Refueling Your Forklift

Refueling is one of the necessary evils of operating a forklift. Obviously, you can’t drive your forklift without fuel, and so you need to be familiar with proper refueling protocol. The exact procedure varies depending on whether you use liquid propane fuel or have an electric battery forklift, but in either case you need to know how to refuel and do so safely. In this post, we review what you need to do to refuel in a safe manner.

Refueling with liquid propane fuel

If you use liquid propane fuel, you will need to install the propane cylinder in order to refuel. First of all, only perform this task if you are trained and authorized to carry out the process. You should also take a moment to ensure that you are near emergency equipment, and to be certain that your work environment is appropriately ventilated. Wear leather gloves while changing the cylinder, and report any leaks you might notice. When replacing the cylinder, it is imperative that you ensure that the cylinder is positioned correctly, and be sure to replace the fuel cap as well. After removing propane tanks, take them outside and let them air out—this will eliminate any remaining gas that has lingered in the tank. Before restarting the forklift, allow sufficient time for the fuel to expand.

Refueling your electric battery forklift

Inspecting an Electric Forklift Battery

Electric battery forklifts involve some of the same considerations involved with liquid propane forklifts. First of all, you need to be in a well-ventilated area and have emergency equipment nearby. This means that you need to be working in close proximity with an emergency eyewash station. The battery must be charged in a well-ventilated area. Allow a full 8 hours for batteries to cool once they are charged.

As with any aspect of handling a forklift, refueling is potentially dangerous but will become second nature with enough repetitions. Following the instructions in this post will ensure that no accidents take place while refueling.