What were you feel is the same with me.
Thanks to you guys.
No I can solve my problem

Thanks for your help partsdog. I got the same info from the local dealer. Still have better than 50% charge on the meter sinche the first charge. Looks like my batteries are good. Thanks, Joe.

answer for year build is may 2001,sold in texas,had a duplex mast,

Thanks John, great info, printed it and saved a copy in my documents. Thanks, Joe.

joetx;
this might be of help - an article published by a battery manufacturer on their web - you can print it out for your files -
giantbatteryco. com / gbweb / ProperBatteryCare I added some extra spacing so this web address won't get stripped out - just close up the white spaces.

Thanks to all of you for your info on the battery charging. I feel a lot better about it now. Hope I get an operators manual soon so I can figure out what the display on the gauge face mean. I see the charge level--(fuel guage), MPH or KPH, seems like hours of operation (odometer), a clock??? and I don't know what the orange buttons do. Thanks, Joe.

Asking about battery charging and maintenance can be confusing because everyone has a slightly different interpretation of how it is to be done, which i will demonstrate here in my post ;o)
I like to use these rules of thumb when maintaining a battery and what i tell the customer. All of these things have been elaborated throughout this thread, lets summarize...

1) check the charge level and if 50% charge or less you can charge it. (this is a general rule and is something only YOU can figure out based on your forklift usage rate, you dont want to get caught with a discharged battery in the middle of a shift and have to resort to the afore mentioned 'opportunity charging' which is a no no. ;o)

2) before charging check the water level in ALL cells, make sure the liquid is covering the deflector plate at least, a dry plate means burning the cell if it is charged dry. ONLY add water AFTER the cool down cycle and NEVER overfill the cell, only fill to the base of the cap deflector ring which is approximatly 1.5" below the top of the cell opening inside the cell. Most of them have a slit down the side so adding water to the base of that slit will suffice.

3)only charge in a well ventilated area and only set the charge for normal charge (equalizing charging is only done every so often to bring the battery cells up to an even voltage and is usually done once every month under normal usage, an 8hr shift, this will depend on the usage of the truck though, heavy usage, multiple shifts, then it would require more equalizing charging)

4)the general battery charge rule is 8hrs runtime, 8hrs charge, 8hrs cool down (this is ONLY a general rule, no 2 batteries are the same so this vary's from battery to battery)

5) Never add water to a hot battery, the law of physics is cold water on hot materials = bad things happen , cell plates can crack or even worse case scenario is a thermo reaction can happen and the water/electrolyte can have a reaction and be forced out of the cell into your face.

6) elaborating on #5 , ALWAYS wear face shield and apron and protective gloves when servicing a battery. Acid is very caustic and will eat anything, even human skin, it is very painful too :o)

7) NEVER disconnect a charging battery, ALWAYS stop the charge or turn off the power to the charger before disconnecting the battery.

8) When adding fluid to a battery always try and use distilled water if possible, normal tap water will work but is dirty with minerals that can build up in the cells over time, distilled water has been proven to prolong battery life and is recommended but not mandatory. NEVER add electrolyte to any cells.

9) After adding fluid to cells(water) clean up any spillage, excess water on cells can lead to corrosion buildup. A clean battery is a happy battery ;o)

10) If you have any battery or charger problems you are unsure of please call your PROFESSIONAL battery representative for assistance, DO NOT try and service or repair any part of the battery or charger if you do not know what you are doing! This should only be done by a trained person.

Now i'm sure if i missed anything someone will chime in and add it but i just wanted to summarize the important steps here is all.


Hope this helps
enjoy!

After charging, the battery should cool down the same amount of time it was on charge. During charging, heat is built up inside the battery - the cool down period is to insure the battery is operating a "full" voltage. A battery run a lower voltage will draw more amp & have a shorter life than expected - then it is time to get out the "big" check book ( $4000 -5000 to replace).
You should always inspect each cell on the battery to make certain there is at least some electrolyte covering the top on the cell plates - if not adjust enough to the cell to cover the plates.
When you add water to the the cells do not fill the cells up - only fill to with 1/2" of the bottom of the fill hole. This allows for expansion of the electrolyte due to gassing during the charging cycle.
DO NOT place the battery on charge every night - wait for the battery to become 60-65% discharged before recharging. Think of the battery as have a life span of X amount of charge cycles (some people say 1600). Every time the battery is charged that equals 1 cycle regarding how much is being recharged - it is the initial period of the charging cycle that does the most damage to the cell plates ( the charger is initially delivering a high amp rate to the battery).

O.K. My batteries were almost completely discharged. I started the charging at 6PM and started the equalizing charge cycle. The forklift is outside my shop under cover, so it has plenty of ventilation. So, tomorrow at 7 AM, I can expect the charger to be on and hopefully stop around 10 AM. Then it will need to cool off for 8 hours?? Is this correct? Also, when am I supposed to check/add water to the unit? After the cooling down period?

I will be the only person charging this unit and operating it. So I'm responsible for the battery maintenance, which is why I'm asking these question, just so I can be clear and start right.

The primary function of an equalizing charge cycle is to "equalize" the voltage among all battery cells - a fully charged battery, in "good health" will have a voltage reading of 2.2 volts per cell. Over time the voltage will begin to vary from cell to cell - the equalizing charge cycle will do this. But you need to equalize charge when the battery is nearly discharged (near 80% discharged) and that a full equalize charge cycle takes about 16 hours to complete. This is why most people will say do it over the weekend.
Utilizing this charger function will help extend battery life and insure the proper voltage is being delivered to the electrical/electronic components.
I have always advised my customers to train & make one person is responsible for battery maintenance & charging to avoid the "I thought you did it" syndrome.

Thanks for the usefull info. Will order an operator's manual. I see you emphazied that water should be added "AFTER" the charge. Does this mean that I should wait until after the 8 hour cool off period to add the water? Would forklift be ready to use after this? I won't be using this forklift fulltime, but rather when needed and this may only be for an hour or so at a time and maybe ever couple of weeks.

Will the "fuel gauge" tell me when a recharge is needed or when will I know I should be recharging it? Sorry, but this is new to me. Thanks, Joe.

you NEED the Operator's manual to be available to any operator that is an employee, to be in compliance with OSHA regulations.
a battery charge cycle is;
8 hours charging, 8 hours cooling off, Check battery electrolyte (water and acid) volume and about 5.5 hours of operation in an 8 hour work day. be sure to only add water AFTER the charge, and unlike a car battery where you fill it to the ring, if you can see -any- water in the cells, it does not need any added.
never leave any battery plugged into it's charger more time than the weekend hours.
As you may have noticed, this battery is a bit deeper and holds more electrolyte than an automotive battery, and as such, it -needs- ONLY long charges and it kills the battery to "short" or 'opportunity' charge, to be sure that the solid material in the electrolyte that gets 'knocked off" the plates has a chance to mix with the water, and not fall to the bottom of the battery and turn into a solid, which will eventually push up on the longer (positive) plates. The "equalize" charge is supposed to be every 5 charges (the weekend) to help with this mixing.
Forklifts don't really get a "model year", but I am sure someone will be able to look it up.