ray tech,
I agree with you, in late 2006 sold a Clark,TM15 to a small flooring company (4-5 employees), a friend of mine, with a recondition battery & a right sized charger. They might use the lift 1 - 1.5 hours per week to load & off load flooring materials (carpet and other flooring materials). The battery company that did the battery reconditioning & charger check out was/still is very reputable. Backed up their work with a full parts & labor -1 year warranty. I instructed them on proper battery battery charging & watering techniques & when to use the "equalize" charging mode - most users when you inquire about the when they use the equalize charge mode respond with a "what's that"?. Left them a type written form of my instructions & nailed it to the wall by the charger -it is still there.
Ran in to my friend at a local golf course last month and inquired how the lift was doing. Response still running fine, battery is starting to "peter" down - won't hold a charge for very long. Not bad for almost 10 years of service. They are looking to buy another unit with a little heavier capacity as the business has picked up recently. Heck, he even bought me a beer at the 19th hole.
Many times a reconditioned battery & lift truck is over sold and represented as a being "rebuilt" like new in the wrong application along with a used oversized or undersized battery charger. A recipe for disaster. Some dealers/sales people will sell anything to make a "quick buck". My personal integrity cannot or will not be sold.
Have other examples of similar experiences.
Hung up my lift truck spurs in late 2007 after 41 years when the "big recession" hit Georgia, then new residential building (single homes & apartments) started a free fall around mid 2007 and is just starting to show signs of recovery. Didn't want to go through another 1981 slump one more time. Enough is Enough - enjoyed the journey though.