When it comes to maintaining the forklift, it could really be easy to overlook the simple yet essential tire. If you pick the wrong tire, you could 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 correct tire you can enjoy improved safety, substantial cost-savings and an overall more efficient operation. A correctly chosen tire can really reduce the downtime for replacement and probably last 40 percent longer.
Tires are really quite complex components on the machinery; hence, it is easy to pick the wrong kind accidentally. There are so many different kinds of tires and brands, with various treads and compounds. This means you must be completely prepared with the right data when you are purchasing tires so that you could decide on some tough 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 equipment would be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for example, will generally use tires that are smaller in size and made from rubber. On the other hand, outdoor applications need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These characteristics give them a great grip on surfaces which are uneven and rough.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each and every year, 200 people are killed in forklift or lift truck related accidents each year. Ensuring lift truck safety, like correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these terrible and dangerous mishaps from occurring.
Pre-Work Inspection
Before each and every shift, the lift truck's tires need to be inspected. Ideally, they must have the right air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is very essential because if the tire pressure is very low, the machine could inadvertently tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
The tires used on indoor forklifts would be made out of solid rubber.
Other factors
OSHA or the Occupational Health and Safety Administration places a requirement on the continual use of lift trucks. These lift trucks are required to be inspected at the end of every shift. The operator should check the machine for any kind of mechanical problems and the tires should be looked over for cuts, excessive wear or apparent damage to the tires. Any problems that are detected should be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.