1. High Temperatures

This is possibly the worst thing for any battery, as excessive heat causes the deterioration of the lead inside it. Thus, shortening battery life. This is often difficult to avoid when it comes to forklift operation, so there are certain precautions that can be taken to reduce the damage: 

• Opening the bonnet of your electric forklift as it charges allows for proper ventilation 
• Making sure that the battery has fully cooled down before using it to power your forklift throughout long shifts. 

These measures will help prevent the heat from getting to the battery, and help lengthen its life in turn.

2. Over and Under Charging

Charging your forklift’s battery can be likened to getting a good night’s sleep: not enough can make us feel drained, whilst too much sleep can also leave us feeling groggy. Similarly, undercharging leads to battery deterioration caused by plate sulfation–whilst overcharging causes the battery to heat up, which isn’t what you want (as previously discussed). It’s important to get the balance right, as too much of either one can really harm the lifespan on your electric forklift’s battery. 

3. Improper Battery Maintenance

When it comes to making sure your electric forklift’s battery lives a long and happy life, proper maintenance is essential. Like most other things, if it isn’t looked after properly, it won’t do well. Certain things you can do to keep your forklift’s battery ship-shape are as follows: 

• Cleaning and drying it properly
• Paying attention to the electrolyte levels. 

At Welfaux Materials Handling we provide excellent Service and Maintenance to take care of this for you; really helping your electric forklift’s battery go the distance.

4. Not Watering Your Battery

Whilst you might rarely consider your electric forklift’s battery to have anything in common with your garden, a necessity for proper watering is one that they share. This is due to the fact that lead-acid batteries contain a certain level of water in their cells that they must discharge (evaporate) in order for the battery to work optimally. The acid levels stay the same, so the water is what you need to keep on top of.

However, it is important that you only use pure, distilled water and that you do this when the battery is fully charged. Otherwise, you risk shortening your battery’s lifespan by introducing other metals in tap water, whilst causing the battery to spill, losing lead-acid with it. Both of these would be sure to shorten the battery life of your electric forklift.

So, there you have our top four reasons why an electric forklift may suffer a shorter battery life, as well as how to prevent it.