Loader wear: causes and types of wear of parts

A fairly common problem in the warehouse business is forklift wear and tear. This is a certain process in which various components and systems may eventually lose their functionality. Key reasons include operating conditions, quality of materials and level of maintenance. We tell everything about how the main parts of the electric forklift work and what will reduce the impact of wear.

Causes and types of mechanical wear of parts

There are a large number of different types of problems and errors that occur when using the technique. Therefore, the reason for the wear of loader parts can be:

• friction. Most often, friction occurs between different contacting surfaces due to a lack of lubrication;
• load. These are constant or shock loads, and even exceeding the permissible limits of the equipment;
• materials Sometimes you can see the use of incompatible materials or low strength of selected components.

By itself, such a process is divided into abrasive and adhesive. The first is characterized by the appearance of solid particles that will be between the contacting surfaces. This leads to staining and even damage to these surfaces.

Adhesive is distinguished by its appearance during surface breaks or microwelding. It is usually characterized by cuts in the material and the formation of burrs throughout the mechanism.

Tired forklift wear

Over time, wear and tear on the loader accumulates, which occurs for several reasons:

• cyclic loads. These are frequent starts and stops, which lead to constant load fluctuations and thus have a detrimental effect on the equipment;
• structural features. There are structural defects in the materials or the initial design was incorrect;
• operational conditions This refers to work in conditions of vibrations or very high speeds of the operations being performed.

Such wear and tear of parts and assemblies of the loader is revealed in most cases in the form of fractures or microcracks. Such cracks in the material can accumulate and develop to critical dimensions, when the parts can completely collapse.

Methods of eliminating wear of loader parts

For all the reasons listed above, it is necessary to carefully monitor your technical equipment and carry out maintenance in a timely manner. Here are some basic methods for eliminating wear and tear:

• maintenance. It is necessary to regularly check and diagnose the condition of parts in order to replace worn components in a timely manner;
• Use of quality materials. Due to the use of high-strength and wear-resistant materials, technological processes can be improved and replaced less often;
• lubricants. You need to use enough of the right type of lubricant for your mechanism. Regular replacement is also required;
• modernization and improvement of the design. Sometimes such changes make it possible to reduce the load and apply more shock-absorbing elements;
• technological processes. Special protective coatings can be applied to the equipment, which will reduce the harmful effects;
• personnel training. The problem can also be alleviated by staff training and regular instruction on proper operation. In this way, specialists will handle the mechanisms more carefully and will not overload them.

Due to all this, the mechanical wear of the loader will appear much slower and less often. Regular technical maintenance of the equipment will allow you to identify problem areas in a timely manner and fix them, instead of waiting for the complete destruction of the components. We recommend that you consult our specialists over the phone right now, who will be able to perform all the necessary work for you.