Forklift Battery Charger: Your forklift truck will run on its own battery if it’s an electric vehicle. The battery is a vital piece of equipment and must be cared for and kept charged in order for your truck to work properly.
While an engineer is responsible for the care and replacing of the battery itself, as the operator it’s your duty to take the battery into account when doing your daily checks and any general maintenance.
Caring for the battery extends its life, meaning they don’t need to be replaced as often. Because replacement batteries are very expensive, your employer will appreciate you treating it properly.
In addition, without a battery, you can’t use your forklift truck at all, which means your workplace is less productive and again costs your employer money in lost time.
Forklift charging station
Forklift Battery Charger – There are some basic safety rules to observe when dealing with batteries.
The first is to ensure you never ever smoke close to the area where you charge your battery. And don’t use your lighter, or any other naked flame, to check the battery level. Batteries are highly flammable and if in doubt you should keep any and all forms of fire away from them.
Batteries also contain acid, which is highly corrosive if it comes into contact with your skin. For this reason, there should always be a supply of clean water close by wherever you’re using the forklift. If anyone should come into contact with the acid from a battery, they should rinse themselves thoroughly and seek a first aider immediately.
Forklift battery charging instructions
exide forklift battery charger manual:
If you ever need to check or handle the battery, it is highly recommended that you should wear protective clothing including safety glasses and gloves while doing so. You should also disconnect the battery from the truck or the charger before you inspect or handle it.
To make sure you’re not at risk of injury including electric shocks, you should make sure any loose metallic objects are kept away from the battery completely. This means tucking in or removing dangling jewelry or watches, and making sure any metal objects or tools are removed from your top pockets.
A general rule to observe is that the manufacturer’s instructions should be followed throughout both maintenance and care of your battery.
Forklift battery charging station
Charging Procedure:
Your forklift truck, if used as much as they tend to be in a busy warehouse or other business, will need to be recharged daily or even more often.
As the operator of the forklift, this job will usually fall to you to take care of.
To recharge the battery, you should first disconnect it from the truck and then remove the battery cover. Any gas coming from the battery will this way be released into the air instead of building up and causing a hazard while charging.
How to put water in a forklift battery?
Forklift Battery Charger: Your battery should indicate what the electrolyte levels are in each cell, and you will need to check the levels to see if they need to be charged any further.
To charge the battery, add distilled water until it only just covers the plates but without overfilling. You should clean up any excess water right away and add the cell tops back on again.
There are some basic checks you need to do before you begin the charging process itself. You should make sure the charger is switched off and then look closely at the cables and plugs to see if there is any damage. If you don’t see any problems, you can then connect the charger to the battery.
Please bear in mind that while the majority of batteries are charged this way, every battery is slightly different, and you should follow the manufacturer’s instructions very closely at every step of the charging process.
When the battery has been fully charged, you should always turn the charger off before you disconnect it from the battery. This means there’s a minimal chance of accidental electric shocks.
The battery tops should be completely dry and securely fasted to the battery. Reconnect the battery to the truck and do any further securing or locking in place required by your particular forklift and battery.
Forklift battery charging safety
Extra precautions – Forklift charging safety:
When charging your battery, you should only ever use water that has been distilled, or has been formulated especially for the purpose of charging your battery.
Containers should be made of glass or non-metallic material and should be kept clean and dry. If you notice your container is corroded, it should be neutralized using diluted ammonia or a sodium bicarbonate solution.
You can prevent corrosion from happening by training and drying the container, and then covering the battery terminals with petroleum jelly followed by acid proof paint where appropriate.
The vent holes should always be clear, and the cell tops tightly fitted, and the battery should be stored in a cool, dry place when not in use.
Electric forklift vs diesel forklift
Diesel and LPG Engines
Any trucks that aren’t powered by electric batteries have their own safety and maintenance procedures which must be followed at all times.
These general rules will help you to stay safe and keep your vehicle in good condition during refueling of diesel or LPG engines.
- Make sure the building or room you’re in is well ventilated if you’re indoors
- Always make sure you use your vehicle in a big enough space – no confined spaces
- When it comes to refueling, only ever do this outdoors
- Ensure no smoking signs are placed in areas where these vehicles will be used or refuelled
- Switch off the engine when you’re refuelling the vehicle
- Change any LPG cylinders outside or in well-ventilated areas only
- Disconnect LPG cylinders only when the valve is firmly shut
- Mount LPG cylinders with the downward arrow pointing down
Forklift charger
Usually yes, most electric forklifts can be put on charge whenever not in use regardless of battery charge level – e.g. in most warehouses, the electric forklifts may be put on the charge on lunch breaks and overnight at the end of the shift.
A forklift battery can wear down for any number of reasons. The vehicle could have been used too long before being recharged. The truck may have been left parked with its lights on. Even extremely cold weather can sap the charge from a battery.
Forklift batteries are too heavy to remove and replace with a fresh one. So if your forklift loses its charge, rather than towing it back to the garage, another option is so simply jump start it.
The energy needed to power a battery-powered lift-truck is substantial: according to one estimate, the typical charger consumes approximately 15,000 kWh per year, resulting in a total utility cost of $1,500 annually.
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