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The right lift
for your business

Supplying forklifts since 1976

What we do

Since 1976 H&F Trucks have provided local business with high quality materials handling solutions. For nearly four decades we have achieved steady growth year on year, enabling us to provide superior service to our customers from a stable & sustainable business platform.

Simple Steps You Can Take to Increase Your Forklift Battery Life

How well you maintain the batteries in your forklift trucks will effect their overall power, performance and efficiency. You need your batteries to be healthy for your lift trucks to function as at one hundred percent. 

Your lift trucks will only be as useful as the battery at any time, so it’s important that you encourage your operators to keep battery health in mind throughout their daily routines.

Thankfully, there are a few simple steps you can take to help ensure you get the most out of your batteries, saving you time, money and stress in the long run.

Focus on maintenance 

Sulphonation can effect batteries more often that many lift truck operators realise. This happens when sulphuric acid crystals attach to the lead plates, which negatively affects how much charge a battery can hold. It’s actually the leading cause of untimely battery death.

In order to prevent these crystals from accumulating in the first place, it’s best to immediately report them to an engineer as soon as they are spotted. The engineer can remove them quickly before they build up. 

Don’t let a battery fall below 20% charge

If a battery reaches about 80% discharge, this can cause the truck’s electrical components to run hot. If this happened over a period of time it can lead to serious maintenance problems, including a slow-down in hydraulics and traction. If this happens a lot it can even result in the motor burning out. Make sure you give batteries an uninterrupted charge time between shifts or overnight.

Avoid charging intermittently 

Often forklift operators can misinterpret the 20% charge rule when it comes to forklift truck batteries. During brief periods of inactivity, they’ll take the opportunity to charge the batteries. However, this would be a mistake, as the lifespan of a battery can be measured in the total number of charges it undergoes.

So, if operators charge them for short periods of time, say half an hour or so, they will be forced to do this more and more frequently as time goes on. Unfortunately, charging intermittently will result in the batteries becoming gradually less efficient and eventually they will likely not be able to charge at all.

Keep checking on water levels

It’s important to monitor the water level of any battery, as if this is allowed to drop too low, it will expose the plates to the air. This could cause the active material on the plates to dry out, leaving them to become brittle and vulnerable to damage. It’s best to add distilled water to the battery when the water level has dropped, but remember not to overfill it. Checking water levels should always be part of regular lift truck maintenance checks.

There’s many benefits to choosing battery-powered forklift trucks, including a lower cost and reduced environmental trade-offs. Also, keep in mind that it’s essential that you get a reliable charging unit for any forklift batteries, and it must be one that’s fully compatible, and designed specifically to work with the chosen battery. You can always consult a professional battery supplier if you’re still uncertain.

Are you looking to purchase a new Forklift or used forklift? Why not give us a call today? 0800 298 8790

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Testimonials

H&F have supplied us with all our fork lift equipment for in excess of ten years now, and have maintained it in accordance with our stringent operation requirements. During this time they have provided a consistently high level of service (including short term hire when required) whilst never failing to support us in a totally honest and professional manner.

Ashley Basset, Director
R G Bassett & Sons Ltd

H&F Lift Trucks are a pleasure to deal with. All staff, Technicians, Sales and Directors have hands-on experience of all ranges of vehicles they supply. From initial assessments and listening to all users of a potential new vehicle requirement, they keep us informed of all aspects of specification and lead times through to delivery. Their maintenance service is superb – they organise suitable times around our busy working day with our Yard Managers. Any accidental damage or operator error faults are always discussed with me and dealt with fairly – not like some unscrupulous suppliers who seek to profit at every service visit! In a cut-throat market, where we are offered “good deals” a few quid cheaper every day, we are never tempted to stray.

James Hipkins, Managing Director
Emerys

Pym and Wildsmith have been working closely with H&F Fork Trucks for many years. Their service is excellent, ranging from prompt callouts to breakdowns through to the supply of new trucks. We would not hesitate to recommend them.

Ian Pym, Operations Manager
Pym & Wildsmith

We cover a 30 mile radius