The proper maintenance and handling of forklift batteries is imperative to their longevity. There’s a right way and a wrong way to maintain and handle forklift batteries and doing it properly will ensure your investment is maximized.

Proper Handling

Forklift batteries can be heavy and dangerous if not handled properly, so it’s important to be educated on the correct way to handle them. Use these tips for some ideas about handling batteries properly:

1. • Use special equipment, like a walkie pallet jack equipped with a transfer carriage, to maneuver the battery. Because of the weight of some forklift batteries, no single person should attempt to move a forklift battery alone. Steel toe shoes should also be worn while moving the batteries.

• • An eye and hand washing station should be nearby. Should any hazardous liquid come in contact with hands or eyes, a hand and eye washing station should be conveniently located nearby to remove it as quickly as possible.

• • Chemical-resistant protective gear should be worn while maneuvering batteries. Having a conveniently located eye and hand washing station is necessary, but chemical-resistant gear should also be worn to keep the need for the station at bay. This includes safety glasses and gloves.

1. • Remove all metallic jewelry when handling and charging.

Proper Charging

Properly charging a battery is all about doing it at the right time, for the right amount of time. Use these tips when charging your forklift battery:

1. • Designate an area specifically for battery charging. This is an OSHA-recommended best practice.

• • Remember that lead acid batteries should be charged at 80 percent depth of discharge. Charging prior to 80 percent can result in reduced battery life depending on the type of battery.  Discharging the battery past 80 percent depth of discharge can also be detrimental.

• • If your battery overflows, take time to rinse it. Rinsing your battery after an overflow will help prevent corrosion.

• • Ensure compatibility between the battery and the charger. The charger that is being used should match the voltage/amperage of the battery. Color coding the connectors and clearly labeling the chargers can help to prevent accidentally connecting a battery to the wrong charger. Proper training is also imperative.

• • Avoid overcharging the battery. Some batteries have battery management systems that can prevent overcharging. If yours doesn’t, take precautions not to overcharge it, which can reduce the battery’s life.

• • Charge and operate the batteries at the proper temperature. Charging a battery in extreme cold or heat can cause reduced service life. Since battery types and specifications may vary, contact the battery manufacturer for their recommended charging temperature range.

• • Add water when needed after the charging cycle. Adding water to a wet-cell battery prior to charging the battery is a common mistake. Pure or distilled water should be used and the watering should occur after a full charge cycle to bring the electrolytes to the proper level.

• • Ensure the charger is turned off before connecting or disconnecting the battery.

Electric forklifts are awesome! Electric forklifts are low-emission vehicles that are less maintenance than an internal combustion forklift, while maintaining a similar workload as its internal combustion counterpart. This is due to the high-powered forklift battery. With that said, electric forklifts require some unique care that other types of equipment might not require. Failing to take the proper precautions with electric equipment can lead to breakdowns that cost time and money.

1. High Temperatures’ Impact on Forklift Battery Life

Heat is a battery’s arch nemesis. Heat from forklift operation causes the lead within the industrial battery to deteriorate. If you use the forklift and battery for an entire shift, make sure you let the battery charge properly and sit long enough to cool down before using it again in the forklift. Also, while you are charging, you will want open the hood to provide proper ventilation. This will help cool the forklift’s battery. Simply, the heat can take years off the battery’s life if not appropriately managed.

2. Over AND Under Charging Damages Forklift Battery Life

Your forklift needs a good night’s rest just like the rest of us. If you don’t get enough sleep, you might be frazzled for the day, but if you over sleep, you still might still feel worn out. If you don’t charge the forklift’s battery just right, you risk harming your battery’s lifespan. If you over charge your forklift battery, you risk excess heat, causing the battery to deteriorate (heat is not your battery’s friend, as we talked about before). You do not want to under charge your battery either, because undercharging leads to plate sulphation and battery breakdown. Under charging can drastically shorten the lifespan of the battery.

3. Watering for Increased Forklift Battery Life

Is watering your battery like watering your garden? Well, kind of. Your battery requires watering to provide the appropriate discharge to power your forklift. Lead-acid batteries used in forklifts typically have a mixture of 35% lead acid and 65% water within its cells. You can see that water is very important for powering the battery. During discharge, water evaporates, but the lead acid does not. The evaporation creates disproportionate levels of water and acid. So, you need to replace that water. In this case, you need to water your battery. Easy enough right? Not quite. If the battery is topped up with water at any stage other than fully charged, you risk the battery spilling water and acid on top of the battery and onto the floor. This causes the battery oxidize and lose acid, ultimately losing capacity for operation. Simply put, you only want to water the battery after it has been fully charged.

Original Post:  Kenny Trusnik, Marketing Systems & eCommerce Specialist, Toyota Material Handling, USA