When it comes to maintaining the lift truck, it could 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 costs, or increased safety risks, which is worse yet. If on the other hand, you choose correct tire you could enjoy significant cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A properly selected tire could actually decrease the downtime for replacement and probably last 40% longer.
Tires are really quite complex parts on the machine; therefore, it is easy to pick the wrong type accidentally. There are so many different kinds of tires and brands, with a wide array of compounds and treads. This means you must be completely prepared with the correct data when you are buying tires so that you could select some safe and tough alternatives to help extend the life of your lift truck.
The specific kind of tire selected for a forklift depends on the type of surface you would be using the machinery on. For example, smoother surfaces and indoor applications usually utilize tires that are made from rubber and that are a smaller size. On the other hand, outdoor applications need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These features give them a great grip on surfaces which are rough and uneven.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each year, there are roughly 200 people killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring lift truck safety, such as proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to preventing these terrible and dangerous mishaps from happening.
Pre-Work Inspection
Prior to each and every shift, the lift truck's tires need to be checked. Ideally, they should have the right air pressure, as set forth by the manufacturer. This is extremely important because if the tire pressure is too low, the machine can accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Types
The tires used on indoor lift trucks would be made out of solid rubber.
Other Considerations
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA require that lift trucks used on a continual basis have to be checked at the completion of each shift. The driver must inspect the machinery for any mechanical issues and the tires have to be inspected for cuts, excessive wear or obvious tire damage. Any problems that are detected must be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.