Lift Trucks

Don’t Let Your Electric Forklift Maintenance Give You Shock

Electric forklifts are ideal for working indoors in many type of businesses, as well as capable of being operated outdoors, typically only on dry, well paved surfaces. Electric forklifts are available in a wide range of capacities too. Although it is true that electric Electric Forklift Maintenanceforklifts have less moving parts and require less overall maintenance, but they are not totally maintenance free. Here are a seven tips to keep your electric forklift operating smoothly.

BATTERY A battery operating in extreme heat may cause internal components on your electric forklift to wear faster. A lift truck operating with less power than required can burn contactors which in turn can damage the motor and battery resulting in higher cost.

HYDRAULIC OIL Hydraulic oil breaks down chemically and accumulates contaminants over time regardless of engine hours. Heat cycles also break down additives in engine oil and deteriorate lubricating capabilities, which can result in accelerated wear of the forklift's hydraulic components.

CONTACTOR TIPS Worn contactor tips can stick and cause electric motors to stay in the “on” position. Failure to maintain tips can cause damage to motor and battery, resulting in higher cost.

MOTORS & BRUSHES Excessive dirt and debris could accelerate wear of motor components and damage the commutator or armature. A damaged commutator bar can accelerate wear on brushes.

SWITCHES Wear on hydraulic control switches may cause the hydraulic functions to operate improperly or not operate at all. The result could be unexpected downtime or damage to the product and/or front end components.

BRAKING SYSTEM A maladjusted braking system, including the parking brake actuation switch, may reduce power to motors or enable the lift truck to be driven with the brake applied, resulting in accelerated wear of brake components.

STEERING SYSTEM Wheel bearings, tie rods and other steer axle components wear over time. Excessive wear can result in a “loose” or “wandering” steering condition. Leaks can contaminate the operating environment.

FRONT END SYSTEM Worn or cracked forks can fail without warning. Chain worn beyond 2% should be replaced. Improper mast sequencing may prohibit the mast and rollers from operating smoothly. If fork heel thickness is reduced to 90% of original thickness, the lift truck should not return to service. Source: ASME B56.1 of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Safety Standards for Low Lift and High Lift Trucks.

Contact Ring Power Lift Trucks or visit lifttrucks.ringpower.com for all of our Planned Maintenance programs for electric forklifts and internal combustion lift trucks. Click on the title to leave a comment or ask a question.

Ring Power Lift Trucks is the material handling division of Ring Power Corporation, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. Additional offices service Pompano Beach, Miami, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Tampa, Ocala and Tallahassee. Ring Power Lift Truck represents: Caterpillar® Lift Trucks, Mitsubishi Forklifts, Linde forklifts, Kalmar Industrial Forklifts, Princeton and Navigator piggybacks, rough terrain forklifts by Noble, and specialized products by Bendi and productive Cascade Attachments.

Comments are closed