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Common Forklift Issues Requiring Repair And How To Prevent Or Be Prepared For Them

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Forklifts are generally very sturdy machines, and rarely break. However, that does not mean that they cannot or will not break down at some point. Here are some of the more common forklift issues requiring repair, how to prevent these issues, and how to be prepared for them when they do occur.

Bent Forklift Prongs

Accidents involving a forklift often result in bent forklift prongs. Dings to the most important part of the forklift make it very difficult to pick up boxes and pallets because the prongs are not straight and parallel to each other. Proper employee and forklift operation prevents these damages. Knowing who to contact to repair and/or replace the damaged prongs helps you be ready in the unfortunate event that something does happen to this part of your forklift.

Ignitions with Stuck Keys

Because you need a key to even start a forklift, you cannot afford to have keys stuck in the ignitions of your forklifts. It drains on the batteries, and prevents you from recharging your rechargeable forklifts. If you have a key stuck in an ignition because an employee put the wrong key in the ignition, or put the key in upside down, you will need a professional repair technician to remove that and replace it.

f you can, try turning the forklift off, and stashing it somewhere where an employee cannot use it for work purposes. Better yet, park it somewhere, leave the forklift run until the power runs out, and then turn the ignition to the "off" position. Then none of your employees will be able to use this particular forklift.

Defunct Hydraulics

More than anything else on a forklift, the hydraulics system will be your first introduction to forklift repair. Despite keeping hydraulics greased and under adequate pressure, the constant use of hydraulics to lift high and place pallets causes them to wear out. Consistent maintenance will lengthen the lifespan of the hydraulics, but eventually they will have to be repaired or replaced too. 

Tires

Just like your personal vehicle, the tires on a forklift can pop and flatten. If you have a store of forklift tires in storage, you could replace the flats yourself (with the help of your employees, of course). It also helps to have an air compressor on hand to re-inflate tires on the forklifts. If the tires flatten very quickly after you re-inflate them, then you can tap the extra forklift tires you have in storage.

For more information, contact companies like RDS Equipment, Inc.


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