Refurbishing lead acid "traction" batteries (forklift etc)

[CompoSimmonite]

Surely there's better options?

Surely there's better options?

I like microcars - had Isetta, Berkeley T60, Microcar RJ125 & DX125, Secma Funtech, Aixam 500, Piaggio Vespacar P50, couple of Honda TN550 pick-ups and am on my second original 450 model Smart Fortwo. An electric microcar is therefore something that appeals to me.

 

[Moose McAlpine]

I like microcars - had Isetta, Berkeley T60, Microcar RJ125 & DX125, Secma Funtech, Aixam 500, Piaggio Vespacar P50, couple of Honda TN550 pick-ups and am on my second original 450 model Smart Fortwo. An electric microcar is therefore something that appeals to me.

Have you been inside or driven a G-Wiz?

I've been out to a few, and similar models, at work. The Smart car is an enormous leap from the G-Wiz. I take it you want electric for very short journies?

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Have you been inside or driven a G-Wiz?

I've been out to a few, and similar models, at work. The Smart car is an enormous leap from the G-Wiz. I take it you want electric for very short journies?

Yep been in a G-Wiz - it's suits my requirements for what is basically a larger mobility scooter. I have mobility issues ( twisted left leg / knee from birth and arthritis in both knees as well as other health issues) and can't walk more than very short distances so have to use a car even for journeys of a few hundred yards. Most of the time journeys are to doctors or shopping which are under 3 miles on lanes rather than main roads.
This is the actual car I've agreed to buy

 

[Farside]

Yep been in a G-Wiz - it's suits my requirements for what is basically a larger mobility scooter. I have mobility issues ( twisted left leg / knee from birth and arthritis in both knees as well as other health issues) and can't walk more than very short distances so have to use a car even for journeys of a few hundred yards. Most of the time journeys are to doctors or shopping which are under 3 miles on lanes rather than main roads.
This is the actual car I've agreed to buy View attachment 350909

I'd be more interested in the Carver trike.

 

[eddie49]

I'd be more interested in the Carver trike.

Thank you for identifying that interesting little vehicle parked over there. More details here:

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[northwest]

Milk floats. Milk floats use traction batteries, I should know, I was brought up around them. Badly burned myself as a kid, pi$$ing around (as kids do) and managed to short circuit a cell with a spanner that was in my tight gripped hand, that hurt, I remember it well.
Had a few cells let go on me too over the years, wakes you up that's for sure, the bloody bang wakes everyone else up too!

 

[prepman]

its interesting like i said

Doddle...nothing to it

 

[Onoff]

My lad managed to bring back the completely dead lead acid wet battery on the mower. Wouldnt charge at all. First emptied the acid into a clean, safe container. (In our case a jug with a bit of wood on top that's still sat on the bench).

Then cleaned it with a bicarbonate of soda solution about 10% bicarb. That reacts & cleans all the crap off the plates. Lots of grey crap comes out. Rinsed - just sat in its side with a hose aimed in each cell.

Then filled with 12% Epsom salt solution and trickle charged for 24 hours. Came up to about 13V and has started the mower no problem half a dozen times. That's with the Epsom salt solution still in and no "real" acid.

That was two years (?) when we refurbed the mower. The intent was SWMBO would use it but it's sat there. Muggins here has been doing the lawns with a self propelled!

 

[GRW]

I'd be more interested in the Carver trike.

That Carver looks like it'd make an excellent & fun commuter that'd be simple to park!
Still not sure I wouldn't like it even more with a small motorbike (say 400cc) engine, but still, it's a funky-looking bit of kit. At £8.5k though, you've really got to want one over a cheap car.

 

[merryman]

There was a rather sad looking example of a similar trike at the NW Auctions sale viewing at the weekend. I couldn't find it in the on-line listings though, so not sure if it was in the sale or not. It had a Honda badge on it and no doors.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I'd be more interested in the Carver trike.

I'm hoping the seller will let me have a good look at it when collecting

 

[CompoSimmonite]

My lad managed to bring back the completely dead lead acid wet battery on the mower. Wouldnt charge at all. First emptied the acid into a clean, safe container. (In our case a jug with a bit of wood on top that's still sat on the bench).

Then cleaned it with a bicarbonate of soda solution about 10% bicarb. That reacts & cleans all the crap off the plates. Lots of grey crap comes out. Rinsed - just sat in its side with a hose aimed in each cell.

Then filled with 12% Epsom salt solution and trickle charged for 24 hours. Came up to about 13V and has started the mower no problem half a dozen times. That's with the Epsom salt solution still in and no "real" acid.

That was two years (?) when we refurbed the mower. The intent was SWMBO would use it but it's sat there. Muggins here has been doing the lawns with a self propelled!

The original post about refurbishing batteries is a little academic now as the one I'm buying comes without batteries. Seller had used 4 leisure batteries to confirm it's operational but they aren't suitable for anything other than the test. Now will probably use a secondhand battery pack out of a scrap EV. Car is cheap enough (£500) for it to still be well under "budget" even having to source replacement batteries.

 

[knighty]

what voltage does it run at?

chances are it it was lead acit it will be quite low voltage, so you can get away with just a couple of packs from a big EV battery, should save you a good few quid :-)

 

[CompoSimmonite]

what voltage does it run at?

chances are it it was lead acit it will be quite low voltage, so you can get away with just a couple of packs from a big EV battery, should save you a good few quid :-)

48 volts and people already use various EV battery packs so will follow what they have already proven works.

 

[GRW]

Do you get the charger for the G-whizz car with the Sale?
You can still get Lead-Acid "Forklift" packs (individual 2v cell combo's) new now.
I deal with a Battery Engineers here in Wales for years, and you can get different AH packs & cell dimensions etc.
I tended to get them with bolt-on not soldered posts and straps, making them easy to assemble and arrange to fit a given space.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Do you get the charger for the G-whizz car with the Sale?
You can still get Lead-Acid "Forklift" packs (individual 2v cell combo's) new now.
I deal with a Battery Engineers here in Wales for years, and you can get different AH packs & cell dimensions etc.
I tended to get them with bolt-on not soldered posts and straps, making them easy to assemble and arrange to fit a given space.

Charger is "on board" but seller is also including a stand alone charger

 

[GRW]

Charger is "on board" but seller is also including a stand alone charger

Dunno where you're based - but if you're stuck you could try Dave at Richmand Battery Services (Industrial Battery Engineers based I think near Newport, Wales) for 2v Lead-Acid deep-cycle Battery packs.

 

[knighty]

forklift batteries are awesome... but they're tall and thin, not the right shame to fit in a car :-(

 

[merryman]

Forklift batteries come in many different shapes and sizes. The once ubiquitous walk behind Lansing fork lift used four 12v batteries which looked very like standard truck batteries.

I would guess the G-Whizz will use a number of standard 6v deep cycle batteries.​

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Forklift batteries come in many different shapes and sizes. The once ubiquitous walk behind Lansing fork lift used four 12v batteries which looked very like standard truck batteries.

I would guess the G-Whizz will use a number of standard 6v deep cycle batteries.​

It uses Trojan T-105's -