In warehouses, forklifts are often the backbone and ensuring their safety is important to your drivers and employees. These play an important role when it comes to ensuring the safe operation of your lifting business. This is why you should pay close attention to the maintenance of the lift truck. Keep in mind that there are many ways to make sure that your Moffett lift truck stays in the best working condition and while maintenance is the main factor you need to focus on, the maintenance of the tire is important.
Most business owners and operators ignore the maintenance of the tire, and it is often confusing when it comes to tire replacements. Forklifts don’t have a suspension; the tires take most of the stress and the load weights.
Read on further below and this guide should help you to evaluate whether or not your forklift tires need a replacement as well as the importance of knowing exactly when you should replace them. When talking about forklift tires, you should know that cushion and pneumatic tires are the two common and popular options. The focus will be on these two options.
Detecting the Warning Signs
When it comes to forklifts there are several brands selling tires for the equipment, but almost all of them fall under the cushion or the pneumatic types of tires. Each one of these tires has their own sets of warning signs, and these should help in detecting the right time for replacement. The cushion tires work beyond their normal working life until about 30-35% of the rubber wears away. When you have pneumatic tires, you have to keep a good check on the wearing away of the tread, once the tread fades or rubs away, this means the traction point has come and it will compromise the stability.
Pneumatic Tires and Their Warning Signs
You should know that pneumatic often differ from the other types, or cushion tires and they are best for outdoor use of the lift truck. When you notice some changes in the forklift, this is when you need to ensure that you pay extra attention to the maintenance of the tire. When you consult dealers, such as Bobby Park experts, you will learn about the following warning signs:
Inflation
Under and over inflation often have an effect on the stability of the forklift. This only enhances the wear and tear of the tire. It will also affect the stopping power of the vehicle, since the traction of the tire will lessen.
Cuts
If you notice any visible cord or frayed cord piles, it is important that you replace the tires at once. Usually, cuts can result in the sudden loss of air, which causes poor balance.
Balding
Often, tires wear off at different times or phases. It is essential that you inspect the lug or tires, the outer tread and smooth centers.
Simple Wear
At such times, you should stick to the 2-inch rule, but this is not something straightforward in regards to knowing when you need to replace the tires. The major reason for this is that pneumatic tires have bigger sizes compared to cushion tires and ideal for rough terrains.
Cushion Tires and Their Warning Signs
Although the wearing off time of cushion tires may be slow, it can easily experience damages. It is imperative to check some warning signs and consider replacing the tires.
Simple Wear
In cushion tires, it is a common thing to see about 50% of the lines showing some signs of wear. When the top tire meets the wear line this is the time when you need to consider a replacement.
Chunking, Cracks
Due to constant wear and tear or misuse, and debris, the rubber of the lift truck could fall off from the tires. This will result in the lift truck having bigger chunks in the rubber as well as the need to consider a proper replacement. It is normal for the tire of the lift truck to tear when it drives on sharp objects, this will result in instability and pose harm to the life of operators.
Flat Spots
Keep in mind that misalignment and spinning often result in flat spots, or at times, when the lift truck comes to an abrupt halt. To identify flat spots, you should search for balder areas on the tires.
You should know that ignoring the maintenance of your Moffett lift truck tires isn’t the best solution, this will lead to performance and safety issues, including unnecessary damage to the machinery. Routine replacement of forklift tires is vital to the productivity of your warehouse and it is vital that you know how you should replace them.
For the best results, safety of your warehouse and the people around, it is important that you seek the help of experienced people.
