Forklift battery

[Northstar9126]

A friend gave me an electric forklift that looks to be in very good condition, he said that everything worked fine until the battery died. The forklift is the kind that you stand on to operate. I believe that it was used to move pallets up on to racking. It is a 36 volt machine with a huge battery. I would guess the battery to be 18" wide by 30" tall by 40" wide. I checked on ebay to get an idea of what a replacement battery would cost. A used battery goes for over $1000 with no guarantee on it's condition. Does anybody know if I could get away with using six 6 volt deep cycle batteries. I know that I would get less run time on the 6 volt batteries but I don't need it to work for long periods of time. I will be using the forklift myself in my polebarn so I don't care about OSHA regulations.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

That should work if you can squeeze them in there. You might see about putting new acid in the battery. But those things get cycled a lot and do tend to puke out eventually. A good smart charger helps give them more life.

 

[wdchyd]

Those fork lift batteries can be repaired.....there are individual cells that come out for replacement....you'll have to do a little research to find an industrial battery service company to do the work...I wouldn't recommend DIY as these things are dangerous if not versed in this work....

A local forklift company may have a guy that does this or can steer you to a battery company....

These batteries are expensive and forklifts with a dead battery is pretty common as the people that have them realize a battery could cost 3-4 thous dollars depending on the size/amp hours/voltage ect.....and more likely to give it away......

If you test the cells with a hydrometer and voltmeter you may be able to determine how many cells are junk.....Hope this helps.....

 

[LD1]

I agree to have the battery you got checked out.

Theres more to it than just using 6 6v batteries. You also want to look at the amp rating on them as well. 6 smaller batteries may not provide enough amps to run the lift. Not to mention they wont last as long.

And just a quick google search for 6v deep cycle batteries turns up $100+ EACH. Considering they wont last as long as a properly maintained REA: forklift battery, it may be cheaper in the long run to bite the bullet now. $600+ for 6 individual batteries, and you still have to get some HEAVY guage wire and terminals th hook them all together. I dont see a whole lot of savings, especially if your dead battery can be fixed.

And not to mention, that most electric lifts use the weight of the battery for ballast. A few hundred pounds of 6v batteries is nothing like a few thousand pounds of REAL battery. That alone may cause some dangerious situations. With 6V batteries, it may not even lift what you need it to, and I'd hate to see someone spend over 600 bucks on a makeshift setup ont to have it not work for them.

Good luck.

 

[56FordGuy]

Finally, a post I can help with. I work for a forklift/ battery dealer.

The others are spot on. While you can run the unit off of 6 or 12 volt batteries, they won't last long and can be expensive. The problem doing that is the unit was designed with a specific size of battery in mind. If you read the data plate, you'll see it specifies a minimum battery weight, usually at least 2,000 pounds. That's because, as the other poster said, it uses the battery as a counterweight to get the necessary lifting capacity in as small of a body as possible. If you try to run it without the proper battery, and actually lift stuff with it, you may well tip it over.

If you can get the battery out of the unit, you can check the basics on it yourself. First, take your voltmeter leads and stick them into the battery cables. Operate the forklift and see how much the battery drops. On top of the battery you will see bars connecting the cells together. Take a voltmeter and check across each individual cell. You should have about 2.0 volts per cell. 2 volts per cell multiplied by the number of cells gives you the operating voltage, usually 24 or 26 volts in that type lift.

If you check the battery cells and find one or two that are drastically different then the others, you may be able to have the battery repaired by having just those cells replaced. However, depending on the age of the battery it may not be financially wise to do so. Over time, the lead plates in the battery shed lead particles down into the cell, causing positive plate growth. Once the plates shed enough, the cell will short out internally. You may replace two cells, then a month later have two or three more fail, then not long after have a few more fail. The plates usually shed at about the same rate. With 12 or 18 cells in a battery, you can spend more fixing one than a new one would cost.

How are you going to charge it? Most chargers are set up to run on 3 phase power, but single phase units are out there. Make sure your charger is set for your input voltage, too. They can be set up to operate on 208, 240, or 480 volts AC input. If you open the front door of the charger, there should be a sticker with a diagram explaining what jumpers need to go where to set it. Depending on how old it is, it may not be changeable.

Check the total voltage of your battery by sticking the voltmeter leads in your battery cables. Next, find a way to get the battery out of the unit. Be advised, it probably weighs about 2,000 pounds. Between the lead bars on top of the battery, you should see either plastic caps, or plastic caps connected by hoses. Remove the caps and fill each cell with water until it's about even with the plate you can see in the cell. Don't fill it to the top, it will boil over when you charge it. Ordinarily I'd recommend not watering the battery before charging it, but I imagine this one is probably low on water to begin with. After you put some water in it, plug it up to your charger and set it to "Equalize Charge", sometimes called "Weekly Charge". That causes the charger to run a few hours longer. The cells in the battery charge at slightly different rates, and by running the charger a little extra it brings them all up closer to 100%. That alone may bring the battery back up to a useful level, for limited use.

Hope that helps, holler if you have any other questions. What brand of forklift and battery is it?

 

[RoyJackson]

Finally, a post I can help with. I work for a forklift/ battery dealer.

Very good response!!!!!!!!

 

[Steve_Miller]

Very good response!!!!!!!!

I'll second that, we inherited an electric forklift from another plant and it was not charging to a full charge and I hit the equalize button not knowing what it does and the batteries have been fully charging ever since (a month ago). I did not know what this equalize button actually did until I read your explaination. I read the booklet that came with the charger but didn't see anything as far as explaining equalization. I do know how to read the flashing display in the charger now. It's a Yuasa charger 150amp with a Cat forklift set for 600volt three phase here in Canada.

Thanks
Steve

 

[Craig Clayton]

I use to repair forklifts, and I guess it is a narrow standup machine. As an electrician everyone above is more than correct. But seeing that OSHA will not be visting your shop here is another idea. If the charger/ battery do not cut the mustard you could fill the battery cavity with the same weight of steel. Then you could put on behind the machine a small single wheeled cart with less batteries, to be charged from a 12 V truck
charger. This is how we use to move big electric trucks around in the shop when the main battery was not yet installed.
Depending on your plan of use you could mount the batteries on the wall and have a hanging cable to the machine. Electric mining machines use the same idea.

I have to Go Now ( the safety police are all ready here )
Craig Clayton

 

[Jimmy Joe]

Also make cables are good and you have clean connections, use distilled or mineral free water for filling.

 

[tommu56]

look at some L16 2 volt batteries Trojan makes them and see if you can get enough in a custom rack to make your voltage.

Bake sure the battery cables are big enough.

The other thing is weight the data plate will tell you what the minimum battery weight has to be.

tom

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I have been an electric forklift mechanic for 26 years. Look on the data plate. Post a model and serial#. If it needs a battery the best thing you can do is trade it for a propane unit. Pulling that battery without hurting yourself is gonna be a struggle. The easiest way is to get a set of real heavy duty rollers. Chargers draw a ton of amps and the lowest voltage you will get for that battery is 208v. That battery and forklift is made to be run for an 8 hour shift and recharged. To run it any differently will shorten battery life dramatically. Used batteries aren't worth the risk and reconditioned batteries are a scam. There is a reason your buddy gave it away. Seriously, the best thing you can do is get rid of it.

 

[jpm]

what did you do to your buddy to make him so mad to dump this on you?:laughing:

 

[dourobob]

Does not sound like it was much of a gift but surely there must be some scrap or cannibalizing value.

 

[56FordGuy]

Depending on how old it is, what specific type it is (counter balance or reach truck), and what make it is, it may have some value as a used forklift. Granted, it won't be much due to the battery issue, but I wouldn't look at it as a pain in the rear or a money pit just yet. Heck, we don't even know for sure how bad the battery is just yet.

If you do wind up scrapping it, try and break it down yourself. If you pull out the electric motors, heavy cables, hydraulic manifold (usually aluminum), and hydraulic pumps (also aluminum) you'll get more out of it. If it's not too old, the drive tire (or tires) can have some value for the hubs.

 

[wdchyd]

I've scapped forklift freebees also just because of this reason......heck, I have two in my shop right now that need batteries too....They don't sell unless they run....

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Would be nice to know a make, model, and serial #. If the OP would like, here is some requests and advice.
1. Make, model, amd serial#. There will be a data plate on it somewhere, hopefully. About the size of an index card. Also, try to find out a manufacture date. I am going to take a stab here and guess it's not a reach truck but a 3 wheeler counterbalance. Easy way to tell, a reach truck has outriggers with 4"-5" wheels at the ends. The outriggers extend outwards towards the forks. A counterbalance 3 wheeler will have 2 wheels at the base of the mast usually around a foot in diameter. The reason I say 3 wheeler is that with a battery that big, reach trucks usually have a very tall collapsed height and would require either a low-boy or be laid down to transport. 3 wheelers usually don't have a tall mast. Reach trucks however, are way more popular and numerous than 3 wheelers.

2. Find out exactly what is wrong with the battery. Ask your buddy. Either the battery is old and won't hold a charge very long or it is damaged. May have a bad cell, bad cable, maybe he didn't bother to find out, maybe he did. Either way, good to find out.

Here is my rationale for dumping it. Only you can decide what you want to do but here is simply my humble opinion. You already know the pros of keeping this truck, now here are the cons.

You gotta get the thing running. Have to figure out the battery issue. Used batteries will buy you a couple years at best then you are back to where you are now. Reconditioned batteries are a scam. Repeat, a scam! Industrial batteries only have so many life cycles in them I don't care what you do to them. Steam clean them and paint, does nothing for adding life cycles. These batteries are made to expend a certain amount of amp hours over a 6 hour period. If you don't use them in that fashion, the life cycle is shortened. If your battery is old, the 6 hour cycle will be cut lower and lower until it's to the point of getting nothing done at all. Also, when you run a battery in this condition in your forklift, you will burn up electrical components. Quick electrical lesson. Power is watts, it takes so much power (watts) to do work. Watts is amps multiplied by voltage. When your battery is going bad, voltage drops. Now it takes the same amount of wattage to do work no matter the voltage, so the amps come up to compensate for the drop in voltage. When amps come up, you start burning up components. So don't run it with a bad battery. If you look on the side of the battery right below the lifting eyes, it should have the weight stamped into the frame. Right now, industrial batteries are going roughly $1.25 a pound. My guess is your battery weighs around 3,000 pounds. Do the math. That gets me to my next point.

Getting it repaired. When this thing runs, it's gonna be a blast to run and very handy. When it doesn't run, you're screwed. I am a road tech and technical trainer for a major forklift dealer. We charge $103 an hour. You pay an hour trip charge just for me to pull up to your door and grace you with my presence. Then it's an hour minimum. So you're at $206 minimum and I can't recall seeing a bill that low in forever. And don't even try an independent. Oh they will tell you they can fix anything and you might get lucky and find a guy that can. Do you feel lucky? Lol! Sorry, a little Dirty Harry humor. Wanna try fixing an electric forklift yourself? Go ahead, see if you can even find all the fuses on the truck. Guarantee they are not all in one spot or even under the same panel. Need a component? Depending on what it has for a drive system, some components are a few bucks. I changed a module the other day that was $3500! So I ask again, you feel lucky?

Addressing the 6-6v battery idea. What draws the most power for your truck is lifting, especially when the mast is staged. Remember my comment about watts, power and voltage drop? Those 6 batteries won't have a prayer of keeping up. In the short term, it will work. We use a battery cart like this for moving trucks around the shop. As a permanent solution? Not! I would like those guys out there that replace larger batteries with these smaller one to perform a voltage drop test under load, if you know what test I am describing. If you don't, you shouldn't have put the batteries in. If you do, give me your resting voltage and voltage under load. You're gonna be shocked.

I can go on longer but it's getting late. I think you get it by now. Now you know why I said to get rid of it. With my knowledge and ability, I don't think I would even keep this unit. And I do need one around my shop. I am renting space in a 125,000 square foot building and need a forklift, but I don't need another headache. Good luck.
Andy

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Depending on how old it is, what specific type it is (counter balance or reach truck), and what make it is, it may have some value as a used forklift. Granted, it won't be much due to the battery issue, but I wouldn't look at it as a pain in the rear or a money pit just yet. Heck, we don't even know for sure how bad the battery is just yet.

If you do wind up scrapping it, try and break it down yourself. If you pull out the electric motors, heavy cables, hydraulic manifold (usually aluminum), and hydraulic pumps (also aluminum) you'll get more out of it. If it's not too old, the drive tire (or tires) can have some value for the hubs.

I'll bet the whole unit is worth close to a thousand for scrap just the way it sits. The batteries are mostly lead. Could scrap it and find a propane unit on Craigslist or Evilbay.

 

[56FordGuy]

I'll bet the whole unit is worth close to a thousand for scrap just the way it sits. The batteries are mostly lead. Could scrap it and find a propane unit on Craigslist or Evilbay.

Not down here. I recently scrapped a few at work, we get about .05 cents a pound for them as they sit, without the batteries. The scrap yard considers it 'torch cut' steel. Since we're a battery dealer also, we sell the batteries separately to someone else. Figure a counterbalance truck without a battery weighs 5500-6,000 pounds, a bit less for most reach trucks. It works out for the company though, because they save on labor having to strip the unit down. Most scrap yards around here won't take them with any wheels or hydraulic components installed.

I'll be honest, I'm not as pessimistic about the original poster's situation as it seems like some of y'all have been. Worst case scenario, he can run the thing until it completely dies, then scrap it. He mentioned that the unit runs well, and just has battery issues. Depending on how old the lift truck itself is, it might be worth putting a new battery in. We have a few customers running units from the mid 80's, with proper maintenance and good operators they can last quite a while.

We really need more information before we can go much further. Brand and model of the forklift and battery. With the size of battery he described, I'd guess it's an 18-125-17 model. If it isn't too old, it might be repairable. An acid adjustment can do a lot for a battery, depending on previous maintenance (watering and charging) procedure, along with how they were using it.

 

[B7510HSD]

Hopefully it's not a Raymond they won't even take them for scarp!!
Although a good paint job and some Crown decals and he may get a few bucks for it!! :thumbsup:

 

[hawkeye08]

I have not studied these electric forklifts, but thought a time or two about finding a cheap one and using it to make a 3pt forklift for tractor.