When your forklift needs a new battery, you shouldn’t choose just any battery. Sure, it might work for a while, but to get the most efficient performance out of your forklift, it’s important to select the right forklift battery. It definitely matters and the experts at Industrial Batteries & Accessories Ltd. give these tips for choosing the right forklift battery for your equipment.
Brand and Manufacturer
If at all possible, the battery you install in your forklift should be the one recommended by the brand and manufacturer. When the equipment was designed, it was with a specific battery in mind and that battery will always give you the best performance. Seek out a battery from your forklift manufacturer and you won’t notice a drop in performance.
Of course, you aren’t always going to be able to find the exact battery that the manufacturer originally put into your forklift. In that case, choose a battery from a battery company that has a reputation for high quality products. Don’t purchase a no-name battery from overseas, or even one from a domestic manufacturer if that company doesn’t have a solid reputation. Remember: you get what you pay for and what you’ll pay for is another new battery in a short amount of time.
Warranty
You never know when a battery manufacturer’s defect will derail your equipment. Even new batteries can have problems and if you haven’t purchased a battery with a warranty, you’ll be out of luck. Always make sure your forklift battery comes with a warranty so that you can have peace of mind in knowing that at least for a period of time, if your new battery goes bad, you’ll be able to get it replaced at no additional cost.
Battery warranties aren’t all the same, either. Make sure you read through the warranty before you purchase the battery to ensure it will cover everything you expect it to. For instance, a warranty may only be good for 30 days, which will do you no good if your battery dies in 90 days. And make sure you can get your battery serviced or replaced locally. Sending it out of town for repair will only prevent you from using your forklift for an extended period.
Existing Charging System
Paying attention to your current charging system for your forklift batteries is a critical step in selecting a new forklift battery. Not all batteries work with the same charging system, so it’s very possible that you could end up with a battery that’s not compatible with your charging system, which means you’ll still have a non-working battery. Make sure you check with your battery supplier or manufacturer for the batteries that are compatible with your charger so that you don’t have to hassle with returning a battery that isn’t compatible.
Additionally, if you’re upgrading your forklift battery to a lithium ion battery, you will most likely need to invest in a new charging system as well. This is because traditional battery chargers are almost never compatible with lithium ion batteries, and if you’re upgrading anyway, you might as well overhaul your entire charging system.
Conclusion
Buying a new forklift battery isn’t rocket science, but it’s something that you do have to pay attention to so you get the right one. Use these tips to help you choose the right battery the first time.
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