When it comes to maintaining the forklift, it can be easy to overlook the simple yet essential tire. If you select the wrong tire, you could end up accidentally with a huge increase in fleet operating costs, or increased safety risks, which is worse yet. If however, you choose right kind of tire you can enjoy improved safety, substantial cost-savings and an overall more effective operation. A properly selected tire could actually reduce the downtime for replacement and probably last 40 percent longer.
Tires are really quite complex parts on the machinery; hence, it is easy to pick the wrong type accidentally. There are numerous different brands of tires and types, with various treads and compounds. This means you have to be completely prepared with the right information when you are going shopping for tires so that you can choose some safe and tough options to help extend the life of your forklift.
Your business should decide on the particular tire for their machine based on the kind of surface the equipment will be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for instance, would normally use tires that are smaller in size and made from rubber. On the other hand, outdoor operations need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These characteristics give them a great grip on rough and uneven surfaces.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each year, there are approximately 200 individuals killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring forklift safety, like correct inspection practices, could all contribute in to avoiding these horrible and dangerous accidents from happening.
Pre-Work Check
Prior to each shift, the lift truck's tires need to be checked. Ideally, they must have the right air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is really important because if the tire pressure is too low, the machinery could inadvertently tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
For indoor work, lift trucks which have solid tires made out of rubber are the best option.
Other Considerations
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA require that lift trucks used on a continual basis have to be checked at the completion of each and every shift. The driver needs to check the machinery for any mechanical problems and the tires have to be checked for cuts, excessive wear or obvious tire damage. Any problems that are detected should be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.