Is there a simple fix for forklift battery cables?

[dnix71]

2 of our lifts have recently gotten swollen rotten knots in the cables under the insulation. I fixed one temporarily by cutting the cable flush at the post and clamping what was left with a stainless steel hose clamp. That lift is to be replaced so the temp fix is okay for another month.

The other lift I can't fix that way because of where the rot is. We have called for battery service. Seems to be a union thing here. Battery folks won't touch the lift and lift people won't touch batteries. The lift people we see each month but don't do much more than clean the lift.

Is there a proper fix for a bad cable that does not involve an acetylene torch and proprietary replacement cables?

The batteries are regular flooded lead acid in steel cases with an Anderson connector on the other end.

[Mary B]

Anderson crimper, solder or hydraulic crimper for the battery post connector... neither is very cheap! Especially the big 100+ amp crimpers https://www.amazon.com/ANDERSON-POWER-PRODUCTS-1309G4-CRIMP/dp/B00DKC6GOE

[dnix71]

What I need is a way to reattach the cable to the main battery post (main + or -). The corroded knot is too close to the main lead post to slice.

[Harold in CR]

Try calling Indian River Battery and Starter in Vero Beach to get away from the spoiled Union BS.

[mab]

Your post is very timely for me dinx - just yesterday i was checking a friends house battery as her battery seemed to have lost capacity - turned out to be the links between cells in the forklift battery had corroded making the battery open circuit and leaving her running on the aincient (but huge) ex-subarine battery.

The links must have been made either by the factory or a battery supplier who could melt and pour the lead links.

 I was thinking of drilling and tapping the posts to take 8 or 10mm threaded rod/bolts and using 6" lengths of flattened copper pipe - but did wonder how deep i could safely drill the posts.

[Mary B]

What I need is a way to reattach the cable to the main battery post (main + or -). The corroded knot is too close to the main lead post to slice.

What style post? I use one of these to crimp on ring terminals for battery connections that use a bolt https://www.harborfreight.com/hydraulic-wire-crimping-tool-66150.html has made me money fixing lawnmower battery cables for friends! I have made up a bunch of new cables for half the price of a factory one. Can get the ring terminals from ebay fairly cheap...

I have a bunch of ring terminals for the hydraulic style crimper, I could mail 2 for cost of postage(they are fairly heavy solid copper...)

[dnix71]

The post is a standard round post (like a car battery) on top of a 2v cell. The cable has a round lead molded end that is slipped over the post and sweated on with an acetylene torch.
Repairs on youtube show a hole saw used to remove the outside ring, and a new cable is sweated back on the way the original was.
The videos all show the person removing the vent caps from the adjacent cells, blowing the battery top with compressed air, then sticking the lit torch into each cell briefly to make sure they don't detonate when sweating on the repair.
The use of a torch also transfers so much heat to the repaired cell that wet rags are used to cool the cell tops.
I cringe when I see these guys shoving a lit torch into a cell full of H2SO4 but I guess it must work at least most of the time, as they are still alive and can still see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEaUz63seb4
I think I just got an idea. Instead of sweating on a repair, I could get a car battery repair cable with the bolted clamp and simply clamp a long cable on the same way you would attach a car ground or starter cable.

[DanG]

Going to a clamp-on then activates the fusible link factor of lead-on-lead friction bond on something otherwise meant to last near forever unattended... Sure, not a problem if there will never be 1500 amp surge currents ninety times during a work shift 300 days a year, oh yeah, of course machine will be operated by folks who clean, polish & inspect equipment innards during coffee breaks... poor connections generate additional heat thus the solder ... 

http://www.evdl.org/pages/battpost.html  <--- looks interesting

[dnix71]

DanG the guys at your link think the same way the guy in my linked video does. Exactly the same procedure when making a battery post repair. I was hoping for something simpler than oxy-acetylene.

[DanG]

Instead of the burn-out of possible* combustibles one could always flood chamber(s) with Argon, CO2, Nitrogen, canned electrical duster air blah blah...

[dnix71]

Or DanG you could check for combustible gasses and low water with you lighter.

[XeonPony]

love how they left him laying there with out dousing his face with alkyline water!

[Jackir]

Dealing with forklift battery cable issues can be tricky, especially when finding a simple fix. I had a similar problem with my equipment, and after some research, I realized that a proper spot often involves replacing the cables altogether. This is especially true if the wires are swollen or have knots under the insulation, indicating significant wear.

[Jackir]

For the lift with a swollen rotten knot in the cable under the insulation, your temporary fix with a stainless steel hose clamp is reasonable for another month. However, the other lift's cable, located where the rot is, cannot be fixed this way. It appears to involve a complex issue, with battery and lift service providers hesitant due to union-related reasons. A proper fix without proprietary replacement cables or an acetylene torch may require specialized expertise and consultation with both service providers.