How To Charge The Scissor Lift?

When we buy or rent a scissor lift, we may confused about how to charge a scissor lift properly. Due to these types of electric scissor lifts are battery-powered, they require to be charged regularly. These batteries need to be charged occasionally due to use or even from extended periods without use. Luckily, charging an electric scissor lift is a simple task.

This article will teach you how to charge a scissor lift safely and properly, the article will use the Genie scissor lift as the sample of charging steps.

Some Genie Scissor lifts

Preparation work before charging the scissor lift

Before conducting the scissor lift charging operations, it is necessary to inspect and maintain the equipment.

  • Firstly, ensure that the equipment is intact and free from any electrical leakage.
  • Secondly, confirm the power and voltage of the scissor lift, select the corresponding charger, and check if the plug and cable of the charger are damaged.
  • Finally, the power switch should be turned off before charging to ensure charging safety.
  • Remarks: Water add battery and Lithium battery & Lead acid-free maintenance battery should be strictly matched with the charger and the electric charger curves.

Figure 1  Water add battery & Water Add Chargers

Charging operation steps for the scissor lift

Find the charging interface for the scissor lift: usually located on the front or side of the scissor lift, which can be determined based on the model of the scissor lift and the shape of the charging interface.

Park your scissor lift

Before charging the scissor lift, make sure that the scissor lift is parked in a designated and wide work area. Verify this area is safe, and wide and provides fast, easy access to an electrical outlet. So you don’t have worry about to moving it when you charge it.

Switch off the power

It is not suggested to charge it when the scissor lift is working. So turn off the power of the scissor lift and then charge it. But please turn on the emergency button during charging, the emergency button can stop it when there is an accident.

Check the charger condition

Before connecting the charger to the scissor lift’s battery, check the charging equipment to ensure that it is in good working order:

  • Charger check: Check the charger for any visible damage or exposed wires. Make sure the charger’s plug and power cord are intact.
  • Cable Check: Check the charging cable for any wear or damage. Make sure the line has no cuts or exposed wires.
  • Safety features: Verify that the charger has safety features such as short circuit protection and overcharge protection.

Connect power

Locate the battery charger(most of them are in the right side of the base) and use a proper power plug and insert the charger plug into the charging port, and then connect the cable to the charger. Keep the length between the electrical cord and charger as short as possible. This minimizes the risk of damage if the cord inadvertently gets run over while the charger is in use. 

Start charging

Turn on the power switch and the charger will start working. When the green light on the charger lights up, it indicates that charging has started.

Charging completed and disconnect the charger

When the red light on the charger lights up, it indicates that the battery is fully charged. At this point, it is necessary to turn off the power switch, unplug the cable and plug, and complete the charging operation.

Figure 2  Free Maintenance Battery & Free Maintenance Chargers

Precautions for charging the scissor lift

  1. Avoid charger overload: In daily use, appropriate chargers and cables should be used to avoid charger overload, which can cause dangerous situations such as scissor lift damage and even fire.
  2. Comply with charging time: During the charging process, attention should be paid to the charging time to avoid being too long or too short, to avoid undercharging or overcharging, which may cause damage to the battery.
  3. Avoid the scissor lift movement: During the charging process, the scissor lift should be avoided from moving or colliding to prevent cable breakage or charger damage.
  4. Avoid lightning strikes: In thunderstorm weather, the scissor lift should be avoided for charging operations to avoid lightning strikes.
  5. Keep clean and dry: During the charging process of the scissor lift, the charging interface and cables should be kept clean and dry to avoid moisture and dirt affecting the charging effect and electrical safety.

In summary, the charging operation of high-altitude vehicles requires attention to the preparation work before charging, following the charging steps and precautions, maintaining a clean and dry environment to ensure charging safety and battery life.

Sample battery charger for Genie Lifts:

  • High Efficiency: Max 94%.
  • GlobalAC Voltage Input Range: 85~265V.
  • Advanced Ingress Protection Design: IP66for on/off board application.
  • Microprocessor Control: Smart charging profile and automatic fault detection.
  • Charging Data Logging Function: Record charging and discharging history data exactly, discriminate unreasonable complaint which is lead by customer’s mistake resulting in battery broken to save after-sales service cost.
  • Charging Data Logging Function: Record charging and discharging history data exactly, discriminate unreasonable complaint which is lead by customer’s mistake resulting in battery broken to save after-sales service cost.
  • Various Protections: High AC voltage input protection (optional up to 420V), low voltage, short circuit, overcurrent, temperature, reverse connection, battery temperature sense and others.
  • Charging Curves: Providing different charging curves according to battery kinds (AGM, Flooded, GEL & Lithium),brands & model numbers. Customer could update & add curve via USB port.
  • Safety Certification: cETLus & CE.
  • Charging Lock Function: Avoid car being started in process of charging.

Battery Charger Performance Chart

750W1200W1800W
ModelGPD3024GPD2036GPD1548GPD3036GPD2548GPD3524GPD3548GPD4524GPD2572
DC V.24V36V48V36V48V24V48V24V72V
DC V.38V57V76V57V76V38V76V38V114V
DC A.30A20A15A30A25A35A35A45A25A
DC P.750W@120VAC
750W@230VAC		1200W@120VAC
1200W@230VAC		1800W@120VAC
1800W@230VAC
AC V.85-265V
AC F.45-65HZ
AC A.13A@13A@13A@13A@13A@13A@15A@15A@15A@
AC P.>0.98
Size(cm)20.7*18.0*16.020.7*18.0*19.3
W. (kg)4.65.2
T. (℃)-30–+50
S. W. (℃)-40–+70

FAQS about charging a scissor lift

We should know when we need to stop the charging, which means we should handle well how long it takes to charge you scissor lift. As long as workers know the procedure and theory of charging a scissor lift, they will know the hours taken for sufficient battery power.

The hours for charging a scissor lift can be different according to the scissor lift brands, model and battery condition. For a small scissor lift, it only take 5 to 7 hours to charge, and then the worker can use it for a full day. However, for some other professional scissor lifts, such as  Genie lifts and other types of electric aerial work platforms (AWPs), it will cost approximately 10 to 18 hours to charge. 

The new and old scissor lift also have differences in charging hours. Typically, a scissor lift with a new battery takes longer time while the one with an old battery takes shorter hours because the old battery volume was reduced. We do not suggest operating the scissor lift when you are charging it. If you insist on it, we suggest you must take proper precautions. In this way, they can avoid scissor lift accidents, injuries, and fatalities and other unsafe risks.

Normally a scissor lift battery could take 2 to 10 years. The scissor lifts brand, battery model, how often you use it, charging habit and worker skill affect the lifespan of the battery. Below are the factors that affect the battery lifetime:

  1. Brand and models. Reliable models such as Genie and JLG could ensure a longer lifetime of battery lifespan. And some of the Genie models use high volume of battery and some use less, so find a reliable scissor lift and battery brand is very important.
  2. How often you use the battery. For example, a lightly used battery may perform as expected for many years. On the other hand, a scissor lift battery which is being charged frequently may last only 12 to 50 months. 
  3. Your charging habit. If you operate the scissor lift while charging it will surely reduce the lifetime of the battery. We suggest start to charge the battery when there is only 20%, and charge it till to 80%-100%.
  4. Operators’ experience. A skillful operator with good charging habit can prolong a battery’s lifespan. To do so, they can perform the following routine scissor lift battery maintenance:
    • Look for corrosion beneath a battery’s rubber grommets 
    • Take off a filler cap and top off a battery as needed 
    • Remove dirt and debris from a battery bank 
    • Conduct battery charge tests

Battery checking and testing is a key part of scissor lift maintenance. Checking a scissor lift’s battery regularly. If there are any signs of battery damage or wear and tear, address them in time. 

Charging an electric scissor lift is similar to other electric equipment. We suggest the worker to plug their scissor lift battery charger in an AC wall outlet. Then just wait enough time to let the scissor lift being charged. It is important to listen to your manufacturer’s demand for plug in a scissor lift as different models machine may have different requirement in charging. The suggestion may include:

  1. Avoid water, make the charging environment dry and safe.
  2. Avoid using an external charger or booster battery
  3. Charging a scissor lift in a dry area
  4. Using the correct AC input voltage for charging as designated on the battery charger; 
  5. Applying a battery and charger which meets the requirement on your scissor lift’s brand and model.
  6. Using a generator to recharge their equipment if there is no plug-in power place.
  7. Remember to remove the plug after the battery power is full.

There are two ways to charge a scissor lift: plug-in power and a generator. Plug-in power is the most common use method to charge a scissor lift as it is fast, easy and cost-effective. However, in some conditions, there are no  available power and plug in the ground, so using a generator can solve the problem.

Take care to the safety when using a generator to charge the scissor lift battery. Take proper safety precautions is important which can make sure a scissor lift operator can safely use a generator to recharge their equipment. The reason is maybe that the battery voltage becomes too low for charging and recognizing.

Here is a solution to solve the issue: find a 6v commercial charger to charge every one of the battery every for several minutes. These steps can help recharge the voltage enough for the charger to recognize the 48v system and recharge batteries to their fullest capacity. Most of the charging problem can be solved by using this method.

However, there are still possibility that the charging trouble could not be solved. Then you should contact your supplier to find a proper solution to solve it. Offer them the scissor lift model, battery model and specifications, their professional engineer will teach you how to check and solve the problem.

Sometimes, a scissor lift especially an used one could not be charged. Don’t be nervous, think twice the last when the scissor lift could be charged properly. The discharge problem of a scissor lift make occur when a scissor lift used for a long time.

The battery numbers is depend on the model, brand of the scissor lift and the specification of the battery. For most scissor lift, it requires 4 to 8 units 6v batteries. Small scissor lift may need 4 batteries while a large boom lifts and scissor lifts require around 8 units 6v batteries. A battery is the heart of a scissor lift which could give power to all the functions, it’s vital to make a research and know the needs for your fleet. Selecting the suitable battery means getting the most out of your scissor lift, so please follow the supplier’s suggestions first.

Train you worker to charge a scissor lift

Understanding how to properly and safely charging a scissor lift can surely enhance and the safety and working efficiency of your job. Besides, a well trained worker can easily find the solution when a scissor lift could not be charged. Repeated study is the key, with frequently practice, you will make a big success on daily usage and care of a scissor lift.

Besides, Tacman certificated engineer could also give you suggestion on how to charge you scissor lift. With the training from our engineers, your workers can serve as OSHA-compliance scissor lift operators. Your scissor lift operators can take advantage of our renewal certification training every three years as well. 

To learn more about safely and properly charging a scissor lift, please contact us freely.

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