Can I Rent a Forklift Battery and ChargerA forklift battery is expensive, it could set you back thousands of dollars to purchase one. If you don’t have such an investment yet to spend then renting a forklift battery with a charger is an ideal solution to keep the operation going.

One of the greatest advantages of renting is that you don’t have to spend extra money on buying new ones if there’s an upward but temporary trend in the demand of your business. You can rent for the short term to cope up with the busy operation in the warehouse.

Renting rather than buying can significantly reduce your expenditures. You can rent a forklift battery and charger by contacting a local equipment dealer they may even offer you a good discount if the contract is long-term.

If your aim is to rent a forklift battery and charger, let’s talk about how you can go about it. In this article, we will share our experiences, the good and bad ones, so that you can learn lessons and perhaps help you land a good deal.

Please read on…

When Renting Forklift Battery and Charger, Be Aware of Some of These Factors

  • When choosing a rental company, pick the one that is nearest to your location so that delivery can be done in the soonest possible time. Likewise, if there’s a problem with the unit, they can easily exchange it in the fastest possible time.

  • In as much as possible, pay a visit to the company so that you can personally check the battery if it is in good working condition. One of my previous mistakes is ordering via phone without inspecting the condition of the battery at the dealer. I learned my lesson back then when we rented 2 units for our Toyota 8FBE20Uand 8FBEH18U models, when the battery arrived, our technician installed them, but the following day the operator complained about the units not charging. We hurriedly contacted the dealer, it took them 3 days to exchange the batteries. It caused us downtime.

  • Rent a forklift battery that comes with its corresponding charger, don’t use the one you have in your facility. It is common for forklift operators to connect the battery to a charger without checking if it is the correct charging voltage. Doing so may cause a reaction with the electrolyte that could damage the battery rendering it inoperable. The rental company may charge you for the damage since it is stated in the contract you’ve signed.

  • Choose a lithium-ion battery instead. This type of battery doesn’t require water maintenance, it has long run times, and it takes a shorter time to fully charge. The lead-acid battery is the opposite of all of these. But again, the decision is in your hand to choose between lithium-ion and lead-acid.

Importance of Watering the Battery at the Correct Level

Our bodies need water to so as the forklift batteries. Proper maintenance such as keeping the water in correct level is important to keep the battery in tip-top condition. In short, watering is essential to lengthen the lifespan of the battery. Here are some of the FAQs to keep in mind when doing this maintenance.

  • What kind of water should be used for the forklift battery? Purity is important hence de-ionized water is recommended.
  • When to water the battery? Experts say that the best time to water the battery is after full charge or equalized charge.
  • How often should you water the batteries? There are no one-size-fits-all answers for this. Why is it so? Because the frequency of watering will depend on the specific of your operation. If the truck is heavily used, the batter watering tends to be more frequent.
  • How to ensure that batteries are being taken care of? Assign a worker per shift that will handle the watering of the forklift. He will inspect the system to ensure that everything is in order and to avoid confusion.

A caution, never overfill a forklift battery. The water can overflow spilling corrosive sulfuric acid that can get into the eyes or burn the skin of the operator.

How to Water the Battery

There are different ways to do this. The one we recommend, which is much safer, is through the use of a hose and watering gun. This simple process involves hooking a watering gun to the hose that is going cell by cell and filling each cell with the correct level of water.

Using a watering gun is not only safe but also easy to use thus saving you a lot of time. If you want to purchase a watering gun, here is what you can buy from Amazon.

 

 

To Make a Conclusion

Renting a forklift battery and charger is perhaps is the viable option to take right now since investing in this can be extremely costly. You can contact a local equipment dealer near your location and see what they can offer.

We would like to remind you also to keep in mind the previous mistakes we’ve committed to renting because it could happen to you also.