When it comes to maintaining the lift truck, it can really be easy to neglect the simple yet important tire. If you select the wrong tire, you can end up accidentally with a huge increase in fleet operating expenses, or increased safety risks, which is worse yet. If however, you pick correct tire you can enjoy substantial cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more effective operation. A properly chosen tire can actually reduce the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40 percent longer.
The forklift tire is a somewhat complex part of the machine. It is therefore, easy to pick the wrong one accidentally. There are lots of different types of tires and brands, with various treads and compounds. This means you should be completely prepared with the right information when you are buying tires so that you can select some safe and tough options to help extend the life of your lift truck.
Your company must choose the particular tire for their machine based on the kind of surface the equipment will be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for example, would generally utilize tires of a smaller size and made from rubber. On the other hand, outdoor operations require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These characteristics give them a good grip on surfaces which are uneven and rough.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each and every year, 200 individuals are killed in lift truck or forklift related accidents each year. Ensuring forklift safety, like correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these dangerous and terrible accidents from happening.
Pre-Work Inspection
Before every shift, the forklift's tires have to be inspected. Ideally, they should have the right air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is really important because if the tire pressure is very low, the machinery can inadvertently tip over when a load is being lifted.
Kinds
For indoor work, lift trucks that have solid tires made out of rubber are the best alternative.
Other Considerations
The OHSA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration require that forklifts utilized on a continual basis have to be inspected at the completion of every shift. The operator should check the machine for any kind of mechanical problems and the tires should be inspected for cuts, excessive wear or obvious damage to the tires. Any issues which are detected should be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.