I also had 41 years in the business and I have found that a reputable battery company can refurbish a battery that will give good service in intermittment type operations max. run time 2-3 yrs per day. One thing they do is test the amh/hr capacity of each cell via a rapid discharge test and each cell must have 85% of the original amp/hr. rating and theyfurnish a report on the battery. They even warranted full parts & labor the battery & charger if it was included for 1 year, not pro rated plus they would go to the customers site at their cost and responded within one day or sooner. Sold a lot of used electric forklifts using them.