Electric Forklift Industrial Batteries – Maintenance Tips

To keep your lift truck battery in optimal running condition and to maximize it’s life basic maintenance and periodic inspection is required.  Simple and quick inspections can result in better overall forklift operation and reduce expensive repairs on your lift truck.  

• Check battery and charger cables for cuts and wire exposure. Cables with cuts that expose bare wire should be taped immediately with quality electrical tape; cables where the exposed bare wire is cut should be replaced by a qualified technician to prevent sparking or complete conductor failure. Poor cable conductivity may also cause improper recharge of the battery.
• Check the battery and charger plugs for wear, heat and exposed wire. This is where it is handled most and the handler is most vulnerable to an electrical hazard.
• Tie down the output cables of the lift truck industrial battery for the safest operating position and to prevent damage and possible battery explosions from the sparks if the cables are shorted between the battery and the lift truck chassis. Never use metal or nylon tie-downs.
• Battery cables should never be longer than what is necessary to reach the forklift plug (when inside truck) or to reach the recharge plug when the battery is in the spare battery rack.
• Excess cable should never just be “shoved” into the battery compartment where these cables can, and in most cases are, crushed and “shorted out.” Have your local battery representative remedy this dangerous situation.

• Look on top of the battery. Are all the plastic shrouds on all the cell lead straps? Are there shrouds on the terminals of the output cables? Prevent possible problems: Make sure there are no exposed electrical conductors.
• What kind of water is being put into the batteries? Is it pure? When was it last tested? Quality water de-ionizers will filter 600 gallons for your batteries. They mount on the wall and make pure water straight from your tap.
• Wash lift truck your batteries frequently. The electronics in today’s lifts are sensitive to “grounding.” Know this: it is the dirt and not the water alone that conducts current.

• Batteries should be watered on a weekly or bi-weekly basis OR you can simply install a watering monitor that tells you when water is needed
• Never let a battery sit in a discharged state, especially in a cold or freezing environment. Irreparable damage will occur.
• Industrial Batteries are warranted by cycle life, not calendar years. Maximize your battery life: do not over-discharge and never “short cycle” charge them.
• Check your battery charger for correct charging rate and cycle.

Let Liftway inspect your forklift batteries to maximize the life of your battery inventory.  

Depending on your electric forklift usage we can quote you on either an new or re-conditioned battery or battery charger.

Information Courtesy of EnerSys Canada Inc.