fork truck battery cost comparison

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solarvic
solarvic Solar Expert Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
I used to think getting a fork truck battery cost a lot more than using conventional deep cycle batterys till I got some prices today. I wanted something around 600 amps or more.When you figure the cost of battery cables the cost is about the same. Here are my calculations for the battery distribitor where I live. fork truck battery 12-85- 13 @ 635 amp 24 volt $2560.00, 8 cr 395 for total of 790 amp 24 volt with cables $2681.76, 8 cr305 @ 610 amp 24 volt with cables $2165.84, 12 cr225 @ 675 amp 24 volt with cables $1777.64. Since I am near age 67 the forktruck seems like the better buy to me since they are suposed to last 20 or more years I will make a 1 time purchase. If I get the others I might have to replace them at least 3 times and the price keeps going up. Only 12 cells to watch. I will be asking lots of other questions. I have 2428 watts of solar to charge with and Midnight says to set the classic 150 at 80 amp for 24 volt. Hope someone can figure figure if my panels are enough to take keep this battery charged and how many KWH I should have for use. Since I have gridtied I dont need to wory about having to depend on having a longterm backup but I do plan on using it when the power is available. Panels are 16 Kyocera KC 158-g. If thiats not enough spec. I can list them. My location, about 25 miles east and a little north of youngstown ohio, as the crow flys. Probably not going to use that SW-4024 inverter now since I just bought a nice magnum. The old saying goes, Money talks, bull crap walks. I feel confident in the seller that I bought from. I wanted a new PAE model for ac coupling but I saved lots of money and need less suport items. :Dsolarvic:D
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  • mikeo
    mikeo Solar Expert Posts: 386 ✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: fork truck battery cost comparison

    Hey Vic here is a link to the battery style that you are looking at.
    http://gbindustrialbattery.com/Pricing_11/Forklift_Battery_Sizes_and_Specifications_Zone11_12-85-13.html

    I have two suggestions for you, one you might consider ordering the battery as two 12 volt cases, which will weigh about 1/2 as much. Would be much easier to move around and they can make you a cable up that the two batteries plug into before going to your breaker box as they usually come with Anderson connectors. Second, you can buy a reconditioned fork lift battery for about 1/2 the cost. The major battery shops can do load tests and put equal capacity cells together with 85 to 90 percent of new capacity. For backup purposes this is what I use. I got a pair of Deka 940 amp hour/20 hour rate batteries for 1200 delivered with the cable I needed. Came with 2 year warrantee.

    The drawbacks of forklift batteries are that they are heavy, they have a somewhat higher self discharge rate then some other types, and they use more water. My 24 volt battery's floats at 2 amps for as long as the sun shines. Usually have to add water about every two months.
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  • solarvic
    solarvic Solar Expert Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
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    Re: fork truck battery cost comparison

    Mikeo, I thought no one was going to put any imput to my post. So thanks. The Crown battery I was thinking of is the same one as our host sells, so you can look there you will see what it is like. I only have to drive about 80 miles to pick it up in my 3/4 tom pickup so the weight isn,t a problem. I am going to have the battery outside as I only have a crawlspace basement with 42" clearance and I am too old to crawl around down there even to take care of regular batterys. I have a tractor with a bucket loader big enough to move the battery with so the weight won,t be a problem, 45 hp cub cadette yanmar which is about the same as a similar John Deere. One reason I was thinking of a crown is the life expentcy is good. I worked in a foundry for 32 years and they got a pusher forktruck with a new crown battery just after I started there. It was really abused and they run the battery down so bad it couldn,t get to the battery charger on its own. Have to push it back to the battery charger. They just got a new battery just before I retired and I only have been retired about 1 1/2 years. So at my age getting the crown would be a 1 time investment. Battery guy told me he could put any kind of cable or leave me a flag terminal. Standard it comes with an anderson connector that only has #1 size wire. Do you think that is a little small for a 4000 watt inverter? I did receive the magnum inverter from a guy here and it looks like new. I kind of got discouraged about using the SW-4024 after all the negative comments I heard here about thier age ect. Now that I received the magnum I kind of wish I would have just used the sw as it does have more capabilitys than the magnum does. Since my sw is unused it might have lasted me a long time before it dies. solarvic
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
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    Re: fork truck battery cost comparison

    solarvic,
    why not use your older sw? if it should go then you have another inverter to put in its place with the magnum. not many people have a spare inverter to go to and get stuck when something amiss happens whether the inverter is new or old.
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  • mikeo
    mikeo Solar Expert Posts: 386 ✭✭✭
    #5
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    Re: fork truck battery cost comparison
    Do you think that is a little small for a 4000 watt inverter?
    Yes if used at capacity full time. My #1 battery cables are only about 2 ft long in free air, they will certainly handle 250 amp burst without heating up significantly. If you can get the battery with flag terminals, I would certainly wire it with 4/0 to the 250 amp breaker. In my case the battery is only a couple of ft from the breaker where the rest of the inverter feed is 4/0. The 240 volt well pump is my biggest load and start up surge is only for a few milliseconds. Since it is a backup system, I try to keep everything off and a 20 amp load will keep the fridge and freezer going with a few lights so I can get a couple of days use out of the battery down to 80 percent DOD before I hook up the 13KW PTO generator to the tractor to recharge them. I get more if the sun happens to shine during the power outage. The rebuilt battery's are spec'ed for about 1000 discharges to 80% DOD so I'm good for about 2000 power outage days. If figure I will be long dead before the battery is. My longest power outage was 21 days, but that is before I put in the solar.
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  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    #6
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    Re: fork truck battery cost comparison

    Hi vic,

    I am with niel on the SW/SW+. You have it, they are a very solid inverter/charger. Very well made, and as far as i can see, no corners cut in design/manufacture. So, why not run it?

    They have HUGE surge capability. I would not be afraid to use it. AND, for electronics (especially capacitors), being powered on and used moderately (not always at 90% of capacity), can do them some good.

    Also, as noted previously, there were a lot of these made, and there should be units with donor parts for some time.

    Run four SW+s here, so, I am counting on the above. The XW and newer inverters have more programmability and features, but IMHO, you cannot beat the SW series for a solid heavy-duty Inverter-Charger. And, the programmability can add confusion, interaction and BUGs to the process of trying to get one to do what was advertised or desired.

    YMMV, Whatta I know?! Vic

    OH, knock, knock on wood
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.
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  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    #7
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    Re: fork truck battery cost comparison

    Solarvic,

    I came to the same conclusion when i decided to buy my 48V set. Surrettes would've cost about 2.5 times as much (after crossing the atlantic), and 2V stationary OPzS batteries (the most popular kind here for RE instalations) would've cost 3 times as much.

    They're still very new and have seen only shallow discharges and mostly float service, so too soon to say anything about longevity. Victron have authored a great paper that covers some interesting material on charging forklift batts: http://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Book-EN-EnergyUnlimited.pdf
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  • solarvic
    solarvic Solar Expert Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭✭
    #8
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    Re: fork truck battery cost comparison

    Stephenv, I couldn,t get your link about the victron to open up right. I will probably be buying one of the thier battery monitors. What I like about the sw inverters is the programability of when you want it to charge from Grid ect. The magnum inverter looks like a good inverter but lacks the programability of the SW. Since my power center is a 2 inverter setup, I will probably just set them both up and leave the one turned off and If 1 inverter quits, I can switch to other one like Niel suggested. Mostly what is holding me up now is the excessice rain we have been getting. You can,t even walk in my yard without sinking to your ankles. So to start I think I will do all the inside work first and later if it gets dryer or freezes I can do some of the outside work. My wireing to my old panels is already setup for a high voltage gti and I was thinking of one of those new schnieder 600 vdc charge controlers but now thinking of leaving the gti wireing in the ground and just running new conduit and wireing so I can use one of those midnight controlers which I have more faith in. I probably will have a post about my plan here or in the midnights forum :Dsolarvic
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #9
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    Re: fork truck battery cost comparison

    Victron pdf download worked fine on my phone.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • solarvic
    solarvic Solar Expert Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭✭
    #10
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    Re: fork truck battery cost comparison

    Bill I tryed it again and it worked perfect. First time it was in the left corner and wouldn,t expand.
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