It is suggested to often inspect the front end of your forklift as part of your daily or pre-shift inspection, in order to help prevent costly lift truck repairs. By catching any problems in advance or as they happen, you can also help prevent damage to any kind of loads as well. The following includes several of the common guidelines on what specific stuff to check during frequent inspections of your material handling fleet.
Forks
Regularly inspecting the forks is vital because if these are worn out or cracked, they might fail without warning. Any type of fork damage means that your lift truck must instantly be removed from service until it is repaired and safe once again. Visually check your forks for any noticeable indications of wear or damage. If the cracks run deeper than on the surface, replace them. Any wear on the forks beyond 10 percent is another indication that you must replace the forks.
Mast
Ideally, the mast should tilt forward and back and be able to smoothly move up and down. If you find that the sliding surfaces are binding, you may need to lubricate the mast strip sliding surfaces as well as their fittings. On the inner mast there is a fitting situated on every side. The lift bracket side rollers are another lubrication point and there is also one on every side roller. When the lubricating has been done, raise and lower the mast and also tilt it forward and backward a few times in order to guarantee that the lubricant is worked correctly into the fittings.
Tilt Cylinders
Your daily check needs to involve the checking for oil leaks and damage because an uncontrolled mast movement could be a result of oil leakage. Whether the leaks are situated inside of the cylinder or are external, the end result may be loss of fluid and cylinder drift. If there are any signs of damage or leaks, you may need to replace the entire cylinder assembly, or just the seals.
Chains
The mast chains have to be inspected to see if they are being stretched beyond their acceptable limits. In addition, check the chain wear guage or check the chains for signs of damage. If wear is present beyond 2 percent, replace the chain. Also replace it if the chain appears kinked or rusted. Both the chain rollers and the sheave bearings also have to be checked for indications of wear.
The mast lift chain will typically wear at the pin-to-link connections. You can experience chain failure if you discover wear. This could end up damaging the product or front end parts. If you do not have time on hand to carry out frequent fleet inspections or if you require help determining what exactly to check on your forklifts, just call your local lift truck dealer. Their trained service technicians will help your perform PM or planned maintenance checks according to your application needs and scheduling.