Understanding the Differences Between Overhead and Side Forklift Battery Extraction

Forklift battery extraction is one of the most important procedures during everyday work within the warehouse battery room -- but it's also one of the easiest procedures to get wrong.

This is because the average forklift battery that powers your lift truck fleet is incredibly heavy, weighing up to 2,000 pounds. Because of this, it's imperative to have the correct equipment for safely extracting and transporting these batteries to and from the forklift itself. The right forklift battery extractors will also help preserve the lifespan of these batteries, which should be around 6,000 hours.

Additionally, proper battery extraction can make your battery room more efficient. On average, it takes 10.5 minutes to change out a forklift battery; when the optimal procedures and equipment are used, however, this can be cut down to just three to nine minutes.

Knowing which method of forklift battery extraction to employ in your warehouse's forklift battery handling area is an important part of successful battery room management. Here are the main differences between overhead extraction and side extraction equipment:

Overhead extraction

Overhead forklift battery extractors consist of a fork attachment and lifting beam that vertically lifts batteries from the lift truck when they're ready to be charged or maintained. For small forklift fleets that consist of just one or two trucks, a small, portable gantry crane is usually ideal for efficiency. If your warehouse uses a larger forklift fleet where multiple battery changes take place per day, a track-mounted, powered crane is preferred.

Side extraction

There are more options available for equipment when it comes to side extraction, which removes the battery from a forklift truck horizontally rather than vertically. In most cases, an Operator Aboard Battery Extractor is preferred, especially a multi-level extractor. However, there are exceptions to this rule depending on the ceiling height of your battery room and a few other factors, such as the number of forklifts in your fleet.