Battery Wiring Question

[rutwad]

I'm not sure where to post this, so maybe here will be okay. My father has a Grove scissor lift SM2232E. I'm sure other options would be better but 3- 12 volt batteries were taken out of it and that is what we bought for it. I didn't unhook them. All 3 batteries are same rating, size, etc. The lift uses 24v. I can hook them up for 24v by having 2 in series and the other parallel, but is there a better way? Can I hook them up to get equal draw from all 3? Any benefit to 3 over 2 batteries?

 

[chim]

I'm pretty sure the lift wants to have four 6V batteries.

 

[LD1]

Is there room for more batteries?

It is pretty uncommon for electrical equipment to have an odd number of batteries.

 

[fidowanttobe]

Is it possible that 2 batteries run one function while one battery runs another?

 

[MMagis]

Seems odd to me as well, three 12v for a 24v system just doesn’t make sense. As mentioned, four 6v batteries would work better if there’s room.

 

[Farmerford]

When you run the batteries down on a hard start (or leaving something on) the single battery will completely discharge long before the parallel batteries because all current runs through the single battery while only half runs through each parallel battery.

When the single battery is discharged fully, the parallel batteries will then force current through it backwards. I think that can happen (been a long time since I studied the chemistry of lead-acid batteries) and it can't be good.

 

[buickanddeere]

As previously stated. Somebody has previously blotched the wiring job. The scissor lift uses four batteries of 6V .

 

[Xfaxman]

You should be able to look at the cables and see how they were connected.

I agree that two in parallel, in series with with one is not good. :thumbdown:

 

[TomSeller]

Those do come with four 6 V batteries that would be wired in series to get to 24 V

http://www.hedi.pl/files/b100.pdf

I don't know that wiring two 12 V batteries is series paralleled with two more 12 V batteries in series wouldn't work if you have the space for a 4th battery. I would NOT wire a single one in parallel to two in series, that doesn't even make sense. Leave out the 3rd and run on two 12 V in series if anything.

 

[dlwford]

Batteries in parallel can lead to a number of strange problems -- It's highly unlikely it was designed to use any batteries in parallel.