There are several tire types available on the market for forklifts. Each type of tire has its own benefits and works well for specific facility types. Understanding the specifics of certain forklift tires help to know which one is right for you. In the industry, it is common to hear about tires referred to as cushion and pneumatic, which helps categorize the forklifts.
However, there is more to tires than just those two names. There are several tires on the market that work better in certain production environments, thus making them the choice for those production facilities.
Keeping The Floors Clean
Non-marking tires are optimal for facilities that need the floors kept clean at all times. By using non-marking tires, the cost of floor maintenance is cut down considerably. Facilities where these tires are used would include food production plants, textiles, paper mills and even bottling plants. These tires are made from natural rubber with Hi-Sil ingredients. With their low rolling resistance, these tires will extent the battery life of the forklift or lower fuel usage. Static straps should always be used with non-marking tires.
Reducing Heat Build Up
Fiber glass tires reduce heat build up under heavy loads and work great in production areas where heavy material needs to be transported around the plant. By reducing heat build up these tires are more resistant to chipping and chunking when placed under extreme load weights.
Heavy Loads
Polyurethane tires are designed to move heavy loads for short distances. They are non-marking tires that have a resistance to numerous things. These areas of resistance include chipping, chunking, cutting and chemicals. Their resistance to chemicals makes them a choice for production areas where chemical exposure could harm the tires.
Cold Operating Environment
Walnut shell tires are great for areas where extremely cold temperatures are the norm. They have improved traction that offers for a firmer grip on frozen surfaces, thus reducing the risk of the forklift sliding out of control on frozen ground.
Oil Resistant tires reduce the amount of wear and tear that other tires would see when in constant contact with oily surfaces. These forklift tires are the best choice in production areas where the is a chance of exposure to any types of oils or petroleum products. These oils can eat through the rubber on the tires, which can lead to accidents or be costly to replace. With oil resistant tires, these problems are reduced considerably.
Explosive Environment
Static conducting tires offers the ultimate in safety from explosions in production areas where static can cause an explosion. These production areas usually include fuel refineries, areas where gasoline is used to conduct equipment checks and other such areas where explosive vapors are in the air.
The universal tires are the most widely used forklift tires on the market though. These tires hold up fairly well on most surfaces. Their durable construction with high tread wear makes the resistant to cuts and chunking. They are made from high grade rubber along with resistant additives. These tires are used with electric forklift trucks as well as internal combustion trucks.
Ernest Jarquio is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Forklifts-n-Pallets.com. He provides more resources on topics such as forklift tires, pallet lift and used pallet racks California that you can research on his website even while lounging in your living room.
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