When it comes to maintaining the forklift, it can be easy to overlook the simple yet important tire. If you choose 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 significant cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more effective operation. A properly chosen tire could actually lessen the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40 percent longer.
Tires are really quite complex parts on the machinery; therefore, it is easy to select the wrong type accidentally. There are a lot of different brands of tires and kinds, with different compounds and treads. This means you need to be totally prepared with the right information when you are going shopping for tires so that you could choose some safe and tough options to help prolong the life of your lift truck.
The particular type of tire chosen for a forklift depends on the type of surface you would be utilizing the machine on. For instance, smoother surfaces and indoor applications usually use tires that are made from rubber and that are a smaller size. On the other hand, outdoor operations require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These characteristics give them a good grip on rough and uneven surfaces.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each year, there are around 200 individuals killed in accidents related for lift truck use. Ensuring lift truck safety, such as proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to avoiding these terrible and dangerous accidents from occurring.
Pre-Work Check
Prior to every shift, the forklift's tires need to be inspected. Ideally, they must have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is really vital because if the tire pressure is too low, the equipment could inadvertently tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
For indoor work, lift trucks which have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable option.
Other Considerations
The OHSA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration require that forklifts utilized on a continual basis need to be checked at the completion of each shift. The driver needs to check the machine for any mechanical issues and the tires have to be looked over for excessive wear, cuts or apparent tire damage. Any problems which are detected must be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.