Five Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Forklift Tires

Do you own a forklift, or operate one? If so, machine maintenance and service are probably often on your mind. It’s important that you not ignore damage to vital forklift parts in Abilene, TX—especially the tires. Here are five sure signs it’s time to replace your forklift tires:

• Worn tires: A forklift can be used in a warehouse to lift pallets of inventory onto high storage shelves, or at a construction site to move heavy materials from one area to another. Not only does this hefty work vehicle carry a variety of materials weighing hundreds of pounds, it also drives over all sorts of debris. Inside or outside, whether handling sharp or dull debris, forklift tires are going to wear more quickly than the tires on your daily driver. Check for uneven tread wear, and consider replacing tires once they wear down two inches from their original thickness.
• Cracked, cut or bald tires: Along the same lines as tread wear, you want to be aware of balding tires, which are a sign of wheel misalignment. Bald tires happen with normal use over time, or if the operator drives or brakes it hard. With cut tires come flat tires. This can cause the forklift’s load to shift and the unit to become off balance. Other tire damage includes cracks. Cracks happen when pieces of rubber fall off after coming into contact with debris.
• Pieces of tire coming off: “Chunking” is a word used to describe obvious damage to vehicle or heavy machinery tires. Going back to cracked forklift tires, chucking is when big pieces or chunks of the forklift’s tires literally fall off. This problem is very obvious if you find rubber pieces littering the ground behind the vehicle or see cracks and gaps all over a tire. A tire in this condition needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
• Misshapen tires: Because forklift tires need to be extra strong to hold up under the weight of the vehicle’s body and the load it’s holding, their structure is different from car tires. So, if your forklift tires are not symmetrical and round, and you notice flat spots in any place, it is time to get them replaced.
• Tire pressure issues: Driving on car tires with inadequate air can lead to a tire blowout, slow air leak or traffic accident. Now imagine what could happen if you’re operating a forklift with overinflated or underinflated tires. Overinflation means it has less contact with the floor, and therefore less traction, more tire wear and weakened braking power. Underinflation makes it harder to navigate smooth turns, especially when carrying a load, and since it has to work harder just to move around, it’s using more fuel than it should be.

If the time has come to replace your forklift tires or other forklift parts in Abilene, TX, stop on in to V-Bar Equipment Company. We also sell new and used machines, as well as rent units and perform forklift repairs. Contact us today!

Categorised in: Forklift Parts

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