When it comes to maintaining the lift truck, it can 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 select correct tire you could enjoy improved safety, substantial cost-savings and an overall more effective operation. A correctly selected tire can actually lessen the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40 percent longer.
The forklift tire is a somewhat complex component of the machinery. It is thus, easy to select the wrong kind accidentally. There are so many different types of tires and brands, with a huge array of compounds and treads. This means you must be fully prepared with the right data when you are going shopping for tires so that you can decide on some tough and safe options to help prolong the life of your lift truck.
The specific type of tire chosen for a lift truck depends on the type of surface you would be utilizing the machine on. Like for example, smoother surfaces and indoor applications usually use tires which are made from rubber and that are a smaller size. On the other hand, outdoor operations need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These characteristics give them a great grip on surfaces which are rough and uneven.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each year, 200 people are killed in lift truck or forklift related accidents each year. Ensuring forklift safety, like proper inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these terrible and dangerous accidents from occurring.
Pre-Work Inspection
The tires of the lift truck needs to be inspected prior to each shift. Tires should ideally have the right air pressure, which is set by the tire manufacturer. This is very essential because if the tire pressure is too low, the machinery can accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Types
For indoor work, lift trucks 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 utilization of lift trucks. These forklifts should be inspected at the end of each shift. The driver has to inspect the equipment for any type of mechanical issues and the tires must be looked over for cuts, excessive wear or apparent tire damage. Any issues that are detected should be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.