Ensuring Forklift Safety and Performance with Proper Tire Selections
In many ways, a forklift’s tires are the most critical component on a lift, as even tiny issues with a single tire can jeopardize the truck’s stability, handling, and reliability. For this reason, warehouse fleet managers must be well versed in the many details involved with forklift tires such as their types and functional features, as well as how to properly maintain tires over time.
Comparing Forklift Tire Types
Tires for forklifts are available in three general categories:
- Pneumatic Tires – this type of forklift tire is the closest to standard automobile tires, consisting of a hollow formed traction tread that is installed onto a lipped rim and inflated with compressed air, inert gas, or expanding foam. Pneumatic tires offer great traction and shock absorption, making them ideal for outdoor, loose, uneven, and rough terrain. These tires are low in cost but are susceptible to punctures, ruptures, and slow leaks.
- Solid Pneumatic Tires – to address the deflation and rupture risks that come along with pneumatic tires, a variant known as solid pneumatic tires is available. Instead of being hollow, these tires are constructed with solid or lattice cores, requiring no internal air or gas to inflate them. Solid pneumatic tires are great for indoor and outdoor applications where puncture risks are prevalent, but do offer less shock absorption and come at a higher cost.
- Cushion Tires – where pneumatic tires have large sidewall heights that offer deep tread patterns and larger wear depths, cushion tires have shorter sidewall heights, solid cores, and smooth surfaces. Cushion tires can be thought of as flat, thick rubber sleeves that are pressed onto solid steel wheels. The purpose of this design is to provide greater maneuverability and lower friction resistance in environments with smooth, flat, dry floors where traction treads are not needed.
While there are only a few general types of forklift tires as listed above, there are many options available such as:
- Standard and Special Materials – most standard forklift tires of all designs are made of natural rubber, and multiple other materials are available that offer additional benefits. Polyurethane, silica-infused rubber, fiberglass-reinforced rubber, and synthetic polymers are a few of the most common alternatives selected for longer lifespans, higher wear resistance, higher load capacities, and extreme temperature compatibility.
- Non-Marking Materials – standard rubber materials are prone to leaving black marks on floor surfaces when they skid or freewheel, leaving behind unsightly blemishes that are very difficult to clean. For environments where such marks are intolerable, non-marking versions of forklift tires made using hydrated silicas are the solution.
- Various Tread Patterns – just as with auto tires, forklift tires are offered in an array of tread patterns designed to tackle common terrain conditions such as wet concrete, loose gravel, asphalt, and dry soil. In particular, cushion tires are most commonly provided without treads for use on smooth warehouse floors, but are available with tread cuts that are great for gravel storage yards and combo indoor/outdoor usage.
- Static Resistance – many applications are sensitive to static buildup and discharge, which can lead to hazardous situations, product damage, and operator injury. Static discharges can ignite combustible dusts (found where intrinsically safe forklifts are used), completely short-circuit high-tech electronics, and startle operators into causing an accident. Special static-resistant tires arrest these discharges, helping to ensure safety.
- Construction Methods – forklift tire manufacturers often differentiate their products using unique construction methods that offer longer lifespans as well as higher resilience. Common designs may include nylon band reinforcement, multi-ply tread layers, nylon-infused steel belt layers, and shoulder stiffening wires.
Preventative Maintenance and Replacement Tips for Forklift Tires
Tire maintenance is critical in assuring that a lift is in safe operating condition and should be performed as often as called for by each application’s demands. In addition, operators should visually check tires daily during their OSHA pre-shift inspection, and work with their maintenance department to keep an eye on specific criteria including:
- Tread Wear Depth – forklift tires lose tread material as they wear over time and eventually will not have enough tread thickness remaining to be safe. Most tires are manufactured with a visible tread wear line printed onto their side wall, but if not, the tire’s OEM will publish a minimum tread dimension that can be measured manually.
- Uneven Tread Wear – forklift tires that wear unevenly typically indicate a larger issue with the overall lift such as poor steering alignment. In addition, uneven tire wear could be the result of bad operator habits like always turning to one side too quickly or rubbing the lift’s tires up against curbs.
- Inflation – pneumatic forklift tires naturally deflate over time, or may rapidly deflate due to cracks, fractures, or punctures. Under-inflated tires present immediate threats to forklift stability, traction, maneuverability, and overall safety, and so must be routinely checked for adequate pressure.
- Flat Spots – a flattened portion of a forklift tire’s tread is a hazard, as it can directly reduce the forklift’s stability and handling. Flat spots in tires may be caused by the lift sitting immobile for an extended period, excessive lock-up braking, pulling or pushing the lift with the brakes set, extreme overloading, underinflation, and sub-par tire construction.
- Physical Damage – any sign of physical damage to a tire is cause for concern, especially when large chunks of material are missing. Tire damage can be due to accidental impacts, contact with harmful objects (such as driving over racking column floor anchors), and frequent overloading.
- Deterioration – signs of tire deterioration can include sidewall cracking, excessively rounded edges, and pitting. These conditions are often caused by extended exposure to direct sunlight, extreme temperatures (hot or cold), chemicals, and other non-compatible materials (such as fatty oils).
- Discoloration – signs of discoloration on a forklift tire can be caused by excess sun exposure and UV damage, extreme hot or cold temperatures, and contact with incompatible materials (such as oils, fats, and chemicals). Discoloration can at times be simply cosmetic, but in most cases, it indicates irreparable decay.
- Age – as with all rubber materials, tires degrade in various ways as they age. Most often, tires will begin to crack, bulge, harden, and leech as they near the end of their life spans, and these conditions can be accelerated due to environmental factors such as persistent outdoor exposure.
- Tire Replacement – while many of the above tire symptoms can be managed through proper maintenance such as tire rotations, cleaning, and re-inflation, forklift tires will at some point need replacement. What is most important is that maintenance technicians perform visual and functional inspections often so that they can spot any looming issues and make the call to replace the tire well before any accidents might occur.
We hope that this discussion on material handling techniques and technologies proves useful to your manufacturing, construction, and distribution interests. Atlantic Forklift Services is your premiere material handling equipment resource, serving customers in the North and South Carolinas with professional equipment sales, rentals, service, repair, parts, training, and solution consulting.
As a Platinum award-winning dealership, Atlantic Forklift Services partners with world-class equipment manufacturers including Bobcat (formally Doosan). To learn more, please contact us by phone at (866) 243-0991, by email at info@atlanticforkliftservices.com, or on the web at https://www.atlanticforkliftservices.com/.