Selecting Between Cushion & Pneumatic Tires
Forklift tires contribute significantly to your equipment's handling and safety characteristics, as well as impacting maintenance costs. The kind of forklift will determine to a large extent the type of tire since the majority of forklifts are made with a specific frame which accepts only a particular kind of tire. It helps to understand the properties of both pneumatic and cushion tires prior to choosing a tire.
Instructions
1 Check your forklift owner handbook for specifications regarding tires. Most likely your forklift will run either on cushion tires or pneumatic tires. This would limit your choice to the kind of tire for which the forklift frame is built.
2 Make sure you know the specific type of forklift you are utilizing. Electric forklift trucks and electric pallet jack trucks usually are constructed to use cushion tires that do not need a lot of friction. Pneumatic tires are generally for forklifts which run on liquid propane gas or diesel.
3 Make certain you know what kind of ground you will be utilizing the forklift on. Soft cushion tires are constructed for even terrain whilst pneumatic tires are suitable for rough grounds. Cushion tires, if used on uneven ground, could cause the forklift to get stuck since they are set lower. Pneumatic tires perform well on crushed concrete, gravel and packed stones but not on potholed surfaces and really rough terrain.
4 Check space limitations. Forklifts used mainly indoors have to be able to turn in limited areas. Cushion tires work better than pneumatic tires in those types of situations.
|
|
