When to Replace Your Forklift Tires

A unique vehicle

When looking at a forklift as compared to a car, you can see that forklifts have unique challenges. The average car weighs around 3,000 pounds, meanwhile, the average forklift weighs about 9,000 pounds. In addition to being heavier vehicles, forklifts are typically heavier in the rear to counter the weight of the items that will be carried in the forks. Cars have brakes that apply to all four wheels, while forklifts only have stopping-power in their front-drive wheels. All of these factors combine to make forklifts more difficult to stop, which shows even more why having effective tires is crucial to operating a forklift safely.

If you use subpar tires, you run the risk of having truck issues such as tip-overs, lost loads from blow-outs, stability issues, and increased fork-heel wear. Good tires allow for greater efficiency in your machines and increased safety for operators.

Make checking your forklift tires part of your daily inspection! Replacing worn tires when required is important to maintaining a safe and productive working environment for forklift operators and those around them. In order to ensure even wear on both sides, replace them at the same time. Here are the tell-tale signs you can look for that indicate it’s time to replace them:

• Tearing, Chunking, and Separation of Tire from the Wheel
  Anytime you see pieces of tire tearing or falling off, it’s time to replace them. If the tire is starting to separate from the rim, that is another clear indicator that the tire will need to be replaced.
  
  
• Flat/Bald Spots
  Inspect your tires often for evenness and balding, or loss of tread. Flat and bald spots can lead to a loss of traction, so it’s important to replace tires with any of these spots.
  
  
• Tire wear is past the ‘wear line’
  Most forklift tires have a 50% wear line which indicates when it’s time to replace them. Once your tire has worn past the 50% line, it’s time to replace it.
  
  
• Losing Tire Height
  Each tire has a tire height printed on the tire itself. Once the height of the tire is lower than 2 inches or more than the original height, it’s time to replace it. Using tires with reduced height causes your machine to work harder than it has to, causing more wear and tear in the long run.
  
  

If you are unsure of whether or not your tires need to be replaced, get a second opinion from an authorized dealer such as Morrison Industrial Equipment Co., or a training resource like Trainmor. You should never wait to replace your tires once you spot any of these indicators; the safety of your operators and the longevity of your machines is dependent on outfitting your machines with adequate tires.

Remember September! You can plan on saving on your tires every September during Morrison Industrial Equipment Co.’s Annual Tire Sale. Click here to get Tire Sale details and contact the Morrison branch nearest you!

Watch: Forklift Tire Wear - When Is It Time To Replace Your Tires?