Forklift Tires
When it comes to installation types, there are two types regarding forklift tires: press on and standard. Usually, press on tires are used on electric forklifts and those models operating in indoor applications like for instance warehouses. The press on tires can be used also in light industrial application as well.
Standard tires are mainly utilized on forklifts which operate in outdoor environment or where uneven or rough surfaces need more traction and tougher tires.
There are a lot of various types of forklift tires just as there are lots of various kinds of forklifts. The most frequently used tires are solid, polyurethane and pneumatic. The kind of tires are dictated by where and what the forklift is used for. It is vital to get the right tires for the task and ensuring the correct pick will have a big impact on both safety and performance.
For outdoor forklifts that have to function in an all-terrain atmosphere such as on a construction site, the best choice will be pneumatic tires. These are made of durable rubber and then filled with air, similar to a tractor or truck tire. Pneumatic tires create an air cushion between the forklift and the terrain. This design considerably lessens the wear and tear on the machine and creates a very comfortable ride for the operator. The thick, deep treads on the tires provide the necessary traction required for use on uneven and rough surfaces.
For light industrial applications, both indoors and outdoors, solid tires are best. They are made out of constructed solid, tough rubber. This helps them to stay safer from blowouts, popping like pneumatic tires or damage because of puncture wounds. Since these tires are not filled with air, they are unable to provide the cushion effect. This fact makes them not suitable for use on rough terrain. Some solid tires are made with holes in the sidewalls to provide a rather softer ride. The only problem is that this type of construction makes the load carrying capacity of the forklift less.
The polyurethane forklift tires would typically outlast both of the rubber tire designs but are intended for indoor warehouse applications only. The load capacity of polyurethane is a lot higher compared to a rubber tire. These tires work great with well with electric forklifts because of the added weight of the equipment's batteries. Because of the less rolling resistance of the tires, one more benefit of this kind of tire is the extended battery life.