No matter how well made or reliable your forklift is, it will still require frequent preventative forklift truck maintenance to keep it working in top condition long-term. Keeping all materials handling equipment operating to maximum efficiency is key to ensuring productivity and a good return on investment.
The frequency of how often your forklift truck should be serviced depends on a variety of factors, including:
- Manufacturers recommendations
- Number of hours worked
- Age, condition and value of the forklift
- Nature of the environment
Forklift Maintenance Plan, Checklist and Schedule
By following this forklift maintenance plan, checklist and schedule it will help to avoid costly downtime, ensure peak performance, and maximise the lifespan of your forklift. Failure to perform regular maintenance on forklifts will result in more frequent equipment breakdown, which can put operators at risk. Different types of forklifts also require different forms of maintenance, so ensure that you follow the manufacturer recommendations. Forklifts with significant, daily use will need to be inspected around every 90 days.
Other factors should also be considered when creating a maintenance schedule. How old is the materials handling equipment? Is it in working order? Does it have a history of being well maintained? If the forklifts are dirty or neglected, they will need to be maintained more often. Forklift maintenance is vital to ensure that Forklifts are kept in working condition and therefore able to maximise their working lives.
Daily Forklift Maintenance Plan, Checklist and Schedule
Safety is paramount with any heavy machinery. The first consideration before operation of the forklift should be to make sure you are fully trained. Having a forklift checklist for daily reference will allow the operator to become familiar with the safety checks.
- Inspect the types – make sure that they are inflated and free of excessive wear or damage
- Make sure that the fuel levels are sufficient
- Test the machine’s street, horn, lights and any other safety mechanisms
- Check the engine oil to ensure it’s at the right level – this will help to maximise fuel economy and help prevent the engine block
- Check all the safety features of the vehicle, including alarms, brakes and lights – this will help to avoid any accidents or collisions
Monthly Forklift Maintenance Plan, Checklist and Schedule
Typically conducted after 200 hours of work, a monthly forklift maintenance check tends to be slightly more in-depth. It’s important to follow specific industry standards whilst also following manufacturer recommendations.
- Change the engine oil
- Clean the air filter
- Inspect any cracks that appear
- Battery check – for electric forklifts
- Lubricate the chassis and mass components
Annual Forklift Maintenance Plan, Checklist and Schedule
Every forklift truck must have a thorough examination at least once a year. Annual maintenance protocols closely follow manufacturer recommendations and are typically tied to warranty protections. Annual forklift maintenance will ensure your equipment is still providing high standards of safety, operational ability, and vehicle efficiency.
An annual forklift maintenance checklist is extensive, so here are just a few of the services included:
Replacement of:
- Brake fluid
- Engine coolant
- Fuel filter
- Lube in drive hubs
- Fuel strainer element
- Water separator
- Check reverse light operation
- Check brake pedal switch operation
- Check direction switch operation
How can we help with your Forklift Maintenance?
Permatt can provide you with contracts that cover your Servicing and Breakdown needs for every type of Forklift Truck machinery. We offer packages of cover based on three months, six months or on an annual basis.
We know exactly how important your is to the daily running of your business and we understand that any problems can cause major delays to your material handling movements. It takes little to no time to carry out the servicing and examining of a forklift piece of equipment.
We are able to come and visit your workplace to carry out the inspection on your premises at any time during the working day. If your Forklift does happen to need extra care then we can happily provide a replacement truck for your company use until we get your original up and running once more.
Interested in learning more? Contact the team today!