Tread & Color
Our Tires
At Georgia Industrial Tire, we buy direct from the manufacturer so we can offer you the highest quality of tire at a wholesale price. We stand behind all of our tires which come with a warranty from manufacturing defects. Below you can learn more about the type of tires, the tread & color, the different compounds, and the sizes we stock.
Type
Compound
Size
Size
Type
Choosing the right tire for your equipment is critical to the handling and safety of your forklift. Many forklifts are designed for specific applications, as such, the manufacturer specifies the best tire type and size for the job. Georgia Industrial Tires provides the following types of tires;
Solid Cushion
Our cushion tires are made of smooth, solid, natural rubber and are adhered around a metal rim band. Since forklifts don’t have suspension systems, this tire “cushions” the vehicle for a smoother ride which benefits the driver and the load. Cushion tires are best for smooth surface applications, primarily indoors or on loading docks. These tires are designed for a smaller turning radius, making them ideal for manufacturing facilities that have less space than a warehouse.
Solid Pneumatic
Our solid pneumatic tires (a.k.a resilient tires) are a natural rubber formulation and offer high performance and versatility. These tires, which look similar to a traditional air filled tire, provide strong grip on uneven surfaces and rough outdoor terrain but can also be used indoors. Solid Pneumatics are made of solid rubber and are puncture proof vs. Pneumatics Air tires.
Polyurethane Solids
Polyurethane tires “polys” are a lightweight, indoor-only option that provides good traction with low rolling resistance. Polys, adhered around a metal rim band like a solid cushion tire, are most often found on electric forklifts as they can carry the additional weight of the battery and the workload. Polys have a higher durometer rating (80+) than rubber (65) to support a heavier workload, but offers a harder ride. We offer polys with rating from 83 (soft) to 95 (heavy load bearing)
Foam Filled
Some pneumatic air tires can be filled with a polyurethane foam, in place of air, to harden (cure) and create a more “puncture proof” tire. This type of tire is best used in outdoor applications where flats are a problem. A foam filled tire, which takes between 24-48 hours to cure, will last as long as the rubber casing remains good.
Pneumatic Air
Pneumatic air tires work well outdoors on asphalt, in gravel and in yards, but they can be punctured. Pneumatic air tires will provide a softer ride than the solids so consideration to the lift’s workload and terrain should be considered before making your buying decision.
Tread & Color
We offer tires from smooth to deep lug tread patterns. Smooth tires are made for indoor operating environments. Our lug patterns are engineered to grip a variety of indoor and outdoor/off-road surfaces from extreme lug/void pattern for the most severe terrains to the block pattern that can be used across multiple surfaces.
We offer our customers a choice of natural black and non-marking white. Non-marking white is fit for indoor purpose, especially in industries that need to minimize dust, e.g., Food Processing, Chemical, and High Tech.
Compound
We want the best for our customers, that’s why our tires are made from either a natural rubber formulation or polyurethane. Natural rubber provides good shear resistance, better load bearing capability, and high level of resistance to cuts vs. synthetic rubber.
Our polyurethane tires are an excellent tire for electric lifts. These tires have extra carrying capacity to counteract the additional weight burden of the battery while still getting the job done. These tires offer a long life (when used appropriately), but provide a harder ride for the operator vs. natural rubber.
Size
It is critical to the safety of the operator and the longevity of your equipment that you get the right size tire. Some manufactures list the tire size on the forklift’s dash, others don’t list it at all. Either way, you can always retrieve the tire size from the sidewall of the existing tire or call us with the forklift’s make, model and serial number and we can determine the right size for you.
Solid Cushion tire and Polys sizes contain three numbers, e.g., 16x6x10-1/2. The first number (16) refers the to the height of the tire or “outside diameter” the second number (6) refers to the width of the tire and the third number (10-1/2) refers to the rim’s diameter or “inside diameter”.
Solid Pneumatic tire sizes follow two predominate naming conventions:
1) 7.00x12/5.0
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The first number (7.00) refers to the tire width (its footprint) (it can also be considered the thickness of rubber from the wheel to the tire surface) and the second number (12) refers to the inside diameter, and the third number (-5.0) refers to the inside width of rim (where the tire touches the wheel1
2) 18x7-8/4.33
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The first number (18) refers to the tire height, the (7) refers to the tire width, the (8) refers to the inside diameter and the (4.33) is the rim width
If the tire size has worn off the outside tire sidewall, you can look on the inside sidewall. To do this, have someone operate the forklift and raise the forks above your head. Slowly move the lift forward until you see the tire size on the inside sidewall.
Manufacturers recommend replacing the tire when the outside diameter (OD) is 1 ½ inches off the original OD (see below). The rule of thumb suggests that when a tire wears down to the manufacturer's name stamped on the sidewall of the tire, it’s time to change it.
