What Causes Poor Braking in Forklifts?
2 Answers
The reasons for poor braking in forklifts are: 1. Frequent use of brakes leading to excessively high oil temperature in the brake calipers and overheating pistons; 2. Untimely replenishment of brake fluid and air presence in the brake fluid channels. Solutions for poor braking in forklifts: 1. When experiencing poor braking while going uphill, downshift to medium or low gear in time to maintain sufficient power to reach the top of the slope and stop; 2. When poor braking occurs while going downhill and the vehicle's own mechanisms cannot control the speed, the driver should use natural obstacles to create resistance for the vehicle. Forklifts are widely used in construction projects such as highways, railways, buildings, hydropower, ports, and mines for earthwork operations. They are mainly used for loading loose materials like soil, sand, gravel, lime, and coal, and can also perform light digging operations on ores and hard soil.
I've been operating forklifts for many years, and common brake failure issues are generally caused by several reasons. One is insufficient brake fluid, such as due to pipeline leaks or evaporation, leading to inadequate hydraulic pressure and inability to stop the vehicle. Another is excessive wear of brake pads; when the pads are completely worn out, braking power is lost, especially noticeable under heavy loads. There's also the possibility of air entering the hydraulic system, creating air resistance and making the brakes feel soft. I remember one time when I was driving and the brakes didn't respond; upon inspection, I found a ruptured pipe with fluid leaking all over the ground. Not fixing it promptly can be very dangerous. Operators should always be alert to unusual noises or a soft pedal and stop immediately to inspect. Regularly changing brake fluid and checking component thickness can prevent such failures. Safety comes first—don't wait until an accident happens to regret it.
