ENTREPRENEURSHIP
How to Prevent Damaging Your Forklift Extension Slippers
Warehouses and other large facilities are usually used for storing thousands of products or containers owned by companies. When the time comes that companies need to transfer them, the warehouse personnel will use a forklift to load and unload them with ease. The forklift usually carries tons of products every day, so it should not be a surprise that some parts will wear out.
One part of the forklift that needs proper care is the forklift slippers. This part is what usually gets stressed the most because of the heavy things it carries every day. Workers need to make sure that they take care of them to prevent them from wearing out too soon or become a problem when it is used.
Avoid Dragging the Heel
When carrying heavy objects, the heel of the forklift slippers is the one carrying the weight. In some instances, unsuspecting forklift drivers will accidentally drag the heel of the forklift on the ground. This can cause the slippers to lose their integrity, causing significant problems whenever heavy containers or objects are being lifted. If the heel gets damaged frequently, it might suddenly break and damage whatever it was carrying. Veteran forklift drivers usually never have this type of problem because they always keep an eye out whether the heel is touching the ground or not.
Never Use Them to Pry or Push
Some containers may need to be opened by prying open the cover. Using the forklift to pry open containers is not advisable because the forklift slippers are only used for lifting only. Doing anything else to it besides lifting can cause damage to the forks. Wooden crates can be opened using a crowbar, so there is no need to use a forklift to open them. Using the forks frequently to pry open things can cause the tips to bend. This creates an uneven surface on the forks slippers that can cause issues when lifting heavy objects.
Avoid Lifting Exceeding Loads
Different kinds of forklifts that can handle different loads. If you have an enormous container, ensure that the forklift can lift it with ease so that the fork slippers will not snap. Lifting objects that exceed the forklift’s load can also cause the entire forklift to topple and cause injuries to the driver. You can usually determine how much load a forklift can carry by checking its capacity rating. Ensure you do not exceed the capacity rating to prevent any issues with the forklift and the forklift extension slippers.
Slowly Bring the Fork Down
Experienced forklift drivers will not have this issue. But a time will come where there will be unavoidable accidents, and the drivers will bring the fork slippers down too fast. If that happens continuously, the forklift slippers could crack, and that is dangerous. Lifting heavy loads while the forklift has cracks can significantly damage the forklift and the heavy object it was carrying. A good tip is to inspect the slippers before it starts lifting anything continually.
Constant and proper inspection is the key to preventing forklift slippers from causing any problems during the job. Doing the checks will help you analyse when you need to replace them in the future. But as long as you know how to prevent damaging your forklift extension slippers, you do not have to worry about any complications happening during a lifting job.