It could really be simple to neglect the important tire, when it comes to the maintenance of the forklift. When you select the wrong tire for your forklift, you can put large increases on your operating costs, and more significantly increase your safety risks. If however, you select right tire you can enjoy improved safety, significant cost-savings and an overall more effective operation. A properly selected tire can really reduce the downtime for replacement and probably last 40 percent longer.
Tires are really somewhat complex parts on the equipment; therefore, it is easy to select the wrong type accidentally. There are so many different brands of tires and kinds, with a wide array of compounds and treads. This means you need to be completely prepared with the correct information when you are going shopping for tires so that you can decide on some safe and tough options to help prolong the life of your lift truck.
The specific kind of tire selected for a lift truck depends on the kind of surface you will be using the machinery on. For instance, indoor applications and smooth surfaces normally use tires which are made from rubber and that are a smaller size. On the other hand, outdoor operations require pneumatic tires. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air and have a rubber tread. These characteristics give them a great grip on surfaces which are uneven and rough.
Lift Truck Tire Safety
Each year, there are about 200 individuals killed in accidents related for forklift use. Ensuring lift truck safety, such as correct inspection practices, can all contribute in to avoiding these dangerous and horrible accidents from occurring.
Pre-Work Check
Before every shift, the lift truck's tires have to be inspected. Ideally, they should have the right air pressure, as set forth by the maker. This is really vital because if the tire pressure is very low, the machinery can accidentally tip over when a load is being raised.
Types
For indoor work, lift trucks which have solid tires made out of rubber are the most suitable choice.
Other factors
Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA places a requirement on the frequent utilization of forklifts. These lift trucks are required to be checked at the end of each shift. The operator has to inspect the equipment for any type of mechanical issues and the tires should be checked for cuts, excessive wear or obvious damage to the tires. Any issues which are detected have to be dealt with as soon as possible to maintain safety.