Simple Ways To Increase A Forklift’s Lifespan

Featured Forklift Service

Your forklifts are the workhorses for your Indiana warehouse.  When one goes down, it can put you in a significant bind. Unfortunately, as your forklifts age, the chance of a mechanical failure increases.  That’s why you should take every precaution to ensure that your trucks will last as long as possible before they need to be replaced.  

Luckily, with daily attention and regular maintenance, you should get a fairly long lifespan.  Just follow these few tips and you can make sure your forklifts age well.

Make Sure Everything Is Ready to Go at the End of Your Shifts

At the beginning of each shift, you should check the forklift over before you start your daily work.  Checking items like gas and fluid levels, battery charge, tire treads, and hydraulics help you determine if the forklift is ready and safe and can even alert you to potential problems.  Once everything checks out on the daily checklist, you should be able to start-up and go to work.

You should also do the same checks after each shift.  Then refill the gas or charge the battery, and basically make sure that the next shift has everything it needs to start quickly.  By taking a few minutes at the end of the shift to run down the checklist, you ensure that any issues are dealt with when they are fresh in your mind.  This is especially needed if your forklifts work outside in the elements, as it’s much easier on an engine to start with a full tank. You can even document potential problems that the next shift should keep an eye on.

Make Sure Your Forklifts Receive Regular Maintenance

Most mechanical problems don’t spontaneously happen.  Belt snaps and chain slips usually happen after daily use wears down the part until it breaks.  Sometimes, when a part does break, it can cause a chain reaction affecting multiple systems. However, if you take care of these small wear and tear issues early, your forklift will keep running smoothly longer.

Having a Planned Maintenance plan ensures that problems are diagnosed and fixed before they are catastrophes.  A certified technician can identify potential issues that you may have missed during your daily checks.  Now, you can replace items before they break, which should vastly increase the lifespan of your forklift.

Make Sure Your Drivers Operate Your Forklifts Safely

The best way to keep your forklifts running well is to drive them in a safe and consistent manner.  Daily wear and tear can get expedited when the truck is operated poorly, and most accidents happen because of user error.  You can have your forklifts in tip-top shape 24/7, but it won’t matter if it’s involved in an accident or tip-over.

That’s why OSHA requires anyone who operates a forklift -- even occasionally -- should receive certified training.  Well-trained operators have a much better chance of avoiding a major accident, mainly because they fully understand the machine and how to skillfully maneuver around your warehouse.  Operator training can also cover how to perform those before and after shift checks, and how to identify potential problems. Training can also happen on-site, so your drivers will learn in the same conditions they will be working in.

Tynan Can Help You Keep Your Forklifts Up and Running

Whether it's with a major repair, scheduled maintenance, or operator training, Tynan can help you get the most from your forklifts.  We can even set your Indiana operation up with a leasing plan, just in case you want your forklifts to have a lifespan of a set amount of months. Just call (317) 597-4003, and we make sure you have what you need.

Regular maintenance will help increase your forklift's lifespan.

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