When it comes to maintaining the lift truck, it could really be easy to neglect the simple yet essential tire. If you select 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 on the other hand, you select right tire you can enjoy improved safety, significant cost-savings and an overall more effective operation. A properly chosen tire can actually decrease the downtime for replacement and probably last 40% longer.
Tires are really quite complex parts on the machine; hence, it is easy to select the wrong type accidentally. There are numerous different brands of tires and kinds, with various treads and compounds. This means you should be fully prepared with the right information when you are going shopping for tires so that you could decide on some durable and safe options to help extend the life of your lift truck.
Your company must select the particular tire for their machine based on the type of surface the machine will be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for example, will usually utilize tires of a smaller size and made from rubber. On the other hand, outdoor operations need pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These features give them a good grip on surfaces that are rough and uneven.
Forklift Tire Safety
Each year, there are approximately 200 individuals killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring forklift safety, like for example correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to preventing these horrible and dangerous accidents from occurring.
Pre-Work Check
Before every shift, the forklift's tires need to be inspected. Ideally, they should have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the manufacturer. This is very important because if the tire pressure is too low, the equipment can accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Types
For indoor work, lift trucks that have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable option.
Other factors
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA require that lift trucks utilized on a continual basis need to be inspected at the completion of each and every shift. The driver should inspect the machine for any mechanical problems and the tires must be checked for excessive wear, cuts or apparent tire damage. Any problems that are detected must be addressed as soon as possible to maintain safety.