When it comes to maintaining the lift truck, it can 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 however, you pick right kind of tire you could enjoy significant cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more effective operation. A properly selected tire could really reduce the downtime for replacement and probably last 40% longer.
Tires are really somewhat complex components on the machinery; therefore, it is easy to choose the wrong kind accidentally. There are a lot of different brands of tires and types, with various treads and compounds. This means you have to be totally prepared with the right information when you are buying tires so that you could select some durable and safe alternatives to help extend the life of your lift truck.
Your company must decide on the particular tire for their equipment according to the type of surface the machinery will be operated on. Smoother surfaces and indoor applications for example, will generally utilize tires that are smaller in size and made from rubber. On the other hand, outdoor operations need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These characteristics give them a great grip on uneven and rough surfaces.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each year, 200 people are killed in forklift or lift truck related accidents each year. Ensuring forklift safety, such as proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to preventing these terrible and dangerous accidents from happening.
Pre-Work Check
Before each shift, the forklift's tires need to be checked. Ideally, they should have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is very important because if the tire pressure is too low, the machinery can inadvertently tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
For indoor work, forklifts that have solid tires made out of rubber are the best option.
Other Considerations
OSHA or the Occupational Health and Safety Administration places a requirement on the continual use of lift trucks. These lift trucks must be inspected at the end of each and every shift. The operator should check the equipment for any mechanical issues and the tires should be looked over for cuts, excessive wear or obvious tire damage. Any issues that are detected must be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.