PICKING THE RIGHT BATTERY
can be a tricky task.
Picking a line of batteries to power your fleet of walkies, narrow-aisles
or sit-down counterbalanced industrial trucks can be a tricky task.
Maintenance, for instance, is a major issue in choosing batteries, and a component of battery ownership that manufacturers
are streamlining. The big choice tends to be between flooded batteries and sealed batteries. Flooded batteries
generally require watering every week or two, while sealed batteries don't require adding water, which is a boon
for managers with little time to train employees.
But, Greg Reich, director of motive-power product management and business planning for C&D Technologies' Motive
Power Division, Blue Bell, PA, warns that sealed batteries are more susceptible to overheating than their flooded
counterparts, which makes sealed batteries better suited for light to medium use.
Seal it up
C&D touts the construction of its sealed-battery line, which
uses a hybrid of AGM (absorbed glass mat) and gelled acid. Reich says this combination gives the product more capacity
than a battery that is gelled only. AGM contains acid in mats. Gelled batteries contain acid coagulated with silica
gel. In either case, acid can't be spilled, even if the battery case is broken. These sealed batteries are guaranteed
to last 1,200 cycles.
GNB Technologies, Atlanta, has a 1,500-cycle sealed (AGM) line, Champion. Its Champion batteries are designed with
safety in mind. Vents are placed on the side, not the top of the battery, "so you're not reaching across the
top of an open battery," says Calvin Tanck, director of marketing.
Douglas Battery Manufacturing Co., Winston-Salem, NC, has lines of sealed (AGM) batteries guaranteed for 1,500
cycles.
Flood of batteries
For greater capacity and longevity, a flooded battery may be
a better bet. C&D's flooded battery lines include the V-Line (1,500 cycles), C-Line (2,200 cycles) and Liberty
Eclipse (1,800 cycles). The Liberty Eclipse uses calcium alloys instead of the more conventional antimony, which
means operators may have to water it only once every three months, Reich says.
Douglas also makes a line of flooded batteries guaranteed for 1,500 cycles. Legacy, the flooded line, features
flip-top vents that reduce the time required to add water to a battery by about one-third, says Jerry Galiger,
marketing manager for Douglas's industrial division. The vent cap also has a built-in indicator, allowing operators
to monitor water levels.
GNB has a flooded line that lasts for 1,500 cycles and has a five-year warranty.
Special options
C&D Suprema batteries feature tubular positive plates and
are popular with warehouses using narrow-aisle trucks. A tubular-plate battery may not last as long as a flat-plate
battery.
And C&D Technologies' SmartBattery is a small, encapsulated module that mounts on top of a battery and acts
as its brain, collecting data and giving managers information on how their battery battalion is being used.
An industry-specific training videotape showing operators how to safely change and recharge batteries is available
from Douglas.
Resources
Here's how to contact the companies mentioned in
this article.
C&D Technologies
(215) 619-7825
www.c-dmotive.com
Douglas Battery Manufacturing Co.
(800) DOU-GLAS
www.douglasbattery.com
GNB Technologies
(877) GNB-Info
www.gnb.com
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