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Tips For Extending Lift Truck Life

Do the lift trucks in one department seem to have shorter life spans than those in another? When talking with colleagues at business functions, do you find out your fleet wears out faster than theirs, and your application isn't any tougher than theirs? Has your supervisor dropped by with the news that this year's budget has no money in it for lift truck replacements but productivity needs to increase?

If these scenarios sound all too familiar, take a look at these five common practices that wear out lift trucks. By avoiding or recognizing them, you could extend lift truck life and productivity!

Lack of Planned Maintenance (PM)

This is probably the primary cause of shorter-than-average lift truck life. You've experienced this with your own automobile - the proper service performed on any mechanical equipment is directly related to the life of the equipment.

For example, parts wear out faster when subjected to fluids that are used beyond the manufacturer's recommended service intervals. And you know how worn parts always seem to fail just when you need the lift truck the most.

Feel like you don't have time to see that proper maintenance is performed on schedule? Frustrated because no one on staff has the time to do PMs? Not sure when you can fit lift truck PM into the schedule?

We can help by taking PM details off your agenda and making them ours. We have more than 6,000 lift trucks under PM contracts in Texas. Call today to find out more about a PM program tailored to your needs and workloads

Using it to push, shove or tow

Equipment lasts longer when it's used to accomplish designed tasks. Pushing or shoving material on the floor or using a lift truck to close railcar doors, for instance, generates heat within the transmission. This puts stress on vehicle structures, stresses the lift truck was not designed to handle.

Towing trailers accelerates brake and transmission wear along with elevating the engine's or motor's operating temperature. Equipment Depot offers a wide variety of industrial tow equipment that can be matched to meet your specific needs.

Incorrect system adjustments

If a lift truck is adjusted according to what "feels right," it can cause the equipment to be overworked. All service procedures are outlined in each lift truck model's service manual and should be followed. (Hint: Our service technicians are factory-trained. You can rely on them to service lift trucks accurately.)

Over discharging a battery

For electric lift trucks, using a battery beyond 80% of its discharge, can create electrical system problems for the lift trucks. This practice also shortens battery life, wastes time because the batteries will eventually require more frequent changes/charges, and reduces your facility's productivity.

Overuse

Operating a lift truck constantly at full capacity in high-cycle applications makes the systems and components work to their limits. A better idea is to use a larger-capacity lift truck or adding a unit or two to your fleet to spread the work among more lift trucks.

If you think these practices are occurring at your facility, or you're not positive they don't happen, call and ask us for a free application audit. We can look over your operation and help you assure your lift trucks are never too pooped to participate in efficient material handling.