Can a Lithium Pack Be Built to Fit Our Forklift Battery Tray?

TalkOctober 24, 2026Redway Tech Editorial TeamTopic: OEM & Customisation
Can a Lithium Pack Fit Our Forklift Battery Tray? – Redway Tech Talk
Buyer question / scenario

A fleet owner runs older counterbalance trucks with lead-acid battery trays and wants lithium without changing the trucks. The tray is not a standard size, and the dealer who sold the trucks no longer has the drawings.

Main answer

Usually yes, but the pack is built to the tray, not the other way round. Send the factory the truck model and serial number, the tray’s internal length, width and height, the lifting points, connector type, voltage and the weight the truck needs for counterbalance. Redway offers OEM customisation for forklift packs, and OEM custom orders have no moq by default (1 piece), although some specific products carry a 10-piece minimum, so confirm for your model. Ask for a dimensioned drawing and a sample fit-check before a fleet order.

What the factory needs from you

  1. Truck identity. Make, model, serial number, rated voltage and rated capacity from the data plate. Redway’s fitment guide lists common brand and model pairings.
  2. Tray dimensions. Measure the inside length, width and height, and the gap needed for cables and lifting. Tray sizes in many markets follow standards such as DIN 43531 and DIN 43535/43536, but older or brand-specific trays differ, so measure yours.
  3. Weight. The lead-acid battery is often part of the truck’s counterbalance. Ask the truck maker for the minimum battery weight and decide whether the lithium pack needs added ballast.
  4. Connections. Connector type and polarity, cable length, and any truck interface such as a battery-state indicator or CAN.
  5. Handling. Lifting eyes, side-pull, roller bed or fixed tray.

What Redway publishes

Redway’s specification tables show real size and weight ranges: for example, the 48V 304Ah pack is 940 x 260 x 520 mm at about 164 kg, the 48V 460Ah pack is 830 x 630 x 590 mm at about 339 kg, and the 48V 560Ah pack is 810 x 630 x 600 mm at about 352 kg. Use them as a starting point only. Redway also lists OEM customisation and engineering for custom sizes. OEM custom orders have no MOQ by default (1 piece), although some specific products carry a 10-piece minimum, so confirm for your model.

Sample fit-check

Before a fleet order, ask for one pack or a mock-up for a single truck. Check that it seats, that the hold-down works, that cables reach, that the hood or seat closes, and that the truck reads the battery correctly. Run a full shift and record battery temperature and voltage. Then approve the drawing and release the order.

Risk limits

Confirm tray strength and the truck’s stability and counterweight with the truck manufacturer before fitting a different battery weight. A sample fit-check on one truck is cheap compared with a fleet of packs that do not seat. This article is general guidance for buyers.

Additional perspectives

Fleet manager perspective

Photograph the tray with a tape measure in frame and send three dimensions per axis, because trays are often bent or worn. Pick the oldest truck for the fit-check, since it will show the worst case.

Redway Tech Editorial Team – Fleet manager perspective

Truck technician perspective

Confirm how the truck reads battery state. Some trucks expect a lead-acid discharge curve; a lithium pack may need a gauge or CAN integration so the truck does not report an empty pack when it is half full.

Redway Tech Editorial Team – Truck technician perspective

OEM engineer perspective

Define the rated voltage, continuous and peak current, and charge current in the brief, and whether the truck has a regenerative braking input. The pack’s BMS limits must match what the truck draws, not just what fits.

Redway Tech Editorial Team – OEM engineer perspective

Specifications are taken from Redway product pages as of October 2026. Where a figure isn’t published, this article says so. Confirm current specifications for your model with Redway before ordering. This article is general guidance, not a site-specific engineering assessment.

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Related topics

Have a project question? Send your application details and specification. Contact Redway · More: OEM & Customisation · Back to Talk
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