It is suggested to regularly inspect the front end of your forklift as part of your pre-shift or daily inspection, in order to help prevent costly lift truck repairs. By catching any problems in advance or as they arise, you can also help prevent damage to any cargo too. The following covers several of the general guidelines on what specific stuff to inspect during regular inspections of your material handling fleet.
Forks
Regularly checking the forks is important because if these are cracked or worn out, they may fail without warning. Any kind of fork damage means that your forklift will need to instantly be removed from service until it is fixed and safe once again. Visually check your forks for any visible indications of wear or damage. If the cracks run deeper than on the surface, replace them. Any kind of wear on the forks beyond 10 percent is one more indication that you have to replace the forks.
Mast
Ideally, the mast should tilt back and forward and be able to smoothly move down and up. If you find that the sliding surfaces are binding, you may have to lubricate the mast strip sliding surfaces as well as their fittings. On the inner mast there is a fitting located on every side. The lift bracket side rollers are a different lubrication point and there is also one on every side roller. Once the lubricating has been completed, tilt it forward and backward and also raise and lower the mast several times in order to make sure that the lubricant is worked into the fittings properly.
Tilt Cylinders
Uncontrolled mast movement could be caused by oil leakage; therefore, your inspection must involve checking for oil leaks and for damage. Whether the leaks are external or are located inside of the cylinder, the end result can be loss of fluid and cylinder drift. If there are any indications of damage or leaks, you may need to replace the entire cylinder assembly, or just the seals.
Chains
The mast chains have to be checked to see if they are being stretched beyond their acceptable limits. What's more, check the chain wear guage or check the chains for indications of damage. If wear is present beyond 2 percent, replace the chain. Also replace it if the chain appears kinked or rusted. The sheave bearings and the chain rollers also have to be inspected for signs of wear.
The mast lift chain will usually wear at the pin-to-link connections. You can experience chain failure if you notice wear. This could end up damaging front end components or even the product. If you require help determining what precisely to check on your forklifts or if you do not have time on hand to perform frequent fleet inspections, just contact your local lift truck dealer. Their skilled service technicians will help your perform planned maintenance or PM inspections according to your application requirements and scheduling.