It can be simple to overlook the important tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the forklift. When you pick the wrong tire for your lift truck, you can put huge increases on your operating expenses, and more importantly increase your safety risks. If however, you choose right tire you can enjoy improved safety, substantial cost-savings and an overall more efficient operation. A correctly selected tire could really lessen the downtime for replacement and probably last 40 percent longer.
The forklift tire is a quite complex component of the equipment. It is therefore, easy to select the wrong type accidentally. There are numerous different kinds of tires and brands, with different compounds and treads. This means you must be totally prepared with the right information when you are purchasing tires so that you can select some durable and safe options to help prolong the life of your lift truck.
Your business must select the specific tire for their equipment based on the kind of surface the equipment will be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for example, will generally use tires of a smaller 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 good grip on rough and uneven surfaces.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each year, 200 people are killed in lift truck or forklift related accidents each year. Ensuring forklift safety, like for example correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these dangerous and horrible accidents from happening.
Pre-Work Check
The tires of the forklift have to be inspected prior to each shift. Tires should ideally have the right air pressure, that is set by the manufacturer of the tire. This is extremely important because if the tire pressure is very low, the machine can inadvertently tip over when a load is being lifted.
Types
For indoor work, lift trucks 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 frequent utilization of forklifts. These lift trucks are required to be inspected at the end of each and every shift. The operator must inspect the machinery for any mechanical issues and the tires should be checked for cuts, excessive wear or obvious tire damage. Any issues which are detected should be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.