Handling Advice for Solid Tyres

Here are some basic rules for preserving tyres in use, which are important for your day-to-day business:

Rule Number 1: Sufficient cooling time for the tyres

Whenever possible let the forklift tyres cool down for the duration of one whole shift – meaning seven or eight hours at least.

Rule Number 1: Sufficient cooling time for the tyres

Rule Number 2: Avoid recurring overload situations

Especially with forklifts, you have to distinguish overload on the front-axle from overload on the steer-axle in the back.

An unloaded forklift has a latent overload situation due to its counterbalance weight in the back.

Rule Number 2: Avoid recurring overload situations

Rule Number 3: Adequate driving distance

An industrial solid tyre is made for empty and loaded conditions – but too much of one of them has a potentially straining influence. 

An example: A solid tyre is designed for travelling up to approximately 2000 meters either in an empty or in a loaded condition. 

As soon as this distance is exceeded, for instance with a forklift unloading a truck 2300 meters away, it leads to excessive heating of the tyres – especially during empty runs. 

Here is something many people don’t know. A vehicle can suffer from overload, even in an unloaded condition, simply due to excessive long empty runs. 

Rule Number 3: Adequate driving distance

Rule Number 4: Adequate speed

Solid tyres are designed for maximum speed of about 16 mph (25 km/h). 

With rough ground conditions such as unpaved surfaces or rails to pass, the driver has to reduce the speed accordingly. 

Otherwise, it will put unnecessary strain on the tyres and on the vehicle as a whole. 

Rule Number 4: Adequate speed