Not all battery chargers are equal. Some of the older types aren’t quite in the dinosaur category, but they’re getting closer every day as advanced chargers arrive on the market.
Let’s define a good battery charger.
- Quick enough for practical work purposes: You’re not spending all day in suspense waiting for your forklift to be fully charged. A good charger gets the job done in an acceptable timeframe.
- A charger without problems: Some chargers are perhaps a bit too fancy. They look nice, but do you really want a charger that seems to be all “features” and nothing special functionally, particularly for a higher price? You need an efficient charger which is easy to use and doesn’t require undue complexities to operate.
- A high grunt, high-performance charger: Modern forklifts are designed for constant performance. That means they use power very efficiently, and proper charging is essential. The new generation of modern batteries are designed to deliver power efficiently, so a good charger must be able to deliver the power they need.
You’d think these very straightforward requirements would be standard for modern chargers. The fact, however, is that some chargers simply can’t deliver. The older chargers have the excuse that they weren’t really designed for modern forklifts, but some chargers don’t have that excuse. They’re simply not good enough.
Choosing the Right Battery Charger
Let’s start with the basics:
- Voltage – Your charger should be able to deliver a range of standard AC voltages.
- Amperage – A critical consideration, your charger ought to have a good size range of DC output amperage, say from 40A to 320A, which is a realistic bandwidth for just about any type of forklift battery.
- Protection features – The first thing you learn about forklift operation is to never be casual about anything. Protecting the battery, the charger and the operator is definitely one thing you need to get right. Good batteries have a full spectrum of protection features for all possible issues.
- Clear charger specifications – A good battery charger will come with a few pages of good, useful information. Buying a charger isn’t supposed to be a raffle. Specifications shouldn’t be crossword puzzles, either. The specs should be very thorough, covering all the information you need.
Consider these points as a basic checklist. Talk to the supplier about chargers, compare options and take the opportunity to really assess your choices with some expert knowledge.
One tip, and it’s very important, is to talk to forklift battery specialists about your charger needs. The experts can help you with a heavy lifter that needs a great charger. They understand that your machine is a precision instrument that performs high-value work, and charging is a must-get-right operation.
That’s the quality of service you need. These experts can also help you with things like charger servicing. You’ll get a good charger with all the technical support and help you need from the right suppliers.
H2: Talk to Ceil Power Systems about Chargers
Ceil Power Systems is your all-purpose forklift battery experts in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. We have a great range of battery chargers that have been designed for modern forklifts. Call us on 1300 877 531 or contact us online and discuss your needs with our specialists. We’re happy to assist.