When it comes to maintaining the lift truck, it could be easy to neglect the simple yet essential tire. If you choose 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 on the other hand, you select right tire you could enjoy substantial cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A properly selected tire could really lessen the downtime for replacement and probably last 40% longer.
Tires are actually somewhat complex components on the machinery; therefore, it is easy to choose the wrong kind accidentally. There are a lot of different types of tires and brands, with different treads and compounds. This means you should be completely prepared with the right data when you are going shopping for tires so that you could decide on some durable and safe alternatives to help prolong the life of your lift truck.
The specific kind of tire selected for a forklift depends on the kind of surface you will be using the machine on. For instance, indoor applications and smooth surfaces normally utilize tires which are made from rubber and that are smaller in size. On the other hand, outdoor applications need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These features give them a great grip on surfaces which are uneven and rough.
Forklift Tire Safety
Every year, 200 individuals are killed in lift truck or forklift related accidents each year. Ensuring lift truck safety, like correct inspection practices, could all contribute in to avoiding these dangerous and terrible mishaps from happening.
Pre-Work Check
Before each shift, the forklift's tires need to be inspected. Ideally, they should have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is really vital because if the tire pressure is very low, the machine could inadvertently tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
For indoor work, forklifts that have solid tires made out of rubber are the best alternative.
Other Considerations
Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA places a requirement on the continual utilization of forklifts. These forklifts are required to be inspected at the end of each shift. The driver has to inspect the machinery for any mechanical issues and the tires need to be looked over for cuts, excessive wear or obvious tire damage. Any problems that are detected must be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.