A scheduled maintenance program for your forklifts is critical to driver safety and operational efficiency. Like your personal vehicle, there are parts on your forklifts that need to be serviced periodically to maintain performance and prevent breakdowns.

There are some forklift parts that invariably get a lot of use, or are more susceptible to degradation over time. Rubber parts and flexible hoses should be proactively replaced on a regular basis in order to avoid problems with leakage or failure.

Swapping out lift truck parts before they weaken or break down can help you avoid far costlier repairs in the future. As the adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The parts you should proactively replace during scheduled maintenance are:

• Rubber Parts and Power Steering Hoses: Every 2 years, or 4,000 hours
• Reservoir Tank Hose: Every 4,000 hours or 2 years
• Wheel Cylinder Rubber Parts: Every 1,000 hours or annually
• Master Cylinder Rubber Parts: Every 1,000 hours or annually
• 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: in general, most industrial batteries will last for a minimum of 5 years, and given adequate management they can last much longer. However, all batteries will eventually wear out and need replacement.
• Forklift tires: as soon as tires erode further than the 50% line, have splitting or chunking problems, or form flat areas, they should be swapped out immediately.
• Bearings: any worn out bearings should be promptly replaced to maintain smooth function of the lift truck.

Lift Truck Maintenance

Regular forklift maintenance plans should address the following:

• Routine Lubrication: the joints and moving parts of a forklift should be greased on a predetermined schedule.
• Fluid Checks: Battery water and hydraulic fluids should be inspected on a routine basis.
• Charging: A systematic charging schedule is vital for your lift truck’s battery life and efficiency.
• Inspection of Gauges: as a basic safety measure, all gauges and instruments should be inspected on a regular basis. This is not just a suggestion, it’s also an OSHA requirement under Section 1910.178(q)

Lift Truck Safety

The federal government has a number of rules related to lift truck upkeep, and any truck that is found to be unsafe should be sidelined until all issues can be resolved. When is a lift truck considered unsafe? Here are some of the issues that could easily justify removing a lift truck from service:

• Tires with missing chunks or gouges
• Cracked welds on the mast or truck frame
• Damaged or missing bolts on any part of the forklift
• Malfunctioning gauges
• A compromised overhead guard

Forklift Part Replacement in Santa Barbara

If you’d like assistance in sourcing forklift parts or need forklift service, you can speak with a parts professional at Raymond West by calling (805) 749-2777 .

Raymond West
Santa Barbara County Service Area:
Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria
Phone: (805) 749-2777