It could really be simple to neglect the important tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the lift truck. When you select 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 choose correct tire you can enjoy significant cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A properly selected tire could actually decrease the downtime for replacement and probably last 40 percent longer.
Tires are actually quite complex parts on the equipment; hence, it is easy to pick the wrong one accidentally. There are lots of different types of tires and brands, with a huge range of compounds and treads. This means you must be totally prepared with the right information when you are going shopping for 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 equipment would be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for example, will usually use tires of a smaller size and made from rubber. On the other hand, outdoor applications require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires have a rubber tread and are filled with compressed air. These features give them a good grip on surfaces which are rough and uneven.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each and every year, 200 individuals are killed in lift truck or forklift related accidents each year. Ensuring lift truck safety, such as correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to preventing these dangerous and terrible mishaps from happening.
Pre-Work Check
Before each shift, the lift truck's tires need to be checked. Ideally, they should have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the manufacturer. This is really essential because if the tire pressure is very low, the machinery can accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Types
The tires used on indoor lift trucks will be made out of solid rubber.
Other Considerations
Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA places a requirement on the frequent use of forklifts. These lift trucks are required to be inspected at the end of each and every shift. The driver should inspect the equipment for any type of mechanical issues and the tires must be looked over for excessive wear, cuts or obvious damage to the tires. Any issues that are detected should be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.