Forklift Maintenance 101: The Essentials

Forklifts have been a long time reliable industry vehicle to help lift and move heavy materials over short distances. Although they don’t travel much, they carry a lot of weight day in and day out. As every forklift operator knows, regular maintenance is key to their forklift’s performance and life cycle. Therefore, we have created this essential guide to help you maintain your forklift in great condition for as long as possible.

Forklift maintenance has three steps:

1. Everyday Checkups
2. Routine Maintenance
3. Annual Inspections

Let’s go through all of them.

1. Everyday Checkups

An apple a day keeps the forklift doctor away; the apple is also known as a Pre-Shift inspection in the forklift world. The OHSA (Occupational Health and Safety Act) has set a standard to execute a maintenance check on any vehicle that operates daily.

During this daily maintenance check, you need to take a closer look at the parts mentioned in your inspection sheet. If you don’t have one yet, you can get a hint from this sample Pre-Shift inspection sheet:

Look at	Look for
Forks	weld breaks
Tires	any chunks of rubber missing
Piston	leaks or drips
Hydraulic hoses	punctures or cuts in the hoses
Chain	loose tension on the chain
Carriage	weld breaks
Seat belt	firm placement
Propane tank (if it has one)	tight fit
Radiator	stuck debris or trash
Emergency brake and accelerator	smooth functioning
Controls	expected and quick response
Safety lights, battery, alarms, & horn	visibility and sound
Fluid levels	fuel, radiator water, engine oil, and hydraulic fluid levels

Any forklift found with the above faults or any other imperfection is to be registered as unsafe and non-drivable.

2. Routinely Maintenance

Regular forklift maintenance increases longevity and reduces repair costs. Ideally, you should get your forklift serviced every three months by a trained mechanic. Below is the general routine maintenance checklist that must be followed.

	One Month	Three Months	Six Months
Maintenance Required	Every month or 200 hours (whichever comes first)	Every month or 600 hours (whichever comes first)	Every month or 1200 hours (whichever comes first)
Inspect	Lift and tilt cylinder operation Drive belt tension Truck engine power Check the cap and rotor.	Used Pneumatic Forklift Hyster Pedal free play and hand brake Lift chain tension, mast operation, carriage rollers, and lift and tilt cylinder operation, Hydraulic oil pump, differential and transmission oil, and fuel filter	Brake booster operation Engine bolts and manifold nuts
Do	Lubricate the chassis and mast parts Replace the engine oil Clean the air filter Adjust the engine idle speed and ignition timing	Drain the water separator Clean the exterior of the radiator and Filter replacements: fuel and hydraulic filter	Torque the engine head bolts and manifold nuts Replace the brake fluid and wheel bearing grease coolant, Replace the water separator and fuel filter

3. Annual Inspections

OHSA emphasizes on getting checks done regularly and mandates an annual inspection to ensure the safety of the operator. A general rule of thumb to meet this requirement is to get your forklift inspected every 2,000 hours of use by an OHSA-qualified inspector.

If your forklift undergoes rigorous work hours, it may need more frequent inspections, especially if it operates in environments like humidity or high temperatures.

Final Maintenance Tip

Some parts of a forklift are more critical than others, and therefore, they must function as expected. The transmission system is one of the vital parts to ensure safe functioning of the forklift. So, make sure you have healthy forklift transmission parts at each stage of your maintenance routine.