When it comes to maintaining the forklift, it can be easy to neglect the simple yet essential tire. If you select the wrong tire, you could end up accidentally with a huge increase in fleet operating expenses, or increased safety risks, which is worse yet. If on the other hand, you select correct tire you can enjoy substantial cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more effective operation. A correctly selected tire can really reduce the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40 percent longer.
The lift truck tire is a somewhat complex component of the machine. It is therefore, easy to choose the wrong kind accidentally. There are so many different kinds of tires and brands, with different treads and compounds. This means you have to be fully prepared with the right data when you are going shopping for tires so that you could select some safe and tough alternatives to help prolong the life of your forklift.
Your company should choose the particular tire for their equipment according to the type of surface the equipment would be operated on. Smoother surfaces and indoor applications for instance, would generally use tires that are smaller in size and made from rubber. On the contrary, 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.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each year, there are roughly 200 individuals killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring forklift safety, like proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to preventing these horrible and dangerous accidents from happening.
Pre-Work Check
Before every shift, the lift truck's tires need to be inspected. Ideally, they must have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the manufacturer. This is extremely essential because if the tire pressure is very low, the machine could inadvertently tip over when a load is being lifted.
Types
The tires used on indoor forklifts would be made out of solid rubber.
Other Considerations
Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA places a requirement on the continual use of lift trucks. These forklifts are required to be checked at the end of each and every shift. The operator should inspect the machinery for any kind of mechanical problems and the tires have to be looked over for excessive wear, cuts or obvious tire damage. Any issues which are detected have to be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.