​Five Major Benefits of Polyurethane Tires

4th Aug 2019

One of the major problems forklift owners usually experience is the frequency of the replacement of forklift tires. A major cause of this is either using the wrong kind of forklift tires for their application or purchasing low-quality tires.

Since different forklift tires have different benefits for diverse applications, in this article, we are going to highlight some of the benefits of using polyurethane tires which usually come with a working life of over 10,000 hours.

Does Not Shed Toxic Compounds

Some warehouses handle food or medication and are held at a higher standard in terms of the safety of the products handled. For such warehouses, rubber tires are not ideal since they usually shed off carbon which can be harmful when it finds it's way into food.

Therefore, the ideal forklift tires to use in such instances are the polyurethane tires since their chemical composition does not allow them to shed any particles that can prove toxic.

You will also love it that they leave the warehouse cleaner as they are non-marking.

Resistant To Chemical Corrosion

Since material handling needs differ, it is always wise to use the right material handling equipment to match those needs since failure to do so can be a costly endeavor.

For instance, if you use rubber tires in a warehouse where chemical spills or oil spills are common you will end up spending more on tire replacement.

However, polyurethane tires are perfect for such warehouses as they cannot be easily damaged by corrosive chemicals.

Higher Tensile Strength

Even when forklift tires are loaded within their capacity, the weight of the load exposes them to some level of wear and tear. What happens is that the load applies pressure on the load leading to splitting, tearing or chunking during operations.

However, this problem can easily be solved by using polyurethane tires since they have a high tensile strength which gives them the capacity to bear twice as much the load capacity of rubber tires.

Therefore, wear and tear is reduced helping bring down your tire replacement costs.

Lower Rolling Resistance

A tire's rolling resistance is a key determinant of the efficiency of the material handling equipment it is fitted on. Lower rolling resistance ensures the forklifts use much lower energy during operations.

Polyurethane tires have a larger durometer which means they have a much lower rolling resistance which will conserve energy when fitted in electric forklifts.

The end benefit of this is that you will not need to charge your electric forklift frequently reducing downtime which will affect the profitability of your operations.

Resistant To Abrasion

If your forklift operates in a harsher environment it will be exposed to abrasion or cuts from sharp objects. Using rubber forklift tires in such an environment will expose them to increased wear and tear from constant abrasion and cuts.

You can solve this problem by using polyurethane tires which have a higher resistance to abrasion and cuts.

What are some of the benefits you have encountered while using polyurethane tires? 

Forklift Tire Company is one of the largest suppliers of forklift tires in the USA. We would be very happy to help you find the right tires for your forklift truck. Visit our online store here for great discounts and assistance.