It could really be simple to neglect the important tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the lift truck. When you choose 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 pick right type of tire you could enjoy substantial cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A correctly selected tire can really decrease the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40% longer.
The lift truck tire is a somewhat complex part of the machine. It is thus, easy to select the wrong one accidentally. There are so many different brands of tires and types, with different treads and compounds. This means you need to be fully prepared with the correct information when you are buying tires so that you can decide on some safe and durable alternatives to help prolong the life of your forklift.
Your company should select the particular tire for their machinery according to the type of surface the equipment would be operated on. Smoother surfaces and indoor applications for instance, would usually use tires of a smaller size and made from rubber. 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 that are rough and uneven.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each and every year, 200 individuals are killed in forklift or lift truck related accidents each year. Ensuring lift truck safety, like for instance correct inspection practices, could all contribute in to avoiding these dangerous and horrible accidents from taking place.
Pre-Work Inspection
Before every shift, the forklift's tires need to be inspected. Ideally, they should have the right air pressure, as set forth by the manufacturer. This is very vital because if the tire pressure is too low, the machine could accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Types
For indoor work, lift trucks which have solid tires made out of rubber are the best option.
Other factors
Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA places a requirement on the continual use of lift trucks. These forklifts are required to be inspected at the end of each shift. The operator needs to check the equipment for any kind of mechanical problems and the tires have to be inspected for cuts, excessive wear or apparent damage to the tires. Any problems which are detected have to be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.