Understanding forklift maintenance best practices

A used forklift will give you years of work if it is looked after, and will nickel-and-dime you if it is not. The difference is rarely expensive parts. It is usually whether anyone is paying attention.

Daily: the pre-shift check

This is required by OSHA before each shift, and it is also the cheapest maintenance you will ever do. Walk around the truck and look at fluid levels, tyres, forks, chains and hoses. Then get in and test the brakes, steering, horn, lights and the lift and tilt controls.

Most expensive failures announce themselves first as something small: a weeping hose, a chain that has gone slack on one side, a mast that judders on the way down. Catching those costs minutes. Ignoring them costs a hydraulic pump.

Every 200 to 250 hours

Treat this as the routine service interval for an internal-combustion lift:

• Engine oil and filter
• Air filter, checked and replaced when dirty — this matters more in dusty Florida yards than most people expect
• Fuel filter
• Grease the mast, carriage rollers and steer axle
• Check hydraulic fluid level and look for leaks at the cylinders and hoses
• Check and adjust the mast chains

Every 1,000 to 2,000 hours

• Hydraulic filter and, on schedule, the fluid itself
• Transmission fluid and filter
• Coolant condition
• Spark plugs, distributor and ignition parts on gasoline and LPG engines
• Brake inspection, including the parking brake
• A full mast, chain and cylinder inspection

The wear points that decide the machine's life

Forks. Under ANSI/ITSDF B56.1, a fork must be taken out of service once wear has reduced it to 90% of its original blade thickness. Check the heel, where the blade meets the shank — that is where wear concentrates and where cracks start. Forks are a wear item, not a permanent part of the truck.

Mast chains. Chains stretch. If one side stretches more than the other the carriage sits crooked, which then wears the rollers and the mast rails. Chains should be checked for stretch, rust and stiff links, and they must be lubricated. A seized chain is a safety issue, not just a maintenance one.

Hydraulic hoses. Look for weeping at the fittings and chafing where hoses run over the mast. A hose that fails under load drops the load.

Tyres. On cushion tyres, replace when the rubber wears down to the wear line or when chunks are missing. Worn tyres change the ride height and make the truck less stable, and they beat up the drivetrain.

LPG system. Inspect the hose and connections for cracks and check the regulator. LPG hoses perish with age and heat, and Florida provides plenty of both.

Keep records

Write down what was done and when. It costs nothing, it tells the next mechanic what they are dealing with, and when you eventually sell or trade the machine it is worth real money — a documented service history is the difference between a buyer trusting the hour meter and guessing.

What this looks like on our lot

Every machine we sell goes through this before it is listed: a full mechanical inspection, whatever service it needs, and a load test to confirm the rated capacity. That is also why we can put a 30-day warranty on a used machine.

If you have a lift that is due for service, or you want a second opinion on a machine you already own, call Ralph on 407-900-7830.