A lot is riding on your forklift tires. To ensure the safety of your staff, equipment and load, visually inspect your tires for wear and replace worn or damaged tires immediately. Taking certain precautions can help extend the life of your tires and save on replacement costs and other potential damage to your forklift. Barclay Brand Ferdon in South Plainfield, New Jersey can help you better manage timely tire replacements and carries high quality replacements for all types of forklifts.
Tire Care Tips
- Select the right tire, including tire size, type, construction, and compounds.
- Avoid excessive speeds that exceed a solid tire’s capacity to prevent premature tire failure.
- Inspect tires daily/weekly to remove embedded foreign objects and check tread wear.
- Avoid over-lubrication that causes grease and oil to overflow, which can be harmful to rubber tires.
- Keep brakes in adjustment to avoid heat buildup in tires and premature failure.
- Check axle alignment and steering to ensure even tread wear.
- Mount tires centered on wheels to avoid premature tire failure and potential safety hazards.
- Train operators in proper driving techniques, tire inspections, and maintenance to extend tire life and the life of the equipment.
- Keep floors clean, clear, and in good repair. Sharp objects, chemicals, and damaged surfaces directly affect tire life.
- Avoid excessive heat, prolonged exposure to hot surfaces and contact with hot metals.
- Avoid spinning, sharp turns and quick starts and stops that can rapidly wear tread and cause premature tire failure.
- Avoid overloading, which causes rubber separation, cutting, chipping and tire blowouts.
- Avoid oil, grease, and gasoline that can break down the tire rubber compound.
- Avoid standing loads that cause flat spots to form on solid tires.
Replacing Tires
Worn out tires can affect the forklifts carrying capacity, starting, stopping and shock absorption, which can cause vehicle damage. Never operate a lift truck with tires worn beyond the suggested wear indicators. Solid rubber tires should be replaced when 50% of the rubber is gone or you see flat spots or pieces of the tire falling off.
Join our Forklift Tire Inspection Program to become proactive about tire care. The service is free and allows us to recommend alternatives and special products to help you avoid flats and better schedule tire changes based on usage. When you need new forklift tires, use our convenient online form or contact us at 908-561-2100 today!
Smooth
Indoor & outdoor applications
Load performance consistency
Ideal for dry surface starts and stops
Resists dock plate snags & damage
Recommended for both drive & steer wheel applications
Traction
Suitable for most drive applications
Performs a wide range of applications
Wide center wear bar for added tread life
Ultra Trac Lug
Improved stability, flotation, load capacity
Improved traction
Indoor / Outdoor
All Season
Reduces driver & equipment fatigue
Ultra Trac Smooth
Best stability & load capacity
Best tread life
Best traction for dry applications
Fiberglass
Fiberglass compound tire tends to allow for better gripping and also longer life, especially in non-marking tires.