Maintaining the reliability of an electric pallet truck is crucial for any warehouse or logistics operation as it is a vital piece of equipment. Proper care and maintenance will ensure a long lifespan and make it a worthwhile investment.
To help you extend the life of your electric pallet truck by ensuring you maintain it well, we’ve put together this guide to what you need to pay attention to.
- Ensure staff receive proper training: Most of the issues you encounter with your materials handling equipment are caused by improper use. Therefore, it’s vital to ensure that all warehouse staff know how to operate electric power trucks correctly. Here are some steps for the correct procedures:
- Encourage staff to check the electric pallet truck before use to ensure it’s ready to be operated.
- Make sure operators know how to check charge levels for batteries and show them how to change a battery correctly.
- Train staff to safely operate the pallet truck, covering factors including the starting procedure, speed control, and maneuvering.
- Take care of the battery: Electric pallet trucks are powered by electric motors, which run off of a lithium battery. Taking proper care of the battery will ensure your truck continues to work reliably.
Operators need to handle the battery carefully, ensuring to remove it from the pallet truck with attention before placing it in the charging dock. Any damage acquired will impact the battery’s efficiency or cause it to stop working altogether.
If an electric pallet truck is going to be used in wet or cold conditions, you may want to consider weather protection sleeves for the truck to protect it from the elements. This will help to prevent it from sustaining weather-related damage.
- Check the forks: Regularly check the forks for paint chipping, buckling, and whether or not the fork tips are bent. Any damage found should be fixed as soon as possible to avoid it getting worse over time.
- General maintenance: There are several ways you can care for your electric pallet truck to keep it running efficiently:
- Lubricate the truck’s wheels and axles on a monthly basis.
- Ensure the truck is running on a smooth surface to avoid wheel damage
- Store the truck in a dry, secure environment
- Regularly clean the pallet truck to get rid of any dust or debris
- Run daily checks to see if the truck is moving forwards and backwards without making unusual noises
For more information on caring for your pallet truck, or to discuss your electric pallet truck needs, don’t hesitate to reach out.