I'm looking into buying a forklift battery for an off grid system.
I found a new GB industrial 985 AH@20hr 24-125-11
There is also a GB 24-85-13 803 AH@20hr and it is less amp hours, but more expensive.
Will the second battery last longer than the first, and what's so special about it that makes it more expensive?
Is GB a decent brand, or can anyone make any recommendations for a new forklift battery?
If the ah is 985, what is the max amount of panels can I run to this battery? A kwh calculator shows 47.2 Kwh
If I had 30 panels at 280 watts each, that's watts. So it would need 5.62 hours peak sunlight to charge the forklift battery if it is discharged to 0%. Not saying you should go that low, I'm just trying to grasp the concept.
Is this too much panel or not enough? Thanks
You need enough panel to be able supply about 10% of the battery capacity. 985ah needs (in the ballpark) 98 amps delivered. Assume the PV array will be about 70% efficient over the day,
98A @ 62V charging voltage = watts harvest ( or about w of panels ) in full sun. Less conditions will need even more panels. And if you ever discharged to 0% you will need to run a generator ( about a 12kw genset w/ forklift charger ) to get them recharged in time ( before they sulfate )
The batteries will have a max charge rate, which is often 10% of capacity ( C ), the data sheet for your specific battery will state the recharge voltage and amps
I would recommend you figure out a kilowatt hour need and plan for how big a battery bank based off your worst case need, my guess that would be short winter days with poor energy production unless the need for electricity is so much greater in the summer. Take this and check in an off grid calculator like here:
JRC Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) - European Commission (europa.eu)
Where you are in the world makes a big difference:
Solar Off-Grid Battery Design - Solar Panels - Solar Panels Forum (solarpaneltalk.com)
With your comment on 5.62 hours to recharge from 0%, I'm unfamiliar with FLA lead acid batteries, but the max charge for my Trojan FLA is 13% or 8 hours at full amperage. So, unless the charge rate is different for your batteries, may need more than 8 hours to charge them. It's be very hard to deliver 128 amp for 8 hours straight with solar panels if the max charge rate was 13%. Whatever that max charge rate is, you can't exceed that. You can plan to maximize amp production with arrays aligned at different angles. Overall, this would probably produce less than the maximum possible output of the arrays, but keep the constant power production closer to this "128 Amps."
I don't think there's a lot of people using forklift batteries out there. More will be like myself that have a few golf cart batteries. So, I don't think you'll find the exact model you're looking at.
I've owned a bunch of forklifts - gas, propane, diesel and electric. I currently have 2 Nissan 5,000 lb electrics and 1 TCM 5,000 lb dual fuel - propane and gas. I love those Nissans - I've had four of them. My favorite is one that's probably 20 plus years old - the thing is a workhorse - it will pick up a car and put it 15 feet up in the air on a rack. I've moved tons of stuff with those things.
The electrics are my favorite by far. They are quiet, they are compact, they work much more smoothly and they are much simpler. Maintenance is dead simple - a few shots of grease every once in awhile - fill up the battery with distilled water every couple months and you are good to go.
Basically if an electric forklift runs and doesn't leak - it's good. If it doesn't run, walk away.
Forklift batteries are unlike car batteries - they are much, much better built and much much heavier. One of my electrics has a 3,300 lb battery and one of them has a 3,900 lb battery. The battery is part of the counterweight of the lift. The batteries can last 20-30 years - and they can be revived even if they've been sitting for a couple years.
New batteries are very expensive - $ - for a full-sized lift. So essentially the forklift is worth scrap price without a working battery. That said, I've revived a couple of batteries and they work fine - I only use my lifts for 30 minutes or so at a time, so I don't need a fully functioning battery.
Propane lifts are OK, but they have a ton more maintenance, they aren't as compact and you need to feather the throttle to get them to move and lift the way you want - they just aren't as precise.
I had a big Toyota Diesel lift, It was nice, but just too big for my shop.
I would say if the lift runs, and the battery can operate the machine for an hour - go for it.
I'm not sure how much luck you will have trying to run one off car batteries - maybe one of the small walkies you could do that, but probably not a full size one - those things are heavy as all get out and use a ton of power.
Strange, on this one point, I have the exact opposite experience...I much prefer an IC forklift for super precise positioning and surgical rigging. The electrics seem to want to move 4" minimum upward with the most minimal control inputs. It could be a wear or manufacturer issue too, these are electric & IC Hysters and a IC-Clark.
Yep, this is also my experience. I would go round and round with the maintenance guys at where I worked, they could never get the electrics tuned right to lift precisely under load. They could inch real well with light loads, but as soon as you got up to near capacity, you couldn't nudge up small increments. It wanted to jump fairly violently.
I MUCH prefer IC for rigging and precise work. Electrics are great for general warehouse work, but give me an engine with a throttle pedal every day for rigging.
There is a reason the old Hysters are the rigger's favorite. Ultra controllable with the wet clutch you can slip for days, and they usually have a chevy 4.3l V6 in them so parts are cheap and easy to get.
I have a Clark Walkie Stacker that I bought used at an auction in . We use it less and less each year and it no longer has to be used in warehouses across the parking lot so after buying a new $ battery twice, I converted it to 4 6volt golf cart batteries. I didn't add ballast but it only operates on level concrete and does weigh pounds without battery. I also don't use it for anything near its pound rating anymore. I did use it to remove a 30x60 granite surface plate from a trailer recently and gave the weight some serious though but I tested it and it was stable.
Electric is so much better for inside use, occasional use, and smoothness of operation.
Electric, propane, gas, diesel seem to each have different uses.
As far as smoothness, it is electric driving hydraulic pump so lift is hydraulic like any other
This is not accurate in my experience. The drive pedal isn't connected to the mast hydraulics, so you can't feather an electric motor like you can a gas. There is some adjustment for speed, but there is a minimum amount of torque the electric motor will output in order to make the pump spin, whereas an IC motor you can feather the throttle a lot more precisely.
I've owned a bunch of forklifts - gas, propane, diesel and electric. I currently have 2 Nissan 5,000 lb electrics and 1 TCM 5,000 lb dual fuel - propane and gas. I love those Nissans - I've had four of them. My favorite is one that's probably 20 plus years old - the thing is a workhorse - it will pick up a car and put it 15 feet up in the air on a rack. I've moved tons of stuff with those things.
The electrics are my favorite by far. They are quiet, they are compact, they work much more smoothly and they are much simpler. Maintenance is dead simple - a few shots of grease every once in awhile - fill up the battery with distilled water every couple months and you are good to go.
Basically if an electric forklift runs and doesn't leak - it's good. If it doesn't run, walk away.
Forklift batteries are unlike car batteries - they are much, much better built and much much heavier. One of my electrics has a 3,300 lb battery and one of them has a 3,900 lb battery. The battery is part of the counterweight of the lift. The batteries can last 20-30 years - and they can be revived even if they've been sitting for a couple years.
New batteries are very expensive - $ - for a full-sized lift. So essentially the forklift is worth scrap price without a working battery. That said, I've revived a couple of batteries and they work fine - I only use my lifts for 30 minutes or so at a time, so I don't need a fully functioning battery.
Propane lifts are OK, but they have a ton more maintenance, they aren't as compact and you need to feather the throttle to get them to move and lift the way you want - they just aren't as precise.
I had a big Toyota Diesel lift, It was nice, but just too big for my shop.
I would say if the lift runs, and the battery can operate the machine for an hour - go for it.
I'm not sure how much luck you will have trying to run one off car batteries - maybe one of the small walkies you could do that, but probably not a full size one - those things are heavy as all get out and use a ton of power.
I had no idea the batteries could last that long...usually the max I have seen a deep cycle battery last is about 6-8 years. I didnt know about the electrolyte solution either.
I originally was looking at Pallet stackers, but came across a crown RC -30 for cheap. However, the battery is shot and I have no way of testing the unit and Im not sure how I would transport it since it weighs over 8k.
I figured the forklift would be more versatile then the pallet stacker, but it will also take up more room and I am in a small shop.
I am kinda leaning more toward the pallet stacker and build a gantry crane for the times the fork legs are in the way.
This is not accurate in my experience. The drive pedal isn't connected to the mast hydraulics, so you can't feather an electric motor like you can a gas. There is some adjustment for speed, but there is a minimum amount of torque the electric motor will output in order to make the pump spin, whereas an IC motor you can feather the throttle a lot more precisely.
Correct, Only the movement of the forks is hydraulic. Drive is electric. Guess I should have been clearer.
However, it is very "featherable" as there are multiple locations where I have to lift a pallet off the rack, then backup no more than 3" past the rack, then drop it down below something before continuing to back up. The reverse is then true to put something back up there. I don't have any problem moving the lift 1/2" either way. I've got it packed really tight.
That Crown stand up lift isn't really much longer to store than my walkie stacker and has a lot more usefulness without the legs sticking out front and with a tilt mechanism. Without a tilt a unit is only useful on completely flat surfaces. Even then trying to get a pallet out or in a pickup becomes an issue as the bed changes angle with load.
Really got sick of having to have trucks put their trailer in exactly the right spot and then shim the tires to make it level.
I never thought of that....hmmm
Well, most of the time I would not be using it to get stuff out of a truck. I want to get pallet racking along the wall of my shop and them make "stations" that I could lift up on to the racking for storage. So for instance, my Table saw, i only use it a few times a year, so i wanted to make a custom base (steel), that I could lift the whole saw up on to pallet racking and free up my floor space. Another example would maybe be a sand blast cabinet. My thought is I could rearrange my shop depending on what I am doing.
I have limited floor space, but 16' high ceilings.
I never thought of that....hmmm
Well, most of the time I would not be using it to get stuff out of a truck. I want to get pallet racking along the wall of my shop and them make "stations" that I could lift up on to the racking for storage. So for instance, my Table saw, i only use it a few times a year, so i wanted to make a custom base (steel), that I could lift the whole saw up on to pallet racking and free up my floor space. Another example would maybe be a sand blast cabinet. My thought is I could rearrange my shop depending on what I am doing.
I have limited floor space, but 16' high ceilings.
If you have a smooth level floor you will be fine ... until the time you bump a pallet while on the rack and it becomes “unlevel”[emoji23]
We had an electric walk around pallet stacker (powered lift AND drive) and because it wasn’t a reach truck it had a tilt mast like conventional lift trucks.
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