A planned maintenance routine for your lift trucks is essential to driver protection and operational productivity. Like your own car or truck, there are components on your lift trucks that require periodic service to maintain performance and avoid breakdowns.

Some lift truck components consistently get a lot of use, or are more prone to deterioration over time. All rubber components and hoses should be preemptively renewed on a set schedule in order to avoid problems with leakage or failure.

Exchanging components before they weaken or break down can prevent much more expensive repairs down the road. As the adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

These are some of the components on a lift truck that must be replaced on a regular basis:

• Rubber Parts and Power Steering Hoses: Every 2 years, or 4,000 hours
• Reservoir Tank Hose: Every 2 years, or 4,000 hours
• Wheel Cylinder Rubber Parts: Every year, or 2,000 hours
• Master Cylinder Rubber Parts: Every year, or 2,000 hours
• Hydraulic Hose: Every 2 years, or 4,000 hours
• Lift Chain: Every 6,000 hours or 3 years
• Swing Lock Cylinder: Every 10,000 hours

There are other parts that may also need regular replacement, including:

• Lift truck battery: lead acid batteries generally have a lifespan of at least 5 years, and given proper management they can have an even longer life. However, all batteries will eventually wear out and need replacement.
• Forklift tires: once tires erode beyond the wear line, have shredding or general disintegration issues, or form flat areas, they should be replaced as soon as possible.
• Bearings: any worn out bearings should be attended to right away to continue smooth function of the lift truck.

Lift Truck Service

At a minimum, any regular forklift maintenance should include:

• Routine Lubrication: all joints and moving parts of the lift truck should be oiled on a predetermined schedule.
• Fluids: Lead acid battery water and hydraulic system fluids should be monitored on a regular schedule.
• Battery Charging: A systematic charging schedule is vital for your forklift’s battery longevity and performance.
• Instrument Inspection: to maintain a safe work environment, all instruments and gauges must be inspected on a regular basis. Not only is this a good idea, it’s also an OSHA regulation within Section 1910.178(q)

Lift Truck Safety

The federal government has a litany of standards concerning forklift upkeep, and any fork truck that is found to be substandard should be removed from service until all issues can be resolved. When is a lift truck considered unsafe? These are some of the conditions that could easily justify removing a lift truck from service:

• Tires with gouges or missing chunks
• Broken welds on the truck frame or mast
• Missing fasteners or bolts anywhere on the vehicle
• Malfunctioning instruments or gauges
• A compromised overhead guard

Forklift Part Replacement in Nogales

For any brand of forklift parts, you can talk to an expert at Raymond West Inc by calling (520) 281-4125 .

Raymond West Inc
2725-B North Grand Ave
Nogales, AZ 85621
Phone: (520) 281-4125