It could be simple to neglect the important tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the forklift. When you choose the wrong tire for your lift truck, you can put huge increases on your operating costs, and more importantly increase your safety risks. If however, you choose correct type of tire you could enjoy improved safety, substantial cost-savings and an overall more efficient operation. A properly selected tire can actually lessen the downtime for replacement and probably last 40 percent longer.
Tires are actually quite complex components on the machinery; hence, it is easy to choose the wrong kind accidentally. There are lots of different kinds of tires and brands, with various compounds and treads. This means you must be totally prepared with the right data when you are going shopping for tires so that you can decide on some safe and tough alternatives to help extend the life of your lift truck.
The particular type of tire selected for a forklift depends on the kind of surface you would be utilizing the equipment on. Like for example, indoor applications and smooth surfaces generally use tires which are made from rubber and that are a smaller size. On the contrary, outdoor operations need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These features give them a great grip on rough and uneven surfaces.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each year, there are approximately 200 people killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring lift truck safety, like for instance correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these terrible and dangerous accidents from happening.
Pre-Work Inspection
Before each and every shift, the lift truck's tires need to be checked. Ideally, they must have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is really essential because if the tire pressure is very low, the machine can inadvertently tip over when a load is being lifted.
Types
The tires utilized on indoor lift trucks would be made out of solid rubber.
Other Considerations
OSHA or the Occupational Health and Safety Administration places a requirement on the frequent use of forklifts. These forklifts must be inspected at the end of every shift. The operator needs to check the machinery for any type of mechanical issues and the tires need to be checked for cuts, excessive wear or apparent damage to the tires. Any problems that are detected have to be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.