Troubleshooting Your Forklift To Avoid Major Repairs
If you or your business use forklifts for moving things around, you know how important it is to keep them running properly. Forklifts are capable of carrying a lot of heavy items from one place to another quickly and efficiently. If it is not working, it will take many people and a lot of time to get things where they need to be. Regular maintenance is required to make sure they stay in prime operating condition. However, between regular servicing issues can come up. It will be up to you to troubleshoot these issues to determine if you need forklift repair from a professional.
Lift Problems
When the lift is not working on your forklift, it makes the machine pretty useless. At the first sign of trouble, you need to do a bit of inspecting. The first thing to check is to see if there are any leaks under the lift. The lift operates by hydraulics. If there is a hole in one of the hydraulic lines or there is a broken connector between lines, you can probably do the repair yourself. If you see no leak, check the level of the hydraulic fluid. If it is low, fill it. Then, after using the machine, check the level again. If the problem with the lift does not involve hydraulic fluid, you should probably contact a professional.
Won't Start
Most forklifts do not operate by gasoline, they are instead electric. If you notice it is getting harder to start or isn't starting at all, it could be a battery issue. Check to make sure the battery is fully charged and is connected to the machine properly. If you do have a gasoline engine in the forklift, check the gas level. You should also check for any gas leaks. In addition, you should check the temperature of the machine. Turn the key to accessory mode and see if the temperature gauge reads too hot. If everything seems to be fine and all the fluid levels are good, call a professional for forklift service repair.
Forklifts can last a long time without needing more than general routine maintenance. However, this does not mean you can slack on paying attention to problems while operating the machine. Take the time to troubleshoot small issues to make sure they don't end up turning into a major problem. You don't want to end up having to haul heavy bags or boxes across the warehouse because the forklift is out of commission. For more information, contact a forklift repair service such as RDS Equipment, Inc.
