Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85621
Service Bay By John G. Smith, Contributing Editor info@wordsmithmedia.ca Power Lifters Focus on batteries, hydraulics will keep heavy-duty accessories hard at work the heavy liſt ing. Without the related assortment M of liſt gates, buckets and tools, some trucks would be limited to little more than delivering employees to a job site. Unloading freight down to a curb would become a backbreaking task. Th at's why the power supplies behind these accessories deserve added attention — particularly as fl eets face added pressure to reduce idling. Even the largest alternators are struggling to keep up with the demand to energize everything from electric- over-hydraulic pumps to cranes, laptop computers, snowplows and liſt gates. "I need to power electric loads at the worksite, but the truck engine must shut down. So how do I ensure I have enough power to run my devices and still start the truck at the end of the day without killing the life of my batter- ies?" asked George Mayhew of Verizon Fleet Operations, during a presentation to the Technology and Maintenance Council. "It now comes down to batteries and looking more deeply at what those loads are. " Each tool can place a unique de- mand on a truck's electrical system. A low-current power inverter delivering 300 watts or less typically will support the charging of a laptop or pull quote Some lift gates face greater demands than others whether the challenges come from higher duty cycles or carrying heavy loads. hand tools, and even provide chassis lighting or emergency lighting. But cranes, liſt gates, aerial liſt s, work lights and some emergency lights will likely require high-current inverters. It is why batteries that feed these systems deserve some added attention. At fi rst glance, truck batteries all look the same. "Th e batteries are all 13-by-seven-by-nine, and they all come in black cases with black covers, " says Jeff rey Coleman of East Penn Manu- facturing. But they are equipped for diff erent roles. A fl ooded lead acid battery is used for starting and boasts a deep cycle; 26 TRUCK PARTS & SERVICE | June 2012 a sealed valve regulated lead acid absorbed glass matt (AGM) battery will fi ll dual purposes; and gel batteries will off er only a deep cycle. Th ose batteries used primarily to crank the engine need to provide in- stantaneous power, in a low-resistance design that delivers 650 to 1,125 cold cranking amps and a reserve capacity that falls somewhere between 140 and 195 minutes. "Th ey are not designed for high- cycle use. Th ey're designed to crank something," Coleman says. In contrast, a dual-purpose battery can combine the instantaneous power and deliver power edium-duty trucks may be modern-day workhorses, but their accessories are responsible for much of