Discussion:
Crown 20MT Battery & Charger & the Crown PM Guy

So I had the Crown PM guy come out last week and check out my 20MT. I bought new batteries and switched over to a "Smart Charger" instead of the onboard charger. The PM guy said I bought the wrong batteries and that I am using the wrong charger. I'm not an idiot, but maybe I did miss something.. I bought 4ea 6v batteries with the same dimension as the batteries I took out. The slight difference is that the new batteries are 130ah and the old ones were 100ah.

As far as the onboard charger, I told the PM that the charger NEVER turns off. Thus will definitely kill the batteries over a period of time. So I tool a voltage test on the batteries before I plugged in the charger. I got 12.7v resting. I plugged in the charger and 10 minutes later tested the voltage and it was 13.7v. I left the charger plugged in overnight (12 hours) and when I came in this morning I did a test and got 16.37v (charger still plugged in). I unplugged the charger and let it sit for an hour and tested again getting 13.3v.

My smart charger goes through 7 stages of charge and I believe that it is better than roasting the batteries at 16.37v without shutting off. <-- What am I missing?

Furthermore, I told the PM guy that I do not get anything from the "Rabbit" speed switch. He did some basic voltage tests and stated that "I am only getting 12v through the switch and I should be getting 24v". Lol, I know better.. The motor runs on 12v in turtle speed and when the switch is activated to rabbit speed there is 24v applied to the motor (ONLY TO THE MOTOR). 24v does not travel through the control handle.

So my question is about the onboard charger mainly. Should I stick with it or use my smart charger? The rabbit speed and such is a whole other topic and the lift works fine for what I need. Rabbit speed would just be a luxury at this point.

Thanks in advance.
  • Posted 24 Apr 2018 03:11
  • Discussion started by Crash
  • California, United States
Showing items 16 - 24 of 24 results.
Ok, so I located the 4 twist grip switches and all four of them click at the appropriate time when twisting the grip so I am assuming they all work?
  • Posted 9 May 2018 09:54
  • Reply by Crash
  • California, United States
There are at least 10 possibilities that the Crown M series do not have 3rd speed. All the 5 contactors must be activated. The first 2 contactors from the right are for directional. 3rd contactor is for 2nd speed and the last 2 contactors on the left is for 3rd speed. Try this way, open up the door, bypass the door switch, put the handle in operating position and then push in the 4th contactor by hand. Remember not to operate the speed handle (twist grip). The 5th contactor will then pull in. In other words, this will make the 4 batteries to be in series and thus have 24 volts. That is why, there is no lift function when unit is in 3rd speed. Hope this help
  • Posted 27 Apr 2018 00:34
  • Reply by richard_y
  • Singapore, Singapore
That voltage is very low.
Might need to replace the Rabbit Switch.

Before you dig deeper into the Rabbit Switch, you have to take a close look at the 4 small switches that click when you rotate the Twist Grip.
They might be arranged in groups of 2, or they might be all next to each other.

These switches enable the travel function to work.

For now, ignore the Rabbit switch, and focus on those 4 small switches.
There is a chance that the 3rd speed switch can't close.
There is a small screw directly above the Red or White colored button of each switch.
If you carefully turn the screw clockwise, of the 3rd Speed Switch, then you'll be able to hear that switch click when you rotate the Twist Grip either full Forward or full Reverse.

Please be sure to have the Drive Tire above the floor.
  • Posted 26 Apr 2018 10:40
  • Reply by LaGrange
  • Missouri, United States
Strong in mind, Strong in Health.
Ok. Here is what I did:

1. Propped drive wheel up.
2. Opened up the switch panel and secured the arm in the down position.
3. Measured voltage on both the blue wire and the grey wire to the rabbit switch. 0v at rest. 0v while engaging 1st gear. 7.12v while engaging 2nd gear.

By 1st gear I mean the first click of the handle in wither forward or reverse, and by 2nd gear I mean twisting the handle all the way to the second click.

So the 7.12v doesn't sound like it would be enough to activate the 2 contactors in the door to achieve the 24 volts needed to make the motor reach rabbit speed?
  • Posted 26 Apr 2018 10:17
  • Reply by Crash
  • California, United States
Alright, next is the 3rd Speed Switch inside of the Control Handle Pod.
Remove the 4 small screws from the cover, you can the cover hang to the front or side, and test the voltage with a volts meter.
Stick the Negative probe into a Negative volts cable, and test for Positive volts at each wire of the 3rd Speed Switch.
You'll have to Raise the Drive Tire above the floor.

Twist the Control Grip while testing volts.
The 3rd speed switch might be bad, which means you might need to replace all of the small travel function switches.
  • Posted 26 Apr 2018 10:00
  • Reply by LaGrange
  • Missouri, United States
Strong in mind, Strong in Health.
Just did this:

1. Raised both masts and supported them on the pallet rack.
2. Located the limit switch and activated it several times with my finger to observe operation. It clicks nicely.
3. Placed an object in front of the limit switch so it remains in the inward position.
4. Raised the drive wheel off the ground and operated the forward and backwards handle in both the turtle mode and the rabbit mode. No difference. Still only goes 1st and 2nd gear, no FAST gear..
  • Posted 25 Apr 2018 09:03
  • Reply by Crash
  • California, United States
Try to do this on your own:

The Rabbit Speed limit switch is mounted near the bottom of the Mast.
The switch might not be able to close, when the Mast is fully lowered. You can raise and block the mast, while inspecting this switch.
YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WORKING UNDER THE MAST AND FORK CARRIAGE.

This Limit Switch must remain open, when the Mast has begun to rise. When switch is open, Rabbit Speed is disabled.
  • Posted 25 Apr 2018 08:52
  • Reply by LaGrange
  • Missouri, United States
Strong in mind, Strong in Health.
The PM guy said the reason for no high speed was that I have the incorrect batteries and using the incorrect charger.

I have a 12v charger. There are 4ea 6v batteries both pairs are wired in series to make 2 12v circuits that run parallel. The only time 24v is reached is supposed to be when the high speed switch is activated and a contactor connects the two 12v circuits in series and applies 24v to the drive motor.
  • Posted 25 Apr 2018 02:07
  • Reply by Crash
  • California, United States
Two questions:
Why didn't the mechanic fix your high speed issue?
Did you get a 12 volt or 24 volt charger?

It sounds like you have the batteries wired incorrectly or something else is miswired.
  • Posted 24 Apr 2018 22:00
  • Reply by duodeluxe
  • United States
duodeluxe

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