It could really 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 can put large increases on your operating expenses, and more importantly increase your safety risks. If however, you pick correct tire you could enjoy substantial cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A correctly selected tire can really decrease the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40 percent longer.
Tires are really somewhat complex parts on the machine; thus, it is easy to select the wrong type accidentally. There are numerous different kinds of tires and brands, with a huge range of compounds and treads. This means you should be fully prepared with the right data when you are buying tires so that you can select some safe and tough options to help extend the life of your lift truck.
The particular type of tire selected for a forklift depends on the kind of surface you will be utilizing the machine on. For example, smoother surfaces and indoor applications normally use tires which are made from rubber and that are smaller in size. On the contrary, outdoor applications 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 year, 200 people are killed in forklift or lift truck related accidents each year. Ensuring forklift safety, like correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to preventing these dangerous and terrible accidents from occurring.
Pre-Work Check
Prior to each shift, the lift truck's tires need to be checked. Ideally, they must 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 could accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
For indoor work, lift trucks which have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable alternative.
Other factors
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA require that lift trucks used on a continual basis need to be checked at the completion of each and every shift. The operator needs to inspect the machine for any type of mechanical problems and the tires must be looked over for excessive wear, cuts or obvious damage to the tires. Any issues which are detected must be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.