9 Ways To Prepare Your Forklift For Summer

“Employers have a responsibility to protect their employees from the brutal summer heat, but protection also significantly impacts the bottom line, since productivity notoriously slows down during the summer,” says Terry Wickman, President of Keytroller.” Keeping your forklift operators safe from the summer heat ensures better productivity for tomorrow and years beyond.”  Not only does heat directly affect the employees working in it, but it can also affect the equipment they need to get the job done. Here are a few things to keep in mind as the summer temperatures continue to rise and how to prepare your material handling equipment.

Forklift Safety in the Summer HeatChances are you’ve heard of heat strokes and exhaustion from the sun, we as humans can experience but, do you know how the heat affects your forklifts and material handling equipment? As aforementioned, paying extra attention to your machinery can prevent a less productive workplace. If a piece of equipment isn’t working properly, due to heat, it can hurt the employees and customers and it is not likely that safety will be the first thing on an operator’s mind when maneuvering your facility. While keeping your application as cool as possible for your operators and associates, let’s start with the obvious ways to prevent equipment mishaps.

  • Overheating: Just as too much heat can cause internal issues with us; it can do the same with forklifts. Therefore, it is important to keep your cooling system, in an internal combustion forklift, in tip-top shape.
    • Be sure to keep coolant fluid levels up to, at least, the minimum level. Failure to do so could result in engine damage.
    • Regularly replace and replenish coolant liquids. The liquid deteriorates and the chemicals can cause further damage to the coolant system mechanisms.
    • Check the radiator for any damage. Cracked or malfunctioning radiators can cause the pressure to drop drastically which causes important coolant flow, overheating, and possible leaking. This depressurization can also cause damage to the transmission.
    • Check radiator hoses for cracks and tightness because heat enhances the effect of cracking and deterioration of rubber. If you notice a radiator hose is loose or cracked, replace it ASAP.
    • Internal Combustion Forklifts – regularly check filters and oil to ensure that your forklift is ready to operate in the heat.
    • Electric Forklifts – High temperatures of the summer cause concern for excess corrosion and low fluid levels. The extreme heat causes evaporation of the battery fluids which can lead to a decrease in the length of your forklift’s life. Avoid this by making sure that you have the correct level of water in the battery cells and that the PH is right for the battery.
  • Tires  As mentioned before, heat enhances the effects of cracking and deterioration in rubber.
    • Pneumatic tires – It is important to check the pressure in the tires, because when the heat raises so does the pressure in your tire. It’s never a bad idea to let a little bit of air out in the summer.
    • You should always check to make sure that your tires are properly inflated, no matter what season it is, especially in the summer. Doing all of these things should help prevent a blowout.
  • Maintenance – No one wants to lose time or money, so it is super important to be on top of your maintenance schedule during the summer.
    • Performing regular inspections and maintenance is key to preventing the majority of heat-related issues with your forklift and material handling equipment.

No matter the season, it is always important to inspect your forklift before beginning any job. Inspection can save everyone a lot of trouble. Remember to always make sure you’re ready for a safe shift so you can get your job done quickly and enjoy some fun in the sun!

Beat The Heat Summer Service Special

Forklift Planned Maintenance – Preventing the Preventable

Reduce cost, downtime, & safety risks with our forklift planned maintenance programs performed by factory trained and certified technicians.

FORKLIFT PLANNED MAINTENANCE

Forklifts and material handling equipment are the heavy lifters of your facility. No matter the quality of the lift, there are items to be maintained on a regular basis to keep your operation running at full speed. Much like an automobile, lift trucks need their oil changed, tires checked, safety features monitored and more. Utilizing forklift planned maintenance and material handling planned maintenance programs are the most cost efficient ways to reduce downtime and increase productivity.

Some businesses rely on in-house service programs or other vendors to perform maintenance when it is needed. Our customers have partnered with SIE for years because they want one vendor for all of their materials handling needs – whether it be service, parts, rental, or purchasing equipment.

We have over 180 factory trained & certified technicians, a company-wide 3.5 hour avg. service response rate, centralized parts department stocked with over $2 million in OEM parts, and 10 local branches throughout the Southeast to serve our customers 24/7, 365 days a year.

Here are five more reasons for forklift planned maintenance programs from toyotaforklift.com .

  1. You reduce the cost of repair and equipment downtime when you catch problems early.
  2. You decrease the chance of costly workplace accidents by keeping your operators safe with regular forklift inspections.
  3. You get a better trade in value when you replace your forklift equipment.
  4. You pay one flat rate for labor, plus parts on a pre-selected interval of time (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc.).
  5. You won’t need to spend money on onsite forklift mechanics.

 

REQUEST SERVICE

We have 10 locations with fully equipped shops in house and a team of technicians with stocked service vans ready to take your call. Reaching from Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, to Virginia.

LOCATIONS

North Carolina

Charlotte, NC Location – 12200 Steele Creek Road Charlotte, NC 28273  |  (704) 399-9700

Wilson, NC Location – 2145 Stantonsburg Road Wilson, NC 27893  |  (252) 291-4365

Raleigh, NC Location – 4720-100 Old Poole Road Raleigh, NC 27610  |  (919) 231-7735

South Carolina

Duncan, SC Location – 1750 East Main Street Duncan, SC 29334  |  (864) 848-9374

Florence, SC Location – 1800 North Cashua Drive Florence, SC 29501  |  (843) 629-0029

Charleston, SC Location – 9861 Highway 78 Ladson, SC 29456  |  (843) 552-4825

Columbia, SC Location – 400 Buckner Road Columbia, SC 29203  |  (803) 754-2119

Georgia

Savannah, SC Location – 512 Bourne Avenue Garden City, GA 31408  |  (912) 965-9191

Virginia

Richmond, VA Location – 5130 Commerce Road Richmond, VA 23234  |  (804) 714-0799

HAMPTON ROADS, VA LOCATION COMING SOON!

SIE Awarded Toyota’s Highest Honor – FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR!

Southeast Industrial Equipment wins the TMHU President’s Award for the second consecutive year!

SIE Toyota President's Award

SIE was 1 of 14 dealers awarded in 2017 at the annual TMHU dealer meeting in San Antonio, TX for our efforts in 2016! In addition, we won Sales Elite, Sales Excellence, & Parts Excellence for the second consecutive year in a row!

See SIE’s experience from the 2016 award ceremony below!

TIE 2016 President's Award

Southeast Industrial Equipment wins Toyota’s prestigious President’s Award.

Southeast Industrial Equipment was recently awarded Toyota Industrial Equipment‘s highest honor, the President’s Award, for 2015. SIE is one of the 15 elite recipients of this distinguished award, selected from TIE’s network of more than 220 dealership locations in North America.
SIE was recognized at Toyota’s Annual Forklift Dealer Meeting for demonstrating excellence in parts, service, equipment sales, customer satisfaction and overall forklift dealership operations. This is the fourth time SIE has been awarded the President’s Award.
“Toyota’s President’s Award winners set the bar high, and push themselves hard to succeed,” said Jeff Rufener, president of TMHU. “They are the best of the best in our industry.”

 

Read Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A. Inc honors blog here .

 

2015-Presidents-Award-Photo

 

ADDITIONAL 2015 DEALER HONORS

  • Toyota Commercial Finance Ambassador Award
    Southeast Industrial Equipment was awarded the Ambassador Award by Toyota Commercial Finance. In recognition for SIE’s continued support and for achieving $100,000,000 in lease and retail outstanding with TCF.
    In addition, SIE won TMHU Sales Elite Award for the second consecutive year as well as TMHU Sales Excellence, TMHU Service Excellence, and TMHU Parts Excellence.
  • 2016 MHEDA MVP AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2015
    Southeast Industrial Equipment has been awarded the prestigious MVP (Most Valuable Partner) Award for 2016!  The MVP Award is granted by the industry’s trade association, MHEDA (Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association).
    Read More
Southeast Industrial Equipment would like to personally thank our associates, customers, and peers for playing a vital role in ensuring we continue to lift expectations in the materials handling industry year after year!

 

(SIE Executives from Left to Right) Russ Smiley VP of Operations; Robert Dunlap Chief Financial Officer; Cory Thorne President; Greg Snipes VP of Sales; Scott Johnson Executive Advisor

 

A Safe Lift Needs a Safety List 5 NEW Forklift Safety Tips

Consider this – cars need oil changes and tires aligned on a regular basis to ensure reliability, safety, and efficiency. Much like cars, forklifts need to be regularly maintained and can be done with a Planned Maintenance schedule. Not only will Planned Maintenance help extend the life of your forklift, it will decrease downtime, increase productivity and increase efficiency. During a Planned Maintenance appointment safety features are checked thoroughly, parts lubricated, fluids leveled, and much more. Facilities and operators rely on forklifts for daily operations, therefore, having even one machine down could be detrimental to the days success.

In August of 2013 a man from Macon County, North Carolina died from CO (Carbon Monoxide) emissions. The North Carolina division of Occupational Safety and Health determined the CO was being emitted by a liquid propane gas powered forklift. It was emitting such high levels of CO that people outside the facility could have been exposed. Performing preventive maintenance would have caught the leak, and may have prevented this tragic loss of life. In material handling, safety is the number one concern for companies and operators.

The type of planned maintenance your forklift needs depends on the type of machine you have. There are gas and propane units as well as electric.

ForkliftSafety

Here is where the NEW – yet old faithful – forklift safety tips come into play…

Forklift maintenance and safety is key, however at Southeast Industrial Equipment we also believe that training the operator of your forklift is just as important. If not more. When your warehouse, distribution center, or facility is poorly lite, loud, and/or has narrow aisles you need highly trained operators to keep the entire operation as safe as possible. Here are some tips to keep everyone from your operators, to pedestrians in and around the forklifts safe at all times.

  1. Be aware of your surroundings
    • Additional safety lights should be added to your forklift for greater visibility and pedestrian awareness.
    • Utilizing the forklift back-up alarms and horns to let everyone around you know you are approaching.
    • Being space-conscious when working in and around narrow aisles whether your operators are working side by side on different lift trucks or they are around customers in facility.
  2.  Utilizing Forklift and Fleet Management Technology
    • T-Matics is Toyota’s Fleet Management system that can measure and manage accountability of your operators as well as the damages done to your machines. Keeping costs down and safety at the tip of the spear.
    • The customization options for forklifts are endless. To keep individuals off the machines that should not be on them technology can added to our forklifts to keep the lift from starting if it is not the operator that drives that specific piece of equipment.
  3. Knowing the Correct Forklift Capacities and Sticking to the PM Schedules
    • In demanding situations it is easy to disregard the forklift lifting capacity. Not only is it unsafe for everyone around the unit, it is unsafe for the operator because of instability.
    • Recognizing necessary repairs and sticking to a Planned Maintenance schedule will help increase safety and decrease accidents in the workplace.
  4. Choosing Safe Everyday Practices
    • Eliminating slip, trip, and fall hazards so that pedestrians and equipment can maneuver around the facility with ease.
    • Having associates and operators wear appropriate clothing such as, reflective vests or steel toe boots can immensely increase safety in a facility.
  5. Only Trained and Certified Operators Operating the Forklifts
    • By-pass OSHA and other fines by training operators for the specific forklift they will be operating. Maneuvering a sit-down counterbalance forklift is much different than a stand-up order picker or man-up lift. We offer Train-the-Trainer courses, safety training, and on-site operator training, as well as, many other programs. OSHA requires it and SIE offers it!

President and CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America, Brett Wood, predicts how important safety is and will be in the future of the material handling industry:

“[…] safety design, ergonomic design, productivity factors. If you combine those three together, together they work together in the forklift of the future. If you have a safe, comfortable operator you have a productive operator[…]” – Brett Wood President/CEO Toyota Material Handling North America

 

… According to Toyota Industrial Equipment no matter what type of lift truck you have, you need to have the following preventive measures taken:

  • Ask for Operator concerns/input
  • Clean Machine
  • Clean Grease Fillings and Lubricate
  • Check Upright Assembly
  • Check Parking Brake Operation
  • Check Service Brake Operation
  • Check/Fill Master Cylinder
  • Inspect Brake Pedal Linkage
  • Inspect Hydraulic Cylinders and Hoses
  • Check Tilt Cylinder Anchors
  • Inspect tires
  • Clean or replace hydraulic sump breather
  • Check and lubricate shafts and levers
  • Check steering for operation
  • Check lights, horns, backup alarm and gauges
  • Inspect data plate and decals
  • Inspect safety seat belts and hood latch
  • Visually inspect Load back rest and Overhead guard
  • Check battery; add water and clean
  • Check battery cables and receptacles
  • Check/fill transmission/differential oil levels
  • Check/fill hydraulic oil level.
  • Check Fork Wear/Chain Wear/Carriage wear

Note: Some preventative maintenance items that are performed for specific types of lift trucks are not listed.

Southeast Industrial Equipment has maintenance programs to fit the needs of your lift truck. SIE is dedicated to help maintain the safety and performance of your facilities forklifts. For more information please call us (866) 696-9125 or visit our website at www.sielift.com.

Parker, Brittney. “Forklift ruled likely cause of farm tragedy.” Macon County News 08 08 2013, n. pag. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

“Forklift Planned Maintenance.” Toyota-Lift of Minnesota. N.p.. Web. 15 Jan 2014. link to article.

SIE Infographic

Southeast Industrial Equipment is your full solutions provider of the material handling industry. From new or used equipment to training operators and associates, you can look to SIE for it all. Please enjoy the information provided in this infographic and please contact one of our Territory Managers available at (866) 696-9125 to help find which piece of material handling equipment is right for your application, email us at contacts@sielift.com, or visit one of our Local Branches.

infographic

Introducing Landoll Forklifts

The addition of the Landoll Drexel & Bendi very narrow aisle forklifts enables us to substantially expand our ability to help our customers increase their space utilization and pallet density.

Our goal is to provide our customers with the full solution to their application. Here at SIE we can assist in engineered solutions, space planning, and warehouse supplies, in addition to finding the right material handling equipment to suite your needs. Bendi articulating and Drexel SwingMast® forklifts provide the material handling solution needed for very narrow aisle applications through space optimization, improved productivity, greater flexibility and maximizing efficiency.

Southeast Industrial Equipment is now a proud dealer of Landoll Drexel & Bendi forklifts.

Whether storing standard pallets to 41 feet or handling odd shaped long loads, Landoll has the right Narrow Aisle Solution with a wide range of models, capacities, and power options. By design, neither the Bendi nor the Drexel SwingMast® swing the rear end while stacking so product and rack damage is minimized during product put away or retrieval.

  • Bend8Bendi – The leader in articulated forklifts
  • DrexelDrexel – The very narrow aisle and narrow aisle long load side loading solution.

 

Landoll manufactures two lines of Narrow and Very Narrow Aisle forklifts perfect for loading and unloading containers / trailers and then taking the product directly into your narrow aisle warehouse. The Drexel can withstand freezer storage with temperatures as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit with the new freezer cab enclosure making it perfect for cold storage applications.

  1. The Bendi Electric or IC powered forklifts provide the world’s first 180° articulating mast, front wheel steered design, providing unmatched maneuverability in narrow aisle storage. The Bendi can store pallet loads from aisles as narrow as 72 inches to lift height of 492 inches. Available in Electric and LP Gas models.
  2. The Drexel SwingMast® fork trucks are electric or IC powered and have a 90° rotating and shifting mast that operate as a front or side loader that can stack pallets or long loads in aisles as narrow as 56 inches and lift to a height of 372 inches.

Landoll also manufactures two other models of electric forklifts.

  1. A Drexel EX (UL Certified explosion proof) front loading lift truck is designed to operate in hazardous flammable atmospheres.
  2. Landoll also manufactures a stand up compact forklift, the LSC, which provides a low cost solution for increased efficiency when stacking or performing dock work, working in bulk storage or on the manufacturing floor and while stacking in drive in racking.
View more Landoll Very Narrow Aisle Forklift videos here.

Browse all of the material handling and industrial equipment we offer. We have the new or used piece of equipment you’ve been looking for, so please call (866) 696-9125, e-mail us contacts@sielift.com, or visit one of our nine material handling dealerships to purchase or lease today.

Toyota 2015 Product Launches

Ready for the New Toyota Products Launched in 2015? Southeast Industrial Equipment attended the RDAC 2015 conference and came back with a wealth of knowledge after taking part in a hands on product launch of the new Reach Truck, 80-Volt Electric, and a High Capacity Internal Combustion forklift. The product launches culminate months of product development, with eight new Toyota models and services introduced in the last two years. For more information contact a territory managers at one of our local branches.

New Reach Truck
Toyota’s new 9 series Reach Truck features more than 500 engineering changes to increase quality, reliability, and durability. The Reach Truck is available in 2,500-4,500 pound capacities. With world class engineering and dependability, Toyota’s new Reach Truck is the perfect solution for your warehouse. Toyota’s Reach Truck comes in single and double reach models to help you utilize your warehouse space more efficiently. Choose between 24-volt or 36-volt power as well as battery compartments as short as 14.5 inches to as long as 21.5 inches. Longer maintenance intervals and the numerous engineering improvements make the Toyota Reach Truck the elite warehouse solution!

New 80 – Volt
Toyota’s new 80-Volt Electric forklift is available in 4,00-7,00 pound capacities and functions similar to the mid electric pneumatic forklift. No longer do you need an internal combustion forklift for your big, rough terrain, outdoor jobs. The 80-Volt is designed to work outdoors, reduce maintenance, improved ergonomics and increased productivity, and are proven to have twice the run time as the 38 and 48-Volt models. It features the largest battery of Toyota’s electric forklifts while producing zero emission.

New High Capacity IC Forklift
Toyota’s New High-Capacity IC Pneumatic Forklift is the largest forklift in Toyota’s product line. With a lift capacity up to 72,000 lbs., this large, rugged forklift can handle almost any heavy load. Commonly found loading and unloading large shipping containers or on the construction site, the High-Capacity IC Pneumatic Forklift provides lifting solutions for extremely heavy applications. This forklift demonstrates that Toyota is truly dedicated to it’s role as a full-line supplier and solutions partner for our customers.