Which Industrial Battery Model Is Best for Your Forklift

April 17, 2019

Motive power is the backbone of most, if not all, warehouse and forklift operations. That’s why having the right kind of industrial battery is crucial for ongoing efficiency and productivity. With advancements in technology and manufacturing processes, it’s easier than ever to find a forklift battery that will save you money and maintain a high level of performance.

At Southern States Enterprises, we are proud to partner with Hawker Powersource. Hawker is the world’s largest industrial battery brand. Many varieties of lead-acid batteries are manufactured in their state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly facility. These forklift batteries are designed to deliver a long-life cycle while reducing motive power operating costs. Hawker batteries’ performance levels and reliability are unmatched in the motive power industry.

Hawker Battery Models

Here is a list of Hawker’s six industrial battery styles to help you better understand which style of forklift battery would be best for your forklift.

  1. ENERGY-PLUS: The ENERGY-PLUS battery is designed to perform under the most demanding conditions. This industrial battery is perfect for heavy-duty forklift operations that require a little extra power. The ENERGY-PLUS has a higher sustained voltage to help forklifts operate for longer work cycles without recharging while delivering 20% more energy. Additionally, this Hawker battery has an estimated useful life of 1,500-2,000 charging cycles, making it one of the best industrial batteries for long battery life — thereby reducing operating costs by minimizing the need for spare batteries, water maintenance, and extra industrial chargers.

  2. ENVIROLINK: Interested in an industrial battery that is more environmentally friendly? The ENVIROLINK Hawker battery is your best choice! ENVIROLINK is a valve-regulated, lead-acid (VRLA) gel electrolyte battery designed to keep your workers safe from exposure to sulfuric acid or hydrogen gas emissions. Based on its design, the ENVIROLINK motive power battery also never needs water or electrolytes added, helping to reduce watering costs.

    How is this accomplished? According to Hawker, the ENVIROLINK battery goes through what is called a recombination process where oxygen is diffused from the positive plate to the negative plate, and the water that has decomposed on the positive plate is regenerated by the reduction of the negative plate.

    The vent cap is replaced with a permanent pressure release valve to prevent the battery from leaking or spilling over. It can perform under light, medium, or heavy-duty forklift operations for a little more than 8 hours, but cannot go more than two days without having a full charge cycle. 

  3. FLEXPAK and FLEX: Hawker’s FLEXPAK and FLEX batteries offer superior flexibility and allow for frequent charging that increases the forklift battery’s life cycle the more you plug-in. The Hawker FLEXPAK and FLEX batteries are highly resistant to shock and vibration and are designed using “Thin Plate Pure Lead Technology” to provide increased energy density for exceptional forklift performance.

    One of the best features of these industrial batteries is that they are virtually maintenance free! Since they only need one full charge and equalization per week, the FLEXPAK and FLEX Hawker batteries are readily available whenever they’re needed, reducing forklift downtime that occurs when charging other motive power batteries. Plus, with no watering or battery corrosion, there is a significant reduction in the cost of ownership.

  4. POWERLINE: The Hawker POWERLINE battery is a rugged, full-shift power source that offers superior performance and a long useful life. The POWERLINE industrial battery is constructed of the thickest positive grid in the motive power industry and a multi-layer retention system that’s sleeved in a high-quality, microporous plastic material to help eliminate failures caused by separator misalignment. Hawker’s POWERPLUS formation system uses a two-shot forming process with acid recirculation so every battery cell receives a temperature-controlled acid bath. The positive grid, along with the dense positive paste, ensures a long battery life and reduces corrosion for continued, uninterrupted power.

  5. WATER LESS: If you want to reduce battery watering expenses without having to compromise your industrial battery’s run time or life cycle, the Hawker WATER LESS battery is your go-to motive power battery. The WATER LESS battery only needs watering 4 to 6 times per year, which can reduce normal forklift battery maintenance expenses by 90%.

    This Hawker battery doesn’t require a special charger and has an estimated life cycle of 1,500-2000 cycles — based on a one cycle per day charging schedule and an 80% DoD (depth of discharge). Also, because WATER LESS batteries have a better charge acceptance than other forklift battery models, there is less gassing during the charge cycle, making it environmentally friendly.

Using a high-quality forklift battery increase operational efficiency and productivity while reducing ownership costs from constant watering and battery replacements. However, regardless of what Hawker battery model you decide to use, it’s important that you properly service your industrial battery to ensure it maintains its long useful life.

For additional information on purchasing Hawker industrial battery, or about servicing your forklift batteries and chargers, contact one of Southern States Enterprises’ motive power experts.

industrial forklift batteries

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