Manufacturer of Hydraulic Presses
Forklifts do the heavy lifting in a plant or a warehouse, everybody knows that. But when one of them is parked in the corner because a tire is shot, nothing moves. Pallets wait. People wait. The boss asks why.
If your trucks run on press-on tires, the fix is a forklift tire press. We find a lot of shops don't really think about it until the tire is already finished, and then it's a rush.
So here's what we'll cover. What the press does, what tires need one, how a change goes, and what you should look at before you buy one.
A press-on tire is a solid tire bonded on a steel band. That band goes over the wheel with a very tight fit, and there's no bolts or air holding it. Just friction. So it takes a lot of force to put it on, and about the same to pull it off.
The press does both. It pushes the old tire off the wheel, then it pushes the new one on until it sits square and all the way down.
Without a press you're hammering, prying, or putting wheels in the truck to send them out to somebody. Not great.
And the seating part is important. If the tire goes on crooked or doesn't go all the way, it won't last like it should.
Not all of them. Quick version.
Press-on tires are the ones. Some people call them cushion tires. Solid, low profile, made for smooth floors inside a warehouse or a plant. You'll mostly see them in rubber or in polyurethane.
Rubber gives you better grip and a softer ride, so it's a common choice for general indoor work. Polyurethane is tougher. It resists cuts and chunking better and carries more load for its size, but on a wet floor it doesn't grip as well. There's also non-marking versions, which food plants and retail like because regular black rubber can leave marks on the floor.
Then you have pneumatic tires. Air filled, pretty much like a truck tire. Those are for gravel, yards, rough ground outside. They're mounted a different way, so that's not a press job.
If most of your fleet works inside on cushion tires, you're doing press-on changes. That's exactly what a forklift tire press is made for.
Before you order tires or tooling, know your size. Press-on tires normally use three numbers in inches. For example 18x7x12-1/8.
The first one is the outside diameter. The second is the width. The third one is the inside diameter of the steel band, and that one has to match your wheel.
For the press, the third number is the one you care about most. It tells you what adapters you need. Get it wrong and the tire just won't fit.
Running a tire until it falls apart is the expensive way. Ask your operators and your mechanics to keep an eye out for these:
This isn't only about comfort. On worn tires the truck sits lower and it's less stable, and that changes how it handles a load. If you're not sure, check what the manufacturer says for your tires and your trucks.
Also, most tire makers will tell you to change them in pairs on the same axle. A new tire beside a worn one puts the truck off level.
Every press is a bit different and so is every forklift, so always go with your manuals. But the job usually goes something like this.
First you lift the forklift, support it properly, and take the wheel off. Then the wheel goes on the press bed with the right adapters or pressing rings for that size. The ram comes down and pushes the old tire off.
Now clean the wheel. Rust, dirt, whatever's left from the old tire. If you skip this the new one might not seat right.
Line up the new tire and take your time doing it, because square is everything here. Then press it on until it's fully seated, put the wheel back on the truck, and check that everything sits like it should.
And be safe the whole time. PPE on. Hands away from the ram. Operators trained on the press before they use it. A hydraulic press doesn't care whose fingers are in there.
Most of the headaches we hear about come from the same few things.
None of it is hard. It just takes a minute of paying attention.
Plenty of shops still send wheels out or wait for a mobile tire service. It works, sure. But look at what it costs you.
The truck sits there, maybe a day, maybe longer. You're on somebody else's schedule. And with a big fleet you're doing this over and over.
With your own press your maintenance guys do it when it works for you. Change a tire on a slow shift. Keep a few spares on the shelf and get a truck back out fast. Less downtime and you're in control, no waiting on the phone.
For a small fleet, sending it out might be fine. For a busy plant or a distribution center running cushion tire trucks all day, having your own press usually makes a lot of sense.
They're not all the same. Before you buy, think about a few things.
Tonnage first. Bigger tires and tighter fits need more force, so know what sizes you work with and get a press that handles them without straining.
Then size. Look at the opening and the working space. Your biggest wheel has to fit in there, plus the adapters.
Ask about tooling too. What adapters and pressing rings come with it, and what will you need for your wheels?
Safety is a big one. Look at the controls and the safety features, because your operators will be standing right next to this thing.
And who built it. A press is a long term tool. Buy from people who know presses and who'll still be there when you call with a question.
Our 200 ton forklift tire press gives your shop the force to do press-on tire changes in house. We built it the same way we've built presses for 45 years. Tough, safe, and made to last.
You can see all the details on our forklift tire press page.
Not sure the 200 ton is right for you? Tell us what tires you run and how many trucks you have and we'll help you figure it out. If you need something else, we also build custom and specialty presses.
A good press makes changes easy. Good habits mean you do them less often.
Driving is a big part of it. Spinning the wheels, jackrabbit starts, hard braking, taking corners too fast, all of that eats tires. It's also how accidents happen.
Keep the floors clean. Broken pallets, debris, bits of metal, they cut and chunk tires. Sweeping is cheaper than a new tire.
Don't overload the truck past its rated capacity, extra weight wears tires faster. Store your spares somewhere cool and dark and away from running electric motors. And match the tire to the floor, cushion inside on smooth floors, pneumatic for rough ground outside.
Small things. But over a year, across a whole fleet, it adds up.
We've been helping shops pick the right press for 45 years, forklift tire presses included.
Questions about tonnage, tooling or which model fits your fleet? Call us or send us a message. You'll get a straight answer.
