Reading Forklift Tire Sizes
Whether you're the forklift operator or the plant manager. Having a basic understanding of forklift tires is essential to staying productive and efficient. The basic components of your forklift tires are:
Sidewall - shows important tire information like the tire brand, size, tire type, and wear line
Tread - Raised rubber that comes in contact with the ground
Rim - Metal portion of the wheel that holds the tire in place
Reading Press-On Tire Sizes
Press-on tire sizes are shown as the Outer Diameter (A) x Width (B) x Rim Diameter (C). An example would be: 16 x 6 x 10.5.
Reading Pneumatic or Solid Tire Sizes
Pneumatic or solid pneumatic tires sizes are noted as the Width (A) x Rim Diameter (B). An example would look like: 6.50 x 10.
Measuring Forklift Tire Sizes
If you need to measure your forklift tire size grab your average tape measure.
Measure the outer diameter, picture the tire as a compass with north at the top of the tire. Make sure you’re placing the tape measure at the center of the tire and run the tape measure east to west.
Measure the rim diameter, stay in the center of the tire but only extend the tape measure to each edge of the rim.
Measure the width of the tire, simply position the tape measure on the part of the tire that would make contact with the ground and run the tape measure from edge to edge.
Remember, for press-on tires you need to measure the outer diameter, the width of the tire, and the rim diameter. For pneumatics or solid pneumatics measure the width and the rim size.
