Forklift Tyre Guide
This guide aims to help you understand your forklift truck tyre's size, constuction, fitment type and intensity rating.
Forklift Tyre Composition - Air Filled Pneumatic, Solid Resilient, Solid Press-on-Band
Some forklift trucks run on air-filled pnematic tyres that will use an inner tube to hold air and keep them inflated. The vast majority of forklift trucks however will use solid rubber tyres. These do not take air or use inner tubes but instead are heavy, rigid bands of rubber that need to be pressed on to your machines wheel rims using a specialist fitting press. Solid tyres cannot be punctured and give a steady ride which is important for forklift trucks. Solid forklift tyres are categorised as either 'Solid Resilient' or 'Press-on-Band' tyres. Solid resilient tyres look mostly like normal air filled tyres do, where as Press-on-Band tyres have a much slimmer / thinner profile and come pre bonded to a thin ring of metal. The image below helps demonstrate each type.
Forklift Truck Tyre Sizes - 6.00-9, 27x10-12, 22x12x16
Forklift tyre size markings come a variety of forms. The most common for penumatic and solid resilient tyres would be 6.00-9 and 7.00-12. Here the first number tells us the approximate tyre width, and the last number tells us the tyre rim diameter (hole in the cente or the tyre). Both are measured in inches. An alternate style of size marking would be 18x7-8 or 27x10-12. Here the first number tells us the tyres approximate height, the second number is the tyre width, and last number is the tyre rim diameter, again all in inches. Its worth pointing out that for solid press-on-band tyres these numbers can get pretty exact, for example 22x7x17.75 and are often also written in milimetre equivalents like 405x220-305. For solid resilient tyres you must also always check and confirm the EXACT WHEEL RIM SIZE that your tyre needs to fit, as each solid resilient tyre will specify on it the rim it can be fitted to. For example almost all 7.00-12 solid resilient tyres will say (5.00-12 rim) on them, which generally is the only wheel rim used for that size tyre. However, larger tyres like a 10.00-20 solid resilient tyre could have either (7.50-20 Rim) or (8.00-20 Rim) stamped on the tyre sidewall. Choose the correct version to fit your wheel rims.
Solid Forklift Tyre Intensity Ratings
Forklift truck tyres have to be able to carry a lot of weight and to handle the heat build up as they are used and put under stress. Forklift tyre manufacturers therefore tend to make 3 grades of tyre for light to medium use, medium to high use and high to extreme use. Light to medium use tyres are generally good for up to 6 hours of continual non stop use and may last somewhere between 2000-3000 hours in total. Medium to high use tyres can often be run for 6-12 hours of continuous non stop use, and you will likely get an extra 1000-2000 hours out of each tyre. High to extreme use tyres are for 12-24 hours of continual non stop usage for applications such as ports, 24 hour distribution centres. You will find that the medium and high use tyres will often give you a more comfortable and cushioned ride as they often include an extra cushioning layer in their make up.
