It could really be simple to neglect the essential tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the forklift. When you pick the wrong tire for your forklift, you could put huge increases on your operating costs, and more importantly increase your safety risks. If however, you select correct kind of tire you could enjoy improved safety, significant cost-savings and an overall more efficient operation. A correctly selected tire can actually lessen the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40% longer.
Tires are actually somewhat complex components on the machine; hence, it is easy to pick the wrong type accidentally. There are lots of different brands of tires and types, with different compounds and treads. This means you must be completely prepared with the correct data when you are purchasing tires so that you could choose some tough and safe alternatives to help prolong the life of your forklift.
Your company should decide on the particular tire for their equipment according to the type of surface the machine will be operated on. Smoother surfaces and indoor applications for example, will usually utilize tires that are smaller in size and made from rubber. On the other hand, outdoor operations need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These characteristics give them a great grip on rough and uneven surfaces.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each and every year, 200 individuals are killed in forklift or lift truck related accidents each year. Ensuring forklift safety, like correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these dangerous and horrible accidents from happening.
Pre-Work Check
The tires of the forklift needs to be checked prior to each shift. Tires must ideally have the right air pressure, which is set by the tire manufacturer. This is very vital because if the tire pressure is very low, the machinery can accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Types
For indoor work, lift trucks which have solid tires made out of rubber are the best alternative.
Other Considerations
OSHA or the Occupational Health and Safety Administration places a requirement on the frequent use of lift trucks. These forklifts should be inspected at the end of every shift. The operator must check the machine for any type of mechanical issues and the tires need to be inspected for excessive wear, cuts or apparent tire damage. Any problems that are detected must be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.