Three Tips For Maintaining Your Warehouse's Forklifts

Managing a warehouse will require you to make a number of decisions about personnel and equipment to ensure that it operates as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, there can be some warehouse managers and owners that may not be particularly informed about the maintenance needs of their warehouse equipment. In particular, a forklift can be an essential tool, but if it is not properly maintained, it can suffer a number of potentially serious problems. To help you avoid these issues, you should make sure to follow these three tips.

Inspect The Forklift For Corrosion

At least once a month, you should thoroughly inspect the exterior of the forklift for any signs of corrosion. When rust starts to form on your forklift, it is important for you to quickly take corrective action. If you allow the rust to worsen and spread, it can greatly complicate the repair process. In extreme cases, it can weaken the body of the forklift and compromise the mechanical parts.

If you discover rust forming on your forklift, you should consider gently sanding it off and applying a protective sealant to the area. These sealants will prevent moisture from coming into contact with the metal and corroding.

Create Detailed Maintenance Records

A forklift can be a highly durable device, which can make it easy to overlook some of the routine mechanical maintenance that these tools need. For example, it can be easy for workers or managers to overlook the need to check the forklift's engine's lubrication or hydraulic fluid. Both of these oversights can lead to serious mechanical damage to the system. To minimize the risk of making these oversights, you should create a detailed maintenance record for any work that is done to your forklifts. By quickly consulting these records, you will be able to determine when the forklift needs to be serviced and what works is required. This simple step can help you ensure that your forklifts are properly maintained, which can result in improved performance and lower maintenance and repair costs.

Have The Engine Serviced Yearly

At least once a year, you should have the engine to these lifts professionally serviced. Just like your car engine, a forklift's engine will gradually suffer wear and tear that needs to be repaired. Failure to have the engine serviced can cause it the unit to suffer performance issue and increased wear and tear. During a service visit, a professional will thoroughly inspect the engine to make sure that it has not suffered noticeable wear and tear. Any parts that are found to be damaged will be replaced and the forklifts fluids, such as oil, hydraulic and brake fluid, will be checked. By having this work done at least once a year, you can help ensure that minor problems are discovered and repaired before they lead to serious issues for your forklifts. Read more about this topic.

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