Forklifts are some of the most common work vehicles across Australia and, indeed, the world. Used in factories and warehouses in every city and town, they often operate while carrying hundreds of kilograms of material, and this takes a toll on the internal mechanics of these machines. If your forklift starts to display issues, then it needs to be repaired as soon as possible, as it will only get worse and possibly stop working altogether. Here are three common issues that necessitate an immediate phone call to a company that offers forklift repair services. 

Slow Mast

The mast is the most important mechanical part of your forklift, as it is perhaps the primary component that makes a forklift a forklift. It is not uncommon for masts to start moving slower after a few years of work, but this is also something you should not have to put up with. If your mast starts to respond slower to your directions or sometimes fails to respond at all, then you should book it in for an immediate check-up with forklift repair services. This problem will only get more prevalent with time, and it can lead to your forklift becoming unusable, so get it sorted while the issue is still in its infancy. 

Battery Problems

Forklifts use their batteries a lot, and often these batteries are not serviced as regularly as they should be. If you find yourself trying to turn on your forklift a few times before it responds, then this is a sign of a dying battery. The last thing you want is for your battery to fail completely at a time when you most need it, which is why it is important to replace or repair it when there is no urgent need. Having a few batteries onsite can be helpful, but generally, most people like to leave this work to the professionals so that the new battery is placed properly. 

Crunching Gears

Steering and accelerating are fundamental parts of safely driving a forklift, so when you start to hear these components crunching, something is seriously wrong. Just like in a car, these issues could have an innocent explanation, such as the need for steering fluid, but often when you hear the gears grating against each other, it is a sign that something is out of alignment. This needs to be addressed right away, even if the forklift still drives as it should. Without proper repairs, it soon will stop driving at all.