It can be simple to overlook the important tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the forklift. 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 on the other hand, you choose right tire you could enjoy substantial cost-savings, improved safety and an overall more efficient operation. A properly selected tire could actually decrease the downtime for replacement and potentially last 40 percent longer.
Tires are actually quite complex components on the machinery; therefore, it is easy to pick the wrong kind accidentally. There are so many different types of tires and brands, with a wide variety of treads and compounds. This means you must be completely prepared with the correct information when you are purchasing tires so that you could select some safe and tough options to help prolong the life of your forklift.
Your company should decide on the specific tire for their machine according to the type of surface the equipment would be operated on. Indoor applications and smoother surfaces for example, will usually utilize tires that are smaller in size and made from rubber. On the contrary, outdoor operations need 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 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 proper inspection practices, could all contribute in to preventing these dangerous and horrible mishaps from occurring.
Pre-Work Inspection
Before each and every shift, the forklift's tires need to be inspected. Ideally, they must have the proper air pressure, as set forth by the manufacturer. This is really vital because if the tire pressure is very low, the equipment could accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Kinds
For indoor work, lift trucks that have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable option.
Other factors
The OHSA or Occupational Health and Safety Administration require that lift trucks used on a continual basis have to be inspected at the completion of every shift. The driver needs to inspect the machinery for any type of mechanical issues and the tires should be looked over for cuts, excessive wear or obvious damage to the tires. Any issues that are detected must be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.