Managing multiple forklifts in one or various facilities is a challenge even for the most organized fleet managers. Managing a forklift fleet comes with unique challenges that requires tools for the best oversight. Toyota’s MyFleet is a one-stop, free-to-use, platform designed to help you manage your fleet easily and quickly at the touch of a button.

Still don’t think it can be that simple? See the benefits of having a MyFleet account with Toyota.

1. Manage Fleet Size

Whether you’re operating across a few locations in one city or region or are operating across North America, MyFleet gives you the ability to add, move, and remove equipment from your fleet depending on your business’ needs. You can easily view equipment specs and various options at the touch of a button, making it easier for you to focus on the productivity of your operation.

2. Easily Order and Re-Order Parts

Service and maintenance repairs can be costly, especially in terms of productivity. That’s why we want to make it easy for you to find the parts you need quickly and efficiently. Our MyFleet platform includes a parts finder for our online catalog that allows you to find parts for any Toyota Forklift by model and serial number, so you can shop an array of parts quickly. Then, buy those parts with a convenient checkout process, and a dealer will deliver them to your doorstep. Additionally, you are able to view your past parts purchases for fast reference and repurchasing.

3. Manage Equipment Locations

In addition to order capabilities, MyFleet allows you to manage and view the location of your forklifts as well as add new addresses if your forklifts frequently move to new locations. This increases your order visibility across all locations, making it easier for you to make accurate forecasting and bookkeeping calculation.

To begin managing your forklift fleet using MyFleet, login or register on the MyToyota Store.

he three common enemies of drive and load wheels for warehouse products like Reach Trucks, Order Pickers, and Pallet Jacks are: heat, debris, and poor floor conditions. Here’s what you need to know about these enemies in order to decide on the best solution and overcome them in your unique operation.

HEAT

Compression in these types of wheels creates heat. As the wheel rotates, the portion contacting the floor is compressed, and then when that part is no longer touching the floor, it expands back to its original shape. You can see an example of this by looking at the tires on your car. This expansion and contraction create heat. If this heat builds up enough, it creates cracks in the load wheel compound or causes the bond between the wheel compound and the wheel hub to release. As surprising as it may seem, this heat buildup even occurs in freezer applications.

Higher durometer compounds are the most common way to battle the heat. A higher durometer number means the wheel is “harder,” so it resists compression. Less compression equates to less heat. Trucks that move constantly generate more heat in the wheels, so they benefit from higher durometer wheels. The trade-off is that harder wheels have a rougher ride and usually cost more to purchase. The diameter of the wheel also plays a part in this heat equation. Larger diameter wheels do not have to spin as fast as smaller diameter wheels, so the compression cycle is not happening as often in a given distance. This is why drive tires can outlast load wheels on a given truck, even if they are the same compound.

DEBRIS AND POOR FLOOR CONDITIONS

Debris exists in many customer operations as a by-product of the work environment. It may be due to poor housekeeping or due to a process that generates a lot of debris in the area where operators drive; but it is a load wheel killer. While debris can shorten the life of any forklift tire, load wheels tend to suffer the most.

Good housekeeping practices are the best form of eliminating load wheel damage from debris. Debris such as a piece of pallet stringer, or a rock from the outdoor yard, can keep the load wheel from turning. In the case of a forklift or pallet jack, though, there is a drive motor strong enough to keep the equipment moving while that load wheel slides along the floor. This creates a flat spot on the load wheel. If the debris is small enough for the load wheel to roll over, the heavy load on the forks often presses the debris into the load wheel material. Eventually, there isn’t enough space for both the debris and the load wheel compound, forcing the load wheel to come apart.

Good housekeeping is essential because even the smallest debris can seriously damage your wheels — regardless of its brand name or durometer.

LOAD WHEELS

Load wheels are one of the most often overlooked aspects of warehousing products that can cause headaches when not configured correctly. The standard load wheel is frequently selected, assuming that it is a “one size fits all” solution. Understanding and using the correct load wheel for the application can significantly reduce your downtime and increase your productivity.

Reach Trucks:

As mentioned before, heat and debris are enemies of drive and load wheels. Reach trucks have the unique opportunity to increase the diameter of the load wheel. This reduces heat by reducing the number of rotations the wheel has to make over a given distance. The increased diameter also allows the wheel to roll over debris easier, reducing or eliminating the cause of flat spots. On the Toyota Reach Truck, there is an option for a 10-inch tall load wheel to accomplish this solution. Keep in mind that with such tall load wheels, you will need either wider baselegs to straddle the load or lift the loads up and over the load wheels to keep the pallets from coming in contact with them.

Pallet Trucks:

One type of wear unique to pallet trucks is “coning.” This is when the load wheels wear into a cone shape, usually with the edge closest to the outsides of the forks being the most worn. Frequent, tight turns can cause coning. This is especially noticeable when the floor surface is more abrasive. The best way to combat coning is to use load wheels that have been split into sections. This allows the outer portion of the load wheel to spin faster than the inner portion during a turn. This reduces the scuffing that causes cone-shaped wear. This is available as a triple load wheel on the Toyota Center-Controlled Rider, End-Controlled Rider, and Large Electric Walkie Pallet Jack. The Toyota Electric Walkie Pallet Jack is available as a dual load wheel.

Stand-Up Counterbalance Trucks:

These trucks do not have load wheels. They are included in this list because the steer wheels on these models can suffer from the same heat effects as load wheels do. On a Stand-Up Rider Forklift, the steer wheels carry the heavy counterweight when there is not a load on the forks to counterbalance. Customers who have light loads or frequent trips across the warehouse with empty forks can experience the same type of heat-related failures as a reach truck customer with load wheels. For this reason, the Stand-Up Counterbalance has steer wheel compounds ranging from a soft rubber to a hard polyurethane. The hard polyurethane tire will have a rougher ride but will not heat up as easily in applications that do a lot of driving with little to no weight on the forks.

DRIVE WHEELS

Drive wheels (aka Drive Tires) deal with similar heat and debris issues as load wheels, with the addition of needing to provide traction for acceleration, braking, and steering. When needing to find the best fit for an application, this makes the trade-off into a three-way consideration, instead of the two-way consideration of the load wheel. Generally speaking, traction takes priority of the three factors. Floor conditions will play a big role in determining how much of a priority traction takes.

Drive wheels may have to function on smooth floors with moisture or dust making traction difficult. The floor may be abrasive, providing high traction, but also increasing wear on the tire. There may be ice on the floor, but in a food environment where a metal-studded tire would not be acceptable. In order to provide the best possible solution for the customer, a variety of drive tires are offered. The below list describes a few of the available options, but there are more types available through factory installation and aftermarket sales.

DRIVE WHEEL TYPE

Rubber Wheels

Pros: Smooth ride, good traction on a variety of floors.

Cons: Soft compound means easier heat buildup in applications that are always moving.

Smooth Polyurethane Wheels (Varying durometers and compounds)

Pros: Non-marking, various compounds allow for a customized balance of ride quality vs heat resistance.

Cons: Requires better floor conditions for traction. Smooth, dry floors or mildly abrasive floors are best.

Siped-Polyurethane Wheels (Smooth polyurethane tire that has diagonal razor cuts in the traction surface)

Pros: Provides better traction in slippery conditions than a smooth poly tire, while retaining heat resistance benefits.

Cons: Razor cuts in the poly material reduce the tire’s life if driven on a dry or abrasive floor. Potential reduction in traction on smooth, dry floors due to reduced surface area.

A Toyota Reach Truck for Indoor and Outdoor Applications

Do you spend most of your day outside in a lumberyard or inside a rugged warehouse? Maybe you are required to work inside and outside? Many material handling trucks are not equipped to work indoors and outdoors or durable enough to work in a rugged indoor facility. You may think that a quick trip outside is harmless but repeat use of indoor trucks outside is not only harmful to your operators, but also your trucks. The buildup of dirt and debris and exposure to elements like rain and snow can wreak havoc on forklifts and their components, which leads to more downtime for repairs. Submitting your operators to the outdoors without proper protection can lead to reduced productivity or bad operating habits. It is vital to protect your trucks and operators for whatever environment they will be in. This is where Toyota’s Reach Truck products can assist with its indoor and outdoor capabilities.

Toyota’s Moving Mast Reach Truck products maximize productivity, performance, and efficiency. With an indoor model as well as an indoor/outdoor model, there is a truck to fit your needs. Each model features a right-hand control unit and an optional air-ride suspension seat to maximize productivity and comfort. Operators can customize performance and operating characteristics to meet their needs while also getting continuous updates on lift height, load weight, and fork alignment on a touchscreen display. Both indoor and indoor/outdoor models promote operator comfort and functionality to support productivity shift after shift.

MOVING MAST REACH TRUCK

The Moving Mast Reach Truck has lift heights up to 42.5 feet and a 5,500 lb. lifting capacity. Innovative ergonomics and technology offer clear and precise control for fast, smooth handling shift after shift. With an innovative mast design, a tilting cab, and an optional transparent roof, operators can maintain visibility at high lift heights. The Moving Mast Reach Truck features the tilting cab to reduce the risk of operator strain in repetitive high-level applications. It improves the visibility of the load so the operator can see the fork tips when elevated without moving their head.

INDOOR/OUTDOOR MOVING MAST REACH TRUCK

The Indoor/Outdoor Moving Mast Reach Truck excels with lift heights up to 24.5 feet and 3,500 lb. lifting capacity. The Indoor/Outdoor Moving Mast Reach Truck features weather protection options such as overhead and mast-direction windows, additional side windows, fan heater, and a fully enclosed cab with a door to support operator comfort in outdoor environments. This Reach Truck offers unmatched versatility due to the diameter of its large rubber pneumatic tires, high ground clearance, and multiple weather protection options. While reaching high and heavy loads can be challenging, the Indoor/Outdoor Moving Mast Reach Truck maintains a clear view with an optional panoramic roof and unique mast design, maintaining upward visibility and minimal load view obstruction.

Toyota’s Moving Mast Reach Truck products are capable of handling your most demanding challenges in warehousing, manufacturing, distribution, factory, retail, food storage/processing, and even cold storage applications. Its unmatched versatility, performance capabilities, and operator comfort contribute to keeping you going shift after shift. Whatever your needs may be, indoor or outside, these Reach Trucks are built for you. To learn more about Toyota’s Moving Mast Reach Trucks and optimizing indoor and outdoor capabilities

Pneumatic Electric Forklifts

When thinking of forklifts capable of working outdoors, many will be quick to mention an IC Pneumatic forklift. However, what is often mentioned less is an outdoor electric forklift. These forklifts are just as efficient and environmentally friendly.  The Toyota Electric Pneumatic Forklift is an excellent alternative to IC Pneumatic products and has many incredible benefits that can take one’s fleet to new heights.

Benefits of Pneumatic Electric Forklifts

1. REDUCED EMISSIONS WITHOUT SACRIFICING POWER

Choosing to go with an outdoor electric forklift over an IC product has multiple advantages. One of the most significant being reduced emissions. Electric forklifts are just as powerful as their IC counterparts due to new technology. The Toyota Electric Pneumatic Forklift has the ability to lift up to 11,000 lbs. and can be utilized for both indoor and outdoor spaces.

2. EASIER ON YOUR OPERATORS

Going electric for your outdoor forklift also means that it can be less noisy and produce fewer vibrations. It can take a toll on your operator if the truck is too loud, increasing fatigue and possibly reducing worker productivity. If you find that your associates are experiencing this, switching to an Electric Pneumatic truck may be a solution.

3. LOWER MAINTENANCE COSTS

Electric forklifts, in general, are cheaper to run from an energy standpoint and can help save on fuel costs. Electric forklifts also have fewer moving parts, which can help save on maintenance and service in the long run.

While IC Pneumatic forklifts are still a great choice, having an electric option to choose from can be beneficial for many operations.

Your forklifts put in work day-in and day-out moving product and lifting and moving your business forward. The day will come when you lose time and money because the truck isn’t running as efficiently anymore. It may be difficult to pinpoint this time, but below are a few indicators that you may need a replacement forklift.

1. WEAR AND TEAR OF A FORKLIFT

Has forklift maintenance become a case of continual troubleshooting and increasing costs to keep your forklift running? If prolonged heavy use of your forklift fleet needs regular repairs, it may be time to consider replacing the equipment. When paying for continual repairs, the effect on the bottom line goes far beyond the cost of replacing worn bushings or repairing the electrical components in a drive motor. You may need a replacement forklift if you have some of the following repair needs:

• Hydraulic leaks
• Clogged fluid lines
• Worn chains
• A mast that won’t lift
• Battery problems
• Unbalanced suspension
• Steering difficulties

2. LOSING TIME, LOSING MONEY

When you experience downtime for any unit in your forklift fleet, the cost is much more than parts and labor. You also need to factor in lost productivity and the costs of idle time for operators when their equipment is being repaired. When lost profits due to delays in product movement are taken into account, the total financial impact of an older forklift can easily extend into the thousands of dollars… per hour! Keeping spare lifts on hand is not an optimal solution due to the overall increase in operating costs. Neither are quick replacements. While lower in initial costs, they can create an endless cycle of unplanned repairs that negatively impacts your business. Retiring a forklift may be necessary if this is affecting your material handling operation.

3. AVOIDING UNEXPECTED EVENTS

Poorly maintained equipment can lead to an accident or injury, which may be avoided through regular inspections and up-to-date regular maintenance. If your forklift is starting to show signs of wear and tear, it may be time to retire or replace your forklift.

If you are experiencing some or all of these scenarios with your equipment, it may be time to reach out to Dillon Toyota Lift for a conversation. We will be able to help determine if you are in need of new equipment and get you with the right forklift. If you want more information on forklift’s useful life, download our forklift management guide, “Is it Time to Upgrade Your Forklift?”

Do you wish you had a piece of equipment that was willing to work just as hard as you do? Whether you’re restocking shelves on the sales floor or maneuvering pallet loads in the stockroom, you need equipment that won’t shy away from a challenge. With the all-new Compact and Second Generation Tora-Max Electric Walkie Pallet Jack, you can transport materials quickly and efficiently. Still not convinced?

Explore the advantages of these units and why you should consider adding them to your fleet.

Benefits of the Compact Tora-Max Electric Walkie Pallet Jack

EXCHANGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY

The Compact Tora-Max Electric Walkie Pallet Jack isn’t just another walkie pallet jack. This lift features a cartridge-style lithium-ion battery for increased productivity and reduced downtime. With the option to charge the battery both inside and outside the truck, the simple-to-use charger gives you charging flexibility to carry out all of your operational tasks. An optional second battery pack allows for greater run time, so you can stay on the move.

ERGONOMICALLY POSITIONED HANDLES

This lift is equipped with an easy-to-reach control handle, turtle button, pin code panel, and electric lift/lower buttons, giving you the ability to easily and comfortably reach the functions you need to get the job done.

Enhanced Features of the Second Generation Tora-Max Electric Walkie Pallet Jack

MAINTENANCE-FREE BATTERY

The Second Generation Tora-Max Electric Walkie Pallet Jack is designed with a maintenance-free, sealed lead-acid battery that does not require refilling, lowering your overall operating costs. It also includes a built-in charger that allows for easy, accessible charging so you can get back to work quickly.

DURABLE COMPONENTS

The Tora-Max Electric Walkie Pallet Jack features a strong, heavy-duty chassis, polyurethane drive tires, and a steel battery cover that protects the truck from daily wear and tear that may occur during operation. This pallet jack includes exit rollers to allow easy entry and exit on and off pallets, especially when lightly loaded or empty. Not only does this lift come equipped with durable components to keep your operation moving, but it’s also equipped with an efficient AC drive motor to power you through your daily tasks. The MyToyota Store is our e-commerce platform that allows you to quickly browse and purchase the forklifts and parts you need for your operation. Here is a list of machines that can be purchased directly from the MyToyota Store with just a few clicks. For more information about these forklifts and additional parts and accessories, visit the MyToyota Store.

Toyota’s continued commitment to safety sets the standard in the material handling industry. At Toyota, we take safety as an enduring promise to our customers, one that we’ve delivered on time and time again, from our introduction the System of Active Stability in 1999 to our continued support of National Forklift Safety Day.  As Toyota Material Handling President and CEO and former Industrial Truck Association chairman, Brett Wood, says “If you have a safe, comfortable operator, you’ll have a productive operator.”

But maintaining the health and safety of your employees isn’t just imperative to the success of your business. It is also your legal responsibility under OSHA’s General Duty Clause. An unsafe workplace environment can have a much deeper impact than just lost time and productivity or increased cost. Working in unsuitable conditions or operating unsafe machinery can cause considerable damage or even fatal outcomes. What measures can you take to ensure the safety of your employees and maintain a culture of safety awareness for forklift equipment?

Be sure that only trained operators are using any forklifts or other equipment.

All equipment should be properly maintained and inspected regularly to confirm that it is in safe working condition.

All equipment should be used as intended.

An unsafe environment can lead to expensive costs of repairs, including incremental damage that can cost about ten times that of the cost of forklift repairs. Adding a Toyota Planned or Full Maintenance plan can help you ensure the excellent and safe working condition of your forklift and reduce these costly, incremental repairs. By making sure these precautions are in place, you will help protect your employees and your equipment.