Batteries

Match three things: the brand and battery platform, the voltage, and the physical form factor. Batteries are not interchangeable across brands, and even within a brand, tool lines sometimes run separate platforms. Check the model number on your current battery or tool plate before ordering, and contact customer service if the listing is ambiguous.

Voltage determines power output and must match the tool exactly. Amp-hours (Ah) determine runtime: a 5Ah battery runs roughly twice as long as a 2.5Ah battery on the same tool. Crews should buy the highest Ah their platform offers for primary batteries and keep smaller packs as light backups.

Plan for at least two to three batteries per high-draw tool so one charges while others run. Blowers and string trimmers drain packs far faster than drills. The realistic test is whether your crew can finish a full route without waiting on a charger; if not, add packs or a vehicle charging setup.

Store packs indoors at moderate temperature at roughly 40 to 60 percent charge, not full and never empty. Freezing storage degrades cells, and a fully depleted pack left all winter may never recover. Pull batteries from tools and chargers for storage, and top them off before the season starts.

Replace when runtime drops noticeably, typically after several hundred charge cycles, or when a pack swells, overheats, or fails to charge. Diminished packs quietly cost labor: a crew nursing tired batteries through a route loses more in time than the replacement costs.

Yes. Lithium packs lose noticeable runtime below freezing and should not be charged when below about 32 degrees Fahrenheit. For winter work, keep spare packs warm in the truck cab and rotate them. Performance returns to normal once the pack warms back up.