How to Measure and Read Forklift Tyre Sizes

Fitting and maintaining the correct sized tyres to your forklift is vitally important as it can reduce fuel consumption, increase safety and improve productivity.

It is imperative your forklift is fitted with the correct sized tyres as recommended by the manufacturer as they support the forklift body and all loads being lifted.

If a tyre were to fail it could have a number of dangerous and negative impacts including:

• Damage and expensive repair costs to the forklift itself
• Dropped loads and expensive lost product that needs to be replaced
• Minor, serious injury or fatality of the forklift operator or those working in the surrounding area that result in lost productivity through time off and expensive medical bills
• Damage to other plant and equipment in the work area such as racking that will be expensive to repair or replace

In this week’s post we describe the process of how to measure the size of forklift tyres.

Generally, your forklift will have a recommended size, but you can purchase a different size, within reason, depending on your preference and application.

Check your forklift’s manual and with your local dealer for appropriate tire sizes.

Basic Forklift Tyre Components

• Sidewall – shows important tyre information including the brand, size, type and wear line
• Tread – raised rubber that comes in contact with the ground
• Rim – metal part of the wheel that holds the tyre in place

How to Measure Forklift Tyres

You can use a standard tape measure to measure the size of a forklift tyre.

1. Measure the outer diameter – make sure your measuring across the centre of the tyre at its largest point and measure the distance from left to right
2. Measure the rim diameter – measure across the centre of the tyre but only measure the distance between the inner edges of the rim
3. Measure the width of the tyre – run the tape from edge to edge across the tread that would make contact with the ground

How to Read Forklift Tyre Sizes

All forklift tyres should have their size written on the sidewall.

If you are unable to find the size on the sidewall you can check the operator’s manual for the size or speak to the manufacturer with the model number and they should be able to tell you the correct tyre size.

Depending on the type of tyre the size will be displayed slightly different.

Press-on Cushion Tyres

Press-on cushion forklift tyre sizes are displayed as: Outer Diameter x Width x Rim Diameter.

Pneumatic or Solid Tyres

Pneumatic or solid forklift tyre sizes are displayed as: Width x Rim Diameter

Adaptalift Groups highly experienced technicians are able to inspect the condition of your forklift tyres letting you know when they need to be replaced before they negatively affect safety and productivity.

In addition to regularly inspecting the condition of your forklifts tyres our technicians are able to supply and install the correctly sized high quality replacement tyres from leading manufacturers with minimal interruption to your operations.

For more information on the correct sized tyre for your forklift or to book a tyre repair or replacement contact our team on 13 22 54 or submit your enquiry via our online contact form.