When it comes to maintaining the lift truck, it can be easy to neglect the simple yet important tire. If you pick 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 on the other hand, you select right kind of tire you could enjoy improved safety, substantial cost-savings and an overall more effective operation. A correctly selected tire could actually reduce the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40 percent longer.
Tires are really quite complex parts on the equipment; hence, it is easy to select the wrong one accidentally. There are so many different kinds of tires and brands, with a huge variety of compounds and treads. This means you need to be totally prepared with the correct data when you are buying tires so that you could choose some safe and tough alternatives to help extend the life of your lift truck.
The particular type of tire selected for a lift truck depends on the type of surface you will be using the machine on. For instance, smoother surfaces and indoor applications generally utilize tires which are made from rubber and that are a smaller size. On the other hand, outdoor operations need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These features give them a great grip on uneven and rough surfaces.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each year, there are about 200 individuals killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring lift truck safety, such as proper inspection practices, can all contribute in to preventing these dangerous and horrible mishaps from taking place.
Pre-Work Inspection
Prior to each shift, the forklift's tires have to be checked. Ideally, they must have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is extremely essential because if the tire pressure is too low, the machinery can inadvertently tip over when a load is being lifted.
Kinds
The tires used on indoor lift trucks will be made out of solid rubber.
Other factors
Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA places a requirement on the frequent utilization of lift trucks. These lift trucks should be checked at the end of every shift. The operator needs to check the machine for any mechanical problems and the tires need to be checked for cuts, excessive wear or obvious tire damage. Any problems that are detected must be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.