Abusing your forklift batteries shortens their lives and sends fleet operating costs skyrocketing. All too often that's because companies are using outdated management policies. Our battery handling systems allow more flexible battery charging policies that improve fleet performance and extend battery life.

Finding The Right Charging Schedule

Some fleet managers feel that running batteries dry reduces the amount of time spent on recharging or replacing batteries. While this may be true, it is a short-sighted policy. Stressing batteries like this greatly reduces their useful operating life and leads to escalating battery purchase costs. If you are getting only two to three years off a battery the manufacturer claims will last five, it's time to re-evaluate your policies.

Batteries have an optimal charge range for recharging; talk to the manufacturer for recommended charging schedules. If you are worried about the time spent on more frequent battery changes, we can assure you that Multi-Shifter battery handling systems can swap out new batteries in a matter of minutes. Once you see how much your battery replacement costs drops, you will be happy with the new policy.

Moving Away From The Charging Room

Twenty years ago every fleet had one big battery room, and there were usually trucks stacked up waiting for replacements. This bottleneck was not only inefficient but frustrated workers and managers alike. Satellite charging stations help the problem but a better option is to use mobile battery handling systems to swap out batteries in the field and minimize lost productivity.

Multi-Shifter battery lifts like the Quad-30 take the battery room to the forklift rather than the other way around. It heads out into the field, services as many as three trucks, and then returns to the recharge area to unload. Forklift drivers get back to work in far less time than if they had to wait in line at the recharge area.

Right-Sizing The Support System

Your business has expanded and you have had to add more forklifts to the fleet to keep up with the demand, or you’ve added extra shifts to the day. Congratulations! But unless you have also added more battery handling systems and charging stations, the extra trucks aren't going to increase productivity.

Without increased charging capacity, many trucks lay idle waiting for battery replacements. This lost time reduces productivity and in the long run that will cost your company far more than the purchase of a new battery lift. An investment in new equipment provides a quick return in the form of less forklift idle time.

These are just a few of the ways our battery handling systems improve performance and cut fleet operating costs. Contact Multi-Shifter today to find out more about how we can help you run a better forklift fleet.

You can significantly reduce forklift fleet operating costs through proper battery maintenance. When you use our battery handling systems in conjunction with smart charging procedures, you will get far more useful life out of your batteries.

Inspection

Chargers and battery handling systems should be inspected at least once per day. Multi-Shifter equipment is tough but still can be damaged by impact or worn through years of use. Make sure all battery-handling components are in good shape and aren't going to allow batteries to slide around during transport or charging. Inspect charger cables and replace any with worn insulation immediately.

Not all chargers will be right for your batteries. The charger should be the same voltage as the battery. It's dangerous to try charging a battery with a charger of a different voltage. Ampere-hour ratings should also match, though they don't have to be exact. Charger and battery amp ratings should be within about 10% of each other, so a 750-ampere hour charger could take batteries from about 675 to 825 ampere hours.

Charging Safety Tips

It's best to charge batteries when they are around room temperature. It's fine if they are a little cool or warm, but be careful of temperature extremes. Don't let batteries freeze if you can avoid it, and never, ever try to charge a frozen battery. The acid has to flow during the charging process. You should also avoid charging batteries that are too hot to touch as they might burst during charging.

Never charge in a closed room. Use our battery handling systems to transport batteries to open, well-ventilated areas. Batteries give off hydrogen gas during charging and it's important this gas dissipate quickly. Explosive gases and electricity are a combination that will ruin your whole day. Don't be tempted to undercharge a battery if you are in a hurry. The battery acid bubbles during the final stages of charging, and this bubbling mixes and distributes the acid across the plates.

Watering

When charging is complete, top off the cells with distilled or de-ionized water until the plates are covered. This prevents sulfation, which hinders battery operation. Don't water batteries before charging as the bubbling action can cause the acid to spill. Keep a log of watering and charging so you can verify proper maintenance, and so you can prove your case if you ever have a warranty claim against the battery or forklift.

Once the battery is fully charged, use Multi-Shifter battery handling systems to transport it back to a forklift or to storage. If you are going to store a battery, charge it first to avoid sulfation during storage.

Multi-Shifter battery handling systems work with your battery charging protocols to keep your workers safe, your equipment in top condition and your costs low.

If you run a fleet of electric vehicles using rechargeable batteries, then you need to be familiar with OSHA standard 1926.441, which cover battery handling and charging. You not only need the right policies and procedures, but also high-quality, dedicated battery handling equipment like the products we offer hear at Multi-Shifter.

Battery Storage

OSHA requires storage units to be "substantial" because batteries are heavy. After all they are basically big blocks of lead, so have a lot more weight than other objects of the same size. Standard shelving, even heavy-duty shelving, will collapse under the weight of more than a few batteries. This not only creates a falling object hazard, but opens the possibility that falling batteries will crack open and spray corrosive chemicals on your workers. Multi-Shifter equipment is sturdy enough to take the weight.

Speaking of corrosive chemicals, OSHA also requires battery storage units to be "resistant to the electrolyte". All Multi-Shifter battery handling equipment bears acid-resistant coating designed to protect it against normal leaks any battery might have. This prevents acids from slowly eroding away the strength of the unit over years of use, resulting in catastrophic structural failure.

Recharge Areas

You may know that charging batteries give off explosive hydrogen gas during the charging process. In an enclosed room this gas can build up to dangerous levels. When exposed to the spark source of a charging battery, a disastrous explosion may occur. OSHA regulations, and plain common sense, require that charging areas be well-ventilated so the hydrogen gas cannot build up.

Another threat fleet managers might not consider is the possibility of a collision. An incoming forklift could veer off and smash into storage or charging equipment causing batteries to fall or crack open. OSHA requires that battery handling equipment be protected from such collisions. Our products are sturdy, but you shouldn't expect them to stand up to a collision with a truck. Put equipment behind sunk metal posts or a low concrete barrier. This allows workers easy access while preventing a vehicle crash from damaging the equipment.

Battery Transport

We'd like to add one more piece of advice for fleet management outside of OSHA regulations, and that is the use of Multi-Shifter battery lifters. Rather than having trucks drive into the recharge area, creating traffic jams and the risk of collision, send a battery lifter out into the work area. The lifter carries a load of charged cells that are swapped for drained cells in the field. The lifter then travels back to the charging area. This is both more efficient and safer than having the trucks drive in.

Safety should be job one on any construction site. A safe work environment requires the right policies, but also the right battery handling equipment. Use Multi-Shifter equipment to protect your workers, and improve the efficiency of your fleet.

Keeping your forklifts charged can be a major drain on resources. At Multi-Shifter we have a number of battery handling systems aimed at large fleets, but we also have products designed specifically for the needs of smaller forklift fleets. If your business runs only a few forklifts, let us show you how a battery handling system improves your company's operation.

Safety First

One of the primary reasons our customers approach us is they are looking for a safer way to work with batteries. When you are handling electrically charged, acid-filled, hydrogen-producing blocks of lead, the opportunities for injury are staggering. This used to be accepted as just one of the risks of the job, but no longer.

In most cases, these injuries are caused because workers are not using the right tools. Multi-Shifter battery handling systems have been designed specifically to keep workers safe from the dangers. Your employees can extract, transport and charge batteries from your forklift fleet while minimizing contact with the cells themselves. The less contact your employees have, the less chance they have of injury. An additional benefit is that safe workers are happy workers, and happy workers are productive workers.

More Efficient Fleet Operation

You didn't buy forklifts just so they can sit in the warehouse plugged into a charging socket. You need them working at all hours your business is running. You wouldn't tolerate an idle worker, so why put up with idle equipment? You can swap out dead batteries for new ones, but doing that by hand takes time and during the operation that truck is not in service. For small fleets, the loss of one truck can have a huge impact on operations.

Multi-Shifter battery handling systems allow you to switch batteries in a fraction of the time you could do it by hand. The drained cells can then be easily transported to a designated storage and charging area until they are ready to be placed in another vehicle.

Save Money

Do you think your company can't afford a battery handling system? Our equipment pays for itself in many ways, and you can't afford not to use the right tools for the job.

When equipment is handled more safely, your company is at less risk of major injury liability expenses. Fewer injuries means less lost work time. Plus, as mentioned above, safe workers are more productive. The faster power cell changes made possible with our products means less disruption to fleet operation, allowing you to keep your business open for longer hours to generate more revenue and meet customer needs.

A Multi-Shifter battery handling system is an investment in your company's operational efficiency. Contact us and let us help you choose the right equipment for your operation.

Security is important to any organization, especially those with valuable resources including customer financial or personal information. A growing number of companies are improving their security responsiveness by deploying fleets of electric vehicles backed by battery handling equipment.

Why Use Golf Carts?

The small electric vehicles that used to be seen only on golf courses are in great demand at any facility to large to walk. For security forces, the ability to reach the site of an incident or suspicious activity can save the company countless dollars by deterring theft or vandalism.

Standard cars or trucks have a number of disadvantages over golf carts. They spew toxic gasses which make them unusable indoors and a danger to the environment when used outdoors. Refueling means either a long drive to a service station or keeping volatile fuel on site. They are more expensive and, although that higher price buys size and speed, those extra features aren't needed for the short local trips security personnel will be making. Facility protection is far better served by a fleet of electric vehicles than a fleet of traditional gasoline or natural gas vehicles.

Keeping Electric Vehicles Charged

One downside to electric vehicles is the refueling. A car can be refueled in minutes but batteries takes hours to be recharged. This doesn't have to be a problem since battery handling equipment can replace a drained batteries with fully charged ones in the same time it takes to fill a gas tank. Batteries are removed safely with much less chance of worker injury than removing them by hand. A new power cell is put in the vehicle and the old one is moved to a recharging site.

The money invested in a battery management system will quickly be made up by more efficient fleet operations. Companies can operate with smaller fleets since no vehicle has to be taken out of service for recharge. Less time is lost replacing batteries, and fewer worker injuries means less company liability costs.

Making A Plan

To get the most from battery handling equipment, create a schedule of replacements and rules to govern vehicle movement in and out of the replacement area. Servicing all vehicles at shift changes means big traffic jams as everyone comes in at once. Staggering the replacements throughout the day leads to quicker processing of each vehicle.

Think carefully about the location of the battery handling equipment. The first instinct might be to put it in some out of the way location, but that increases drive time for each vehicle. Putting the battery storage systems and handling equipment in a central location or near the vehicle parking area ensures quick transitions. Make sure paths leading in and out of the area are always kept clear so vehicles can move in and out without getting in each other's way.

Improve security responsiveness by investing in a fleet of electric vehicles and battery handling equipment before your next security incident.