It is recommended to regularly inspect the front end of your lift truck as part of your daily or pre-shift examination, in order to help prevent expensive forklift repairs. By catching any problems as they arise or ahead of time, you could also help prevent damage to any loads too. The following covers some of the common guidelines on what specific things to inspect during frequent inspections of your material handling fleet.
Forks
It is important to frequently check the forks because if they are cracked or worn out, they could potentially fail without warning. Any kind of fork damage means that your lift truck will need to immediately be removed from service until it is safe and repaired once more. Visually check your forks for any noticeable signs of wear or damage. If the cracks run deeper than on the surface, replace them. Any wear on the forks beyond 10 percent is one more sign that you should replace the forks.
Mast
Ideally, the mast must tilt forward and back and be able to smoothly move down and up. If you find that the sliding surfaces are binding, you might need to grease 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 a different lubrication point and there is also one on each side roller. When the lubricating has been done, tilt it forward and backward and also lower and raise the mast a few times in order to ensure that the lubricant is worked into the fittings properly.
Tilt Cylinders
Your daily check has to include the checking for oil leaks and damage since an uncontrolled mast movement could be a result of oil leakage. Whether the leaks are external or are situated inside of the cylinder, the end result can be cylinder drift and loss of fluid. If there are any signs of leaks or damage, you might need to replace the whole cylinder assembly, or just the seals.
Chains
The mast chains need to be inspected to see if they are being stretched beyond their acceptable limits. Moreover, inspect 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 need to be inspected for indications of wear.
Typically, mast lift chains wear at the pin-to-link connections. If you notice wear, you could experience chain failure. 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 precisely to check on your lift trucks, simply contact your local forklift dealer. Their skilled service technicians would help your perform PM or planned maintenance inspections based on your scheduling and application requirements.