Maintaining your forklift mast hydraulic hoses is a matter of safety!
Mast hoses are often overlooked during routine maintenance checks. This can lead to equipment downtime, lost productivity, and most importantly, hazardous situations for anyone operating the forklift or within close proximity. Regular inspections and replacement of worn or damaged mast hoses help ensure workplace safety and increase mast hose life expectancy. Barclay Brand Ferdon offers Planned Forklift Maintenance and Full Maintenance programs that can include mast hose inspections. We also offer parts and service for all forklift brands to keep your equipment in prime operating condition.
Hose Inspection & Maintenance
When the jacket on a forklift mast hose is compromised, it’s extremely vulnerable to external damage. Cracks in the jacket expose the hose to harmful abrasives, chemicals and environmental elements that damage its integrity. Every pre-operation inspection mandated by OSHA requires a visual inspection of the mast hydraulic hoses. Mast hose maintenance should include:
- Periodic inspection of the entire length of each hose to look for missing sections of the jacket, and perpendicular cracks, parallel cuts, and gouges on the jacket.
- Checking the tension that the hoses are under and adjusting this tension as outlined by the owner’s manual.
- Inspecting the sides of the hoses that come into contact with the sheaves.
- Searching for broken wires, if using rubber hoses.
- Checking end connections for leaks.
- Inspecting the shell end of the fitting.
Discard and replace hose(s) if:
- Sections of the jacket are missing.
- Broken wires are found.
- Fluid is found at the shell end of the fitting.
- The hose reinforcement is exposed or damaged and coming into contact with materials being transported.
Order High Quality Replacement Hoses
If hoses need replaced, contact Barclay Brand Ferdon to order thermoplastic mast hoses from Parflex. A majority of hoses in the past were made from rubber, but thermoplastic hoses outlive conventional rubber products due to better temperature, rigger and fatigue control. We strive to provide you with information to improve your productivity and safety. Contact us to assist with your mast hose maintenance needs.
We’re located in South Plainfield, New Jersey, but our staff services Central and Northern New Jersey and several areas in New York, including Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties. Call us for 24-hour emergency service or parts delivery or contact us discuss all your warehouse equipment or material handling needs today!
