Maintaining Your Forklift: Tips for Regular Inspection and Replacement of Parts
A forklift is the ultimate material handling equipment that serves your pallet loading, unloading and transportation needs. It is a reliable machine that, if maintained properly, can make many of your tasks in a warehouse quite easy and increase your efficiency. So, here are some tips to maintain it.
Check Them Before You Start Work
It is important that you check your forklift every time before you start your shift. This is the first step that needs to be taken when using a forklift. If you practice this daily, you are more likely to spot a problem with your equipment long before it causes any issues. This allows you to stop the malfunction right then and there so that you don’t have to face a bigger form of it later on. If you check your forklift before you start using it, you also avoid the chances of getting an injury.
Your safety is compromised when a forklift malfunctions, so it’s better to check it before you start the day in order to prevent any accidents in the middle of your shift. A malfunction becomes extremely dangerous when the forklift is lifting a load, because it can fall on anyone and cause an injury. So, you need to make sure that you rule out any problems before the forklift comes into use.
Get Them Inspected Regularly
Aside from your daily checks before beginning work, it is important to get the forklift regularly inspected for any issues. A regular inspection can be done weekly or monthly, depending on your requirements. Make sure that said inspection is thorough enough that if there is a problem, it can be identified and solved quickly. This way, there are fewer chances of your forklift malfunctioning completely and becoming inoperable.
Don’t Skip Maintenance
Make sure you don’t forget to get your forklift a maintenance session once in a while. Also, if there are things that you can do yourself to keep the forklift in good shape, then do them every so often to avoid any potential breakdowns. The manufacturer’s recommendations are your guide to what exactly you can do to perform maintenance on your forklift. An oil change for your engine and maintenance of proper fluid levels can go a long way in ensuring smooth operation of your forklift.
Replace Parts When Needed
If there are any parts that require replacement, you must get them replaced as soon as you can to prevent a negative effect on your forklift’s overall performance. Even one malfunctioning part can cause your equipment to break down, so you need to stay vigilant. When you are replacing any part of your forklift, make sure that the new part is genuine and of good quality because if you go for a cheaper option, you are essentially reducing your forklift’s performance.
Properly Lubricate the Parts
All the parts of your forklift that require lubrication should be lubricated as per need. These parts will be mentioned in the official manual of the forklift provided by the manufacturer. Lubrication will help in preventing too much wear and tear of those moving parts because it will reduce friction.
The Bottom Line
These are some of the tips that can help you maintain your forklift and keep it in good shape, so that you don’t encounter any problems while operating it. Make sure to always find reliable forklift parts for maintenance because they always have a long life.
