indoor applications for example, would generally use tires of a smaller size and made from rubber. On the other hand, outdoor operations require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These characteristics give them a great grip on rough and uneven surfaces.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each year, there are around 200 people killed in accidents related for lift truck use. Ensuring forklift safety, like proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to preventing these terrible and dangerous mishaps from happening.
Pre-Work Check
The tires of the forklift needs to be inspected before every shift. Tires should ideally have the proper air pressure, that is set by the tire manufacturer. This is extremely important because if the tire pressure is too low, the machinery can accidentally tip over when a load is being lifted.
Kinds
The tires utilized on indoor lift trucks will be made out of solid rubber.
Other Considerations
The OHSA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration require that lift trucks used on a continual basis need to be inspected at the completion of every shift. The operator must check the machine for any mechanical issues and the tires should be checked for cuts, excessive wear or apparent tire damage. Any problems that are detected have to be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.