Fork lift truck users need to stop being obsessed with warranties on their batteries or with a battery having a set life of, say, five years, says Gus Whyte, Sales Director – National Accounts and Systems at Hoppecke Industrial Batteries.
People need to get away from thinking that the main factor in a battery’s life is guaranteeing it against failure over a fixed period, he says. Far more important is the ‘energy throughput’ – ie the amount of energy a customer takes from the battery.
The idea that fork lift batteries must be replaced after five years is simply wrong, says Whyte. Time is not what dictates a battery’s life, it is energy throughput combined with maintaining and using the battery correctly. So the battery warranty is not what users should worry about – the key factor is the guaranteed battery life, which is quite different.
Besides, as far as the warranty is concerned, users might be surprised to learn that they are not automatically covered by the warranty if the battery fails within five years. The warranty covers failure through bad manufacture or materials and this usually happens in the first six to eight months or at the end of a battery’s life. Between those times battery failure is unlikely to be due to a fault – it is far more likely to be due to being operated incorrectly or not properly maintained, for example the battery could have been over topped or over-charged or there might have been too much energy throughput.
Hoppecke’s solution is the trak® power high frequency charger which constantly records the amps used and provides a true energy throughput figure. At the same time, the ‘Power for Life’ deal ensures only Hoppecke engineers top batteries, clean them, and carry out safety checks. This means that batteries are topped less and less electricity is used, which increases their life.
So if fork lift truck users want to get the most out of their batteries they need to stop thinking about warranties and start thinking of energy throughput and sound maintenance. They may just be pleasantly surprised with a battery cycle life that is far more than the five year period most users still think in terms of.
Hoppecke Industrial Batteries Ltd
David Millett
Tel: 01782 667305
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