3 Important Care Steps to Take When Maintaining a Forklift Battery

If you operate a forklift on a regular basis, it's important to take good care of its battery. This is what keeps the forklift powered throughout the day after all. A good forklift battery maintenance schedule should involve these care steps. 

Charge Appropriately 

The longevity of your forklift's battery has a lot to do with how you charge it each day. There is a particular charging protocol that you need to observe each time this battery is connected to its designated charger. First and foremost, you need to avoid charging the battery when it's too cold or hot. 

Any significant temperature range will result in poor performance, possibly even causing the forklift battery to stop working altogether. You also don't want to charge this battery too soon after operation. You need to give it some time to cool off, because otherwise, it will overheat on the charger and possibly malfunction later.

Check Fluid Levels 

Many forklift owners/operators don't realize that there is fluid (water) inside their forklift's battery. This fluid needs to be at the right level in order for the battery to operate at its full capacity. Get in the habit of opening your battery up every couple of months and checking these levels.

There should be plenty of fluid to cover the plastic battery element. If there isn't, more water will need to be added. This shouldn't be that difficult. Just make sure you add enough so that the plastic battery element is completely covered in water.

Store Batteries Correctly 

If you have several backup batteries for your forklift waiting to be used, it's important to store them appropriately. Otherwise, your batteries might not work like they're supposed to and you'll experience performance issues with your forklift.

The best place for backup forklift batteries is in a sealed room. There shouldn't be any way that dust, dirt, or excessive temperatures could affect these batteries' conditions in the slightest. In addition to finding a sealed-off room, consider putting the batteries in some sort of protective case. You then won't have to worry about their condition while they're in storage. 

Batteries play such an important role for forklifts, as they're what keep them running. If you want to properly maintain these batteries in an effort to keep them working great for a long time, make sure you take the right care steps. Even simple maintenance goes a long way. Contact a company that specializes in forklift battery connectors and maintenance protocols for more information.


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