Like all other investments in movable assets, even forklifts or warehouse machines do not have eternal life. Depending on the intensity of the application, sooner or later there comes a time when they need to be replaced. What are the most obvious signs of damage and wear?
Hours of use:
One of the most obvious things is of course the number of hours of use. Depending on the type of forklift, more and more expensive maintenance is expected over 10,000 hours. This is why many leases have a duration ranging from 60 to 72 months, or 5 to 6 years, with an average of 1750 to 2000 hours per year. After that, the motor and gearbox may need more care and overhaul, brushes for electric motors require replacement, and motors need to be kept even cleaner.
Appearance:
A forklift truck that works every day in a saline environment or next to hot furnaces will look quite different after a few years than a machine that only occasionally unloads pallets with light goods. Rust, burns, dents, and collisions are those external details that reveal that the car may have other problems as well. Are all seals still intact? And in what condition are the bearings and the crucial welding points?
Worn forks and chains:
A chain always stretches during use. At some point, it will reach a point where continuing to use it will become less safe. The service technician measures the degree of extension and assesses whether it needs to be replaced. If you are replacing the chain, it is also important to check the wheels and rollers. If you add to this the possible wear of various parts of the mast, it may be wiser to replace the forklift.
The forks also wear out from use. They should remain totally straight, undamaged, and without any signs of sagging, represented by small cracks. The ‘heel’ curve should not wear too much, therefore this component needs good care and regular inspections.
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Batteries:
An average lead-acid traction battery is built for a life of approximately 1500 – 2000 charge and discharge cycles, if properly charged and with appropriate maintenance. This means:
Do not carry out intermediate charges but charge cycles adequately completed, Clean and well-welded connection between the elements, Correct electrolyte level. Regular use of the battery. You should never continue to work if the discharge indicator indicates that the residual power is at 20% because going further can cause substantial damage. The battery should not be kept discharged and unused for too long.
FORKLIFT ASSISTANCE AND MAINTENANCE:
Specialists in the forklift assistance sector from an experience gained in more than forty years, David has specialized in the sector of assistance for forklifts and lifting equipment in general of different brands.
Highly qualified technical personnel in the forklift repair department and a staff of technicians dedicated to external assistance at home with equipped vans (real mobile workshops) suitable to intervene in any situation. Furthermore, in cases where it is not possible to solve the problem with an intervention at home, uses its own truck to transport your broken vehicle to our workshop and provides a replacement forklift for hire for allow you to remain operational during the period necessary to repair your vehicle.
Safety check: Verification of the safety of the vehicles
Work calmly: Scheduled maintenance and safety checks
Emergency intervention: Ordinary and extraordinary maintenance on call
360 °: Full-Service Assistance
Complete range of services: professionalism and effectiveness.
SECURITY CHECK:
A service that offers the security checks required by law. Companies proposes the most advantageous offer for the customer and plans interventions. For each customer vehicle, a registration booklet of the checks carried out is issued which certifies its safety status
PERIODIC MAINTENANCE BY CONTRACT:
Ideal for having your forklifts constantly under control and above all for cost containment. Our Service Manager analyzes the use of the customer’s forklifts and proposes the appropriate service, in order to preserve their condition and ensure their durability and performance over time
In case of need for any repair of forklifts, a dedicated price list is reserved much cheaper than the ordinary price
The dedicated fee for the forklift maintenance contract is diluted in the calendar year, without the surprise of considerable unforeseen expenses.
By choosing this type of contract you will be part of a program dedicated to you, with numerous benefits and additional services included in the package such as:
- Monitoring and planning of interventions agreed with the customer.
- Management of waste disposal.
- Reporting and therefore prompt intervention on any anomalies or inefficiencies of the vehicle.
- Estimate of repair costs
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WHY CHOOSE THE CONTRACT PERIODIC MAINTENANCE SERVICE:
Owning a fleet of forklifts and forklifts in perfect condition allows companies to limit production stops. A fleet of well-maintained vehicles, as well as preserving their efficiency and their value over time, increase safety at work. This is why we recommend our “Contracted Periodic Maintenance” service with very specific and scheduled deadlines where we will go to overhaul your forklifts and carry out the necessary maintenance interventions, scheduled in time without having to be caught by the unexpected of a break with all the inconveniences that, as you well know, could cause your company.
ON-SITE CALL ASSISTANCE:
This type of service provides for the arrival in a short time of one of our equipped vans at your company, for on-site interventions. You will have at your complete disposal all the maximum efficiency of the workshop which, thanks to its specialized technicians, will provide you with a complete diagnosis of the problem in a very short time
So, after a confirmed quote, we will go wherever needed, to order any spare parts for forklifts and quickly get your vehicle back into perfect operation.
We would like to point out that for these types of interventions, we are aware of the inconvenience that a stationary or malfunctioning vehicle can cause, applying the maximum urgency of intervention.
Usually the “On-site Assistance Service” is divided into two channels:
Assistance for coupons: in this case, in the absence of emergencies, the customer calls us in time and we agree with our “assistance management” office the appropriate period for routine maintenance of the forklift at its headquarters.
Assistance for extraordinary interventions: here we are usually faced with a breakage caused by wear of the vehicle due to deterioration of mechanical parts, normal breakages from use, but which involve the sudden stop of the forklift. In this case, the workshop does its best to intervene promptly by making its equipped vans, technicians available and, if it is not possible to immediately restart the vehicle due to complex machine downtime, it will promptly provide you with a replacement forklift for hire or service.
Damage:
And then there are the external damage. If they are too obvious they reveal that the truck has had a hard life which may have caused even invisible consequences. However, bent forks or dents in the overhead guard indicate that something must be done before the forklift can be used safely.
COUNTERMEASURES:
General check of the condition of the forklift for dents, collisions and other damage.
Pay more attention to the forks.
Maintaining the traction battery in maximum condition.
Monitor the correct level of oil and fluids.
Check for oil leaks, both from the hydraulic system and from the engine-transmission unit.
Be sure to carry out periodic inspections and maintenance.
Never work with a malfunctioning trolley.