It can be simple to neglect the important tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the lift truck. When you pick the wrong tire for your lift truck, you could put huge increases on your operating costs, and more significantly increase your safety risks. If on the other hand, you select right kind of tire you could enjoy improved safety, significant cost-savings and an overall more effective operation. A properly chosen tire can actually lessen the downtime for replacement and probably last 40% longer.
Tires are actually somewhat complex parts on the machinery; hence, it is easy to select the wrong one accidentally. There are lots of different types of tires and brands, with various treads and compounds. This means you need to be fully prepared with the correct data when you are purchasing tires so that you could decide on some durable and safe options to help extend the life of your lift truck.
Your company should decide on the specific tire for their machinery according to the kind of surface the equipment will be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for instance, would normally use tires of a smaller 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 features give them a great grip on uneven and rough surfaces.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each year, there are around 200 individuals killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring lift truck safety, like for instance proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to avoiding these dangerous and horrible accidents from taking place.
Pre-Work Check
The tires of the lift truck needs to be inspected before each shift. Tires should ideally have the right air pressure, that is set by the manufacturer of the tire. This is very vital because if the tire pressure is very low, the equipment can inadvertently tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
For indoor work, forklifts which have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable option.
Other factors
OSHA or the Occupational Health and Safety Administration places a requirement on the frequent use of forklifts. These lift trucks must be checked at the end of every shift. The operator needs to check the equipment for any mechanical problems and the tires must be inspected 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.