Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 01:40 pm
Are you looking for the best battery for your forklift? Then you’ve come to the right page! If you depend heavily on forklifts to operate your daily business, then batteries are an essential part of your venture. Choosing the right type of batteries have a major impact on your company’s overall efficiency.
To avoid getting ripped when buying battery for forklift for the first time, simply check out these few helpful tips:
Choose a battery’s liquid type
Apparently, there are two types to choose from when buying a forklift battery—lead-acid battery and Lithium Ion. Both differ from their setup, price, charging requirement, and kind of system. The lead-acid battery uses electrolyte to generate power through a chemical reaction between sulfuric acid and lead plates. It also requires regular watering, without it the battery will suffer premature failure. On the other hand, the Lithium Ion is a relatively new technology that is more energy dense than lead-acid. This does not require watering maintenance, allowing them to be more efficient especially in multi-shift operations.
Determine your usage scenario
Batteries usually vary in amp hours. Lead-acid batteries take about 8 hours to charge and another 8 hours for cooling down. Unlike the Lithium Ion batteries, they only take about 1 to 2 hours to charge and there is no need for cooling down anymore. With this, you must determine your usage scenario beforehand to prevent any hassles and unnecessary costs that this may bring.
Learn about charging systems
It is very important that you follow the charging system of your forklift batteries to extend their battery life. See to it that you also use the right charger for your batteries to work properly. The general rule of thumb when it comes to charging a battery for a forklift is to recharge it after an 8-hour shift or when it is discharged more than 30%. Frequent charging and cutting a charging cycle short can significantly shorten your forklift’s battery life, so be sure to fully recharge it once every day. More so, consider the battery temperature when charging to get proper charge voltages.
Demand a warranty
Buying a forklift battery that does not come with a warranty at all is totally a bad idea. You need to get a unit with a longer warranty to ensure after-sales issues are still well taken care of. After all, a warranty serves as your protection when the unit encounters any problems. If it is still covered by the warranty, you can just call the service centre to assist you and solve the issue.
Always take into consideration these useful tips when buying a battery for forklift for the very first time. There are tons of things you need to remember, but these will surely lead you to getting the right batteries for your forklift. It is never a waste of time to understand these points, for you will be able to save more money and be properly guided to acquire batteries that will be of great assistance for your job.