using a deep cycle battery for a forklift

• Jun 11, 2025

• #2

GregLocock

Automotive

Apr 10, 2001

23,877

Orbiting a small yellow star

I haven't run them in forklifts but have in solar cars and an off grid house, but frankly this seems rotten advice. You can weld with a lead acid battery and it is quite happy. You may get a slight drop in capacity if you run variable currents compared with a constant current, but you won't damage the battery. There is also the Peukert effect, but again that is not damaging the battery.

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Jun 11, 2025

• #3

EdStainless

Materials

May 20, 2004

16,345

Waukesha WI USA

In theory the max current and the rate of current increase matter, but LA batteries are very forgiving.
I would hope that in your control system you can limit the rate of current increase.
While this really doesn't damage the batteries it can cause a lot of internal heating which can cause issues.

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Jun 11, 2025

• #4

LittleInch

Petroleum

Mar 27, 2013

22,894

GB

My understanding is that deep cycle batteries have thicker plates inside to allow for reduced levels of storage and deeper cycling, but this reduces current for the same size battery as you have less plate area. You need to look a the battery characteristics in terms of instantaneous and long term current pout put versus state of charge.

SO you might need two instead of one, but then you can work all day and recharge at night

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Jun 11, 2025

• #5

TugboatEng

Marine/Ocean

Nov 1, 2015

11,998

US

A forklift requires deep cycle batteries... Any application that regularly draws down the batteries does.

 

Upvote 0 Downvote