How to Maintain Your Forklift Battery

Electric forklifts are entirely dependent on batteries, unlike the diesel or LP gas forklift alternatives. Therefore, it’s absolutely imperative that the battery is looked after and well-maintained, otherwise, you could be left with a hefty bill after replacing either the battery or even the forklift itself.

It’s important to check on the condition of your forklift battery during routine maintenance checks. Often, the battery is missed when it comes to monitoring the condition of the forklift truck, but if you take that extra time to look after it, it’ll most likely give you many, continuous hours of service, therefore increasing the reliability and durability of your machine. In this article, we’ll be explaining why maintaining your forklift battery is important, together with how to go about doing it properly.

Why should you maintain your forklift battery?

There are many reasons why you should be maintaining your forklift battery, including:

It will prolong its life – looking after the battery will ensure that it runs for as long and as safely as possible, so you won’t have to worry about spending extortionate amounts of money on battery or forklift replacements

You’ll have peace of mind should you wish to sell it on – if you find yourself selling the forklift you have, you can rest assured that the battery will give its new owners many hours of uninterrupted service

It will keep your overall expenses to a minimum – it can be costly should a part or component break down on your forklift. As such, by ensuring your battery runs for as long as possible, you’ll be saving yourself a considerable amount of cash in terms of major repairs and maintenance, especially if a specialist technician or engineer needs to be brought it

Your operators will be safe from harm – this will give you peace of mind that your workers will be safe from harm at all times when behind the wheel of your forklift. It ensures safe and smooth maneuverability all round, so even those on the warehouse floor will be protected when the forklift is in the operation

How to maintain your forklift battery

There are a few ways in which you can ensure your forklift battery runs as smoothly as possible, ensuring your warehouse operations can go off without a hitch. When a forklift operates as it should, it has the potential to make short work of labour-intensive activities, so it’s important that they don’t break down.

Here’s to effectively maintain your forklift battery:

Charge the battery at the end of each day

If the forklift battery is allowed to run down during the day, then it’s important that you put it on charge overnight in order to keep it in good condition. This will also make sure that you get the most out of the total number of charge cycles.

Refrain from implementing something called ‘opportunity charging’ – charging the battery for ten minutes, before it has the chance to recharge fully, and then using it. This will wear your battery down much quicker than it would do if you charge the battery more strategically.

If the battery needs changing, do that in a dry place

Forklift batteries, much like others used in a number of vehicles, are susceptible to oxidation and rust, something which can be harmful to your forklift battery, especially if rust is allowed to build up in and around the battery itself. To reduce the risk of rust build-up on the forklift battery, change or replace it in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place.

Allow the charge to complete before operating the forklift

It’s important that you refrain from interrupting the charge before it’s complete. Once plugged in, ensure the battery is left to charge for the suggested amount of time (this sort of information can be found in the manual or user handbook). This will ensure that the battery has enough power to function as expected, for as long as possible.

Maintain the appropriate fluid levels during routine maintenance and inspections

Fluid levels, when it comes to your forklift battery, is an important part of your electric forklift maintenance. If the fluid falls to a low level, the plates will soon be exposed to the air, something which has the potential to cause long term damage. On average, battery fluid levels should be topped up once every ten charges, but make sure you do this after charging the forklift, never before plugging it in to charge.

Ensure the battery is kept clean

Make sure you clean up any spillages on, or near, the forklift battery. To keep it clean overall, you should rinse it once every six months in order to wash away debris and prevent any long term damage or issues. This will help your forklift battery to continuously run as smoothly and as efficiently as possible, ensuring your warehouse operations can be completed in a productive, timely manner.

Here’s how Multy Lift can help you

Here at Multy Lift, we’re proud to be able to supply our customers with new and used forklift trucks, including diesel forklifts, electric forklifts and LP gas forklifts. Whether you need a replacement for an old machine, wish to add to an existing fleet or purchase multiple machines at once, you’ll always be able to look to us for quality warehouse equipment.

If you’d like more information about the forklifts we have available for purchase or hire, get in touch with a member of our expert team today – we’re always on hand to impart professional advice and guidance when you need it most.