Downtime. It’s every material handling equipment user’s worst nightmare. You could have the most sophisticated piece of equipment with all of the gadgets and gizmos, but if it’s not operational, you won’t get much work done. When work isn’t getting done, you have to make up for lost time, increased cost, and dissatisfied customers.

While downtime isn’t always caused by equipment failure, it can certainly hamper your ability to move products and raw materials that allow your business to function. Thankfully, eliminating downtime with your equipment can be simplified into the following categories: using the right tool for the job, proper usage, proper maintenance, and quality parts and workmanship.

1. Forklift Basics: Using the Right Tool for the Job

When customers have problems with certain components repeatedly failing or causing problems and can’t figure out the cause, the problem is usually that the tools they’re using are not equipped to handle the job. In diagnosing these problems, pay attention to the usage of the forklifts to understand what might be causing the issue.

For example, a customer was lifting heavy loads of bricks and transporting them across surfaces that weren’t flat. As a result, the product bounced up and down during transport, putting significant stress on several of the forklift’s components such as the carriage and lift chains.

This particular problem was solved by adding a hydraulic accumulator to the forklift. The accumulator absorbs the shock by using nitrogen to actively adjust the hydraulic pressure, reducing the carriage and chain wear, and providing a smoother ride for the operator.

This shows the importance of using the right tool for the job. Whether you need an aftermarket installation or a completely different forklift model, a simple change or two can save you a lot of money and downtime.

2. Proper Forklift Usage

Once you have the right piece of equipment, the next step is to make sure you’re using it properly. Monitoring how the forklifts are used is the key to determining if the way they are being operated is an issue.

Improper operation is unsafe, and it can also lead to accelerated wear and tear on equipment. Some bad habits may include:

Tip loading – When a load is lifted using the first third of the forks or the load is not fully secured against the front face of the carriage.

Hot shifting or “plugging” – When shifting the transmission between forward and reverse while an internal combustion forklift is in motion. This can cause accelerated wear, potentially significant damage to the transmission, and increased tire wear.

Pushing or Pulling loads – Forklifts are designed to lift and carry loads, not to push or pull them.  Pushing or pulling loads puts significant stress on various components, including the carriage, load backrest, and mast.

Overloading – Lifting a load that exceeds the forklift’s maximum capacity, as indicated on the data plate, is extremely dangerous. Not only is this type of operation unsafe, but it can also damage hydraulic components, forks, and other attachments.

Improper entry/exit – Putting excess strain on the seat assembly by not using the grips and putting all the operator’s weight on the seat to aid entry and/or wearing sharp tools when entering and exiting the forklift can lead to bodily injury, as well as accelerated wear and tear on the seat and hood of the forklift.

These are just a few examples of how improper forklift usage can increase maintenance and repair costs over time. Proper operator training, safe operation, and best practices can help combat some of these issues.

3. Proper Forklift Maintenance

Just like any other vehicle, if you don’t take care of your forklifts, breakdowns and failures are inevitable. Forklifts have pre-determined intervals for when certain maintenance needs to occur. Depending on the particular model, type of work environment, and the number of hours that are put on it daily, this can be a frequent occurrence. For example, if you have dirt, dust, and fibrous materials floating around, you may need to change filters and clean the radiator more often. And if you run three, eight-hour shifts a day, you’re going to reach the 250-hour service interval faster than someone only running one shift.

Forklift spare parts might seem like dime-a-dozen commodities that can be purchased without paying much attention. But smart operations understand that the parts make up the whole, and the best way to maximize the value of your Toyota Forklift is to replace its parts with the originals – Toyota Genuine Parts. And the only place to get your Toyota Genuine Parts is from your local dealer, or the Toyota Forklift Store. You might pay more up front, but the long-term value of Toyota Genuine Parts comes from their quality, durability, and reliability.

What do we mean by quality? You bought your Toyota forklift for a reason. You know the brand and you know Toyota’s reputation for performance. Toyota Genuine Parts are made with the exact same care, quality materials and attention to detail as the forklifts are. Our forklifts are made with Toyota Genuine Parts.

What do we mean by durability and reliability? With Toyota Genuine Parts, you won’t have to worry about whether or not your forklift is going to work as hard as you do. Toyota Genuine Parts help increase your overall uptime and help keep you running longer; they’re manufactured to work and last.

But there are other good reasons to invest in Toyota Genuine Parts as well. We’re just getting started…

Toyota believes the Best Forklift Spare Parts are Guaranteed by an Industry-Leading Warranty

Toyota Genuine Parts are covered for two years or 4,000 hours from the date of purchase or installation. In those two years or 4,000 hours, Toyota will provide a replacement part or repair any Toyota replacement part that is defective under normal use and maintenance. Most importantly, Toyota will not charge for any warranty repair or warranty replacement work done at an authorized Toyota dealer in the U.S. during that time. In addition, labor will not be charged on a warranty repair/replacement if the work is performed by a Toyota Certified Technician!

At Toyota, we know our parts are quality, so we will always back them up in writing. Do the others do that?

Toyota Certified Technicians are trained using Toyota Genuine Parts

Toyota Certified Technicians go through a rigorous training process that includes hours of both classroom and field-supervised training. Our trainers are top-notch, and they won’t let a tech come work on your Toyota forklift until they can assure the highest quality work. And what do Toyota Certified Technicians use during this intensive training process? Toyota Genuine Parts. These are the foundation of the Toyota Certified Technicians’ education. They know them inside and out, just like they know every inch of your forklift model. When Toyota Technicians use the best forklift spare parts, you’ll get the best possible work. And that leads to more uptime. That leads to more success, and reinvestment in your business.

Operations who Order the Best Forklift Spare Parts Increase Uptime

Uptime is what we, in the material handling industry, all strive for. When we’re in uptime, we’re firing on all cylinders and getting more work done. We’re sure you can appreciate the same.

So, what’s the best way to keep your fleet running? That’s easy. Dependable, long-lasting parts. Toyota Genuine Parts. Toyota Genuine Parts are manufactured and engineered to work seamlessly with other parts in your Toyota forklift. When a Toyota Genuine Part is your replacement part, you are upgrading your equipment and increasing your uptime.

Aside from the obvious, why is uptime so important?

• Customers like it. When a customer orders something, whatever it is, they usually want it quickly. Uptime means no delays because of the supply chain and quick order fulfillment.
• You save your reputation. Today’s customers don’t just like things to be completed quickly, they demand it. The last thing you want is to gain a reputation of always having down equipment and therefore delivering things slowly.
• You’re making good use of your money. The last thing you want is to be paying employees to be sitting around, because the tools they need to complete their job are down. When you are in uptime, your employees are able to do what you’re paying them to do.
• Your productivity is increased. It’s amazing how much you can get done when you’re not sitting around waiting for something like your forklift to be repaired.
• You can be innovative. If you’re constantly waiting on down equipment, you’ll barely have time to do the necessities, let alone be innovative. With more uptime, you’ll get the essentials done quicker and therefore, have more time for innovation and improvement.

Toyota Carries Forklift Spare Parts that are Compatible with Other Manufacturers

Even when you have a mixed fleet, Toyota is your one-stop-shop with our STARLIFT program. Complementing Toyota Genuine Parts, STARLIFT is a parts program that makes forks, tires, oils/chemicals, batteries and other replacement parts available for Toyota forklift mixed-fleet customers.

The forks that come standard on your Toyota forklift are the same forks the STARLIFT program offers. Toyota works with two fork manufacturers, Arrow and Cascade. Both are long-standing companies that focus solely on material handling products.

The next time you need forks, make it easy on yourself and go to your one-stop-shop Toyota forklift dealer and ask about the STARLIFT Parts program.

How to Easily Find Forklift Parts Online

What’s the hardest thing about buying replacement parts for your forklift online? Many would say picking the right part to fit your model. To mitigate this issue, Toyota Forklifts has incorporated a parts finder for our online catalog that allows you to enter your model and serial number and find parts for your specific truck.

Simply enter your model and serial number, click “Search Parts” and start shopping for parts online!

After searching your model and serial number, finding the right part is easy. You can either click down through the different parts groups or simply use the keyword search bar provided for your truck.

Start adding parts to your cart as you find what you’re looking to buy. Once you are done shopping, click Secure Checkout for an easy and convenient checkout process.

During the checkout process, we will determine your local dealer based on your shipping address. You will then have varying shipping options created to fit your needs ranging from Pick Up in Store (Free!), Standard Delivery, or Expedited Delivery. If you are still unsure what parts to buy or want some expert advice, contact Dillon Toyota Lift.

The excitement surrounding the acquisition of a new forklift for your operation is something to be celebrated. We at Dillon Toyota Lift are equally excited to help you achieve your goals, and that’s why we work hard to manufacture industry-leading forklifts with legendary reliability. But we also recognize that your forklift success is about more than just the occasional acquisition of a new forklift. Instead, you have unique needs, success measurements, and pain points that need to be addressed throughout the entirety of your forklift’s lifetime.

The Toyota 360 Support promise isn’t just an aftermarket tool for purchase. It’s our promise to integrate with your problems and to help you find material handling solutions wherever possible. When you invest in a comprehensive aftermarket services program with Toyota 360 Support, make sure you’re taking full advantage of that promise and challenge us to fulfill it. You can bet we’re up the task.

Asking Your Toyota Technician

Not only does Toyota promise a four-hour guaranteed turnaround time on maintenance requests, not just anyone will be looking at your forklift. Rather, Toyota Certified Technicians who have been trained on Toyota forklifts, using Toyota Genuine Parts, and comprehensive Toyota dealer training techniques will handle the job. Don’t hesitate to ask your technician about the mechanical operation of your forklift or any efficiency questions you have about its internal function. They are there to help.

Utilizing the Toyota Dealer Network

The extensive Toyota forklifts dealer network is one of the major benefits to all of our customers and an integral part of the Toyota 360 promise. Don’t think of your Toyota forklift dealer as a company there to sell you forklifts. Instead, think of it as a group of people using their collective experience to help you tackle material handling challenges and increase operational efficiencies. We’re most successful when you’re successful, and a partnership built on mutual success is the foundation of the Toyota 360 support promise. From parts needs or warranty claims to consultations regarding proper forklift selection, forklifts’ functionality, capability, or current state of operation, your dealer is there to help with Toyota 360 Support.

Toyota Genuine Parts are the Core of All Repairs

Genuine. It’s that feeling of certainty when you expect fulfilled promises. If the Toyota dealer partnership is the foundation of the Toyota 360 Support promise, then Toyota Genuine Parts are how we deliver on it. Toyota forklifts lead the industry in overall value. Part of that overall value is the sum of the forklift’s Toyota Genuine Parts. And that’s exactly what Certified Toyota Technicians use as part of the Toyota 360 Support promise.

At Toyota, we know that you need more than just a forklift solution. You need solutions to complex operational challenges. Your success is within reach. Our promise is to provide the comprehensive support you need to achieve it.

Written By:  Jake Stewart, Digital Copywriter,Toyota Material Handling, USA