It’s important for fleets to streamline their operations so they can be efficient as possible. But there are a lot of areas that need attention in order to make everything run smoothly. One area that often falls through the cracks when focusing on efficiency is electric pallet jack batteries.
Pallet jack battery life is often too short, and it is common for pallet jacks to lose power while a driver is out on the road trying to complete drop-offs or pick-ups. They have to load or unload the hard way, which takes more time, and finally arrive back at the warehouse with a dead jack that has done nothing but be in the way all day.
It is also common for maintenance teams to have to water pallet jack batteries frequently or change out batteries.
There is a simple fix that increases pallet jack battery life and assures drivers that their jack will be ready to go whenever they need it. The Purkeys Trailer Auxiliary Power System (TAPS)™ allows electric pallet jacks to be charged in the trailer while out on the road, thus preventing untimely dead batteries during a run and allowing for a longer overall battery life.
The TAPS also eliminates the need for unloading pallet jacks at the end of the day and placing them in the warehouse for charging. This equates to more efficient operations, reduced physical stress on drivers, and considerably more warehouse space (as there is no longer a need for pallet jack charging area). And to top it off, the TAPS is engineered to keep auxiliary equipment at its optimal charge state, meaning longer battery life and less battery-related delays.
Using data recorders to gather electronic pallet jack battery voltage data, we were able to compile the data to compare battery voltage before using the TAPS and after installing the TAPS. The graphs below show one example of this data.
The first graph shows the minimum collected battery voltage of a pallet jack before a TAPS was installed. The orange line represents an extreme depth of discharge on a battery. You can see that it frequently dips below the line.
The second graph shows the same pallet jack connected to the TAPS while the tractor/trailer is in use. The battery voltage does not go under the orange line (20 volts DC) during the run time. This translates into longer battery life and less dead pallet jack batteries.
In spite of the fact that fleets face many challenges in operations efficiency, something as simple as the TAPS can help fleets see immediate improvements in both driver satisfaction and operational efficiency.
For more information on how Purkeys can help you keep your batteries charged and protected, visit our product pages or contact us.
