We have a Yale ESC 020 AB electric forklift. We need to purchase a 48 volt battery charger and want to make sure we (A) get one that is appropriate for this lift and will effectively/correctly charge the batteries, and (B) don't spend too much on a charger more "sophisticated" than we need. I find some new/used ones for a couple hundred, but I also see some that are $1500. Can someone please educate me on what I need to look for in a charger? Thanks
How long do you use it and how often? How much charge does the battery hold? how old is the battery? 48V are a little more hard to find, but I'd bet that most out there would work just fine. You're not going to find one too big, there's a basic size for forklift cells and you have 24 of them, the only smaller ones would be for scissor lifts or something like that, and a smaller charger will work fine if you're using this occasionally.
It will be used infrequently and for short periods of time. I don't know, we just got it used. Guessing the battery is fairly old. My mistake, I meant 24 volt. So an inexpensive, basic 24 volt charger is fine? Nothing expensive or fancy needed? Thanks!
yes, as far as I know, any 24V charger that's too small will slightly overcharge because it will keep at a higher voltage for longer, but that's not a problem with an old battery. Lots of good used 24V chargers out there, or get a new smart charger for 24V equipment. And keep the water level correct, check and fill after charging, even if it probably doesn't matter with a low power charger.
Does "too small" refer to the physical size? I see some that are small, portable units and others that are 3 phase and seem to take a forklift to move. I'm not an expert on electricity so I don't understand why some would be 110 and others 3 phase if the output of both are still just 24 volts.
Small refers to amps which is the power because they're all the same output volts. A factory that needs to run 24/7 can only have the forklift down for breaks, so a high amp charger is needed and 230v or three phase chargers are common. The heavy ones are transformer and rectifier based. The modern light ones will be "inverter" based and much more efficient. Makes very little difference to you or me which you get. I have a few old used 24V chargers that work great, nothing wrong with them. If you can't find one cheap though, there's nothing wrong with a "smart" charger. Post links to what you're considering if you want a better explanation.
Curious... If you just bought it, what was the seller using? If you have had it and used, what happened to the charger you had? Any forklift dealer or replacement battery dealer will have a charger that will work for your rneeds. Trick will be to locate one, then negotiate.
We purchased the forklift through an online auction. They sold all the chargers separately from the equipment they charged. No surprise I guess, it maximizes their sales. I would have bid on one but not being familiar with forklifts and didn't know which would be appropriate (right type, connector, etc). I probably could have gotten away with just about any of them. Live and learn.
OK. Might can help a bit. Overall appearance of the battery's top where cables connect and cell straps are: 1st. Is it neat, clean, like it may gave been steamed cleaned. 2nd. Is it filthy, dirty and lots of corrosion? 3rd. Are cables in decent shape and connect cleanly to post on battery. 4th. Take a pic of the overall (open) top of the battery. Just need to see it's configuration Idea here is to kind of figure out its over all condition. Do these, answer and send a pic. We will go from there "
Incidentally, E bay has a Manual for your truck listed for $12.00. You might want to grab it. https://www.ebay.com/itm/272504974728