Hongyuan Machinery & Equipment Co., Ltd

When electric forklifts break down, it is likely that the battery is the cause. Then you have to star problem-shooting from there. And you need to know how to do that. If the battery has an adequate level of electrolyte visible in all cells, and has been fully charged since it was last watered, a hydrometer can be used to check the specific gravity and determine the status of the battery. An ordinary auto battery hydrometer can be used if it provides numerical readings.

What you are looking for are readings of individual cells of battery forklift battery that depart from the rest of the battery. Specific gravity in a normal battery ranges from 1.150 discharged to 1.275 charged. Some high-performance batteries have a fully charged specific gravity in excess of 1300. If an individual cell in the battery shows a considerably lower specific gravity than the rest, a potential problem has been identified.

If you are examining a battery with an unknown history, you will not be able to tell whether a cell or cells have been operating with diluted electrolyte due to overfilling and subsequent flushing out of the acid over time. However, extreme corrosion around the battery’s steel case and in the bottom of the forktruck compartment can give a strong clue. This is a correctable problem, unlike a cell that has a depressed specific gravity due to internal failure.

Some problems are obvious enough to tell you that a battery needs substantial work before it can be used. A cell that issues a jet of steam with a strong hydrogen sulfide odor has certainly failed, and more than a couple such cells in an older battery almost always means that damaged beyond economical repair. Physical damage that has resulted in cracked or distorted individual cell jars or cell covers within the battery always means you need a visit to the battery shop.

The above exam can only give you a general impression about the health of a battery of Fork lifts. The best guidance is provided by a complete capacity discharge test and evaluation by a trained battery technician.