Home / How Sunbelt Rentals Reduced Battery Testing From Hours to Seconds

Case Study

How Sunbelt Rentals Reduced Battery Testing From Hours to Seconds

We spoke to Brandon Gaunt of Sunbelt Rentals on how the Spectro™ Modular tester helped his rental service team identify weak batteries faster, reduce unnecessary replacements, and return equipment to service sooner.

Results at a Glance

Capacity-based testing supports quicker rental-equipment maintenance.

99.58%

Reduction in test time

Reduced battery testing from 2 hours to just 30 seconds.

12 mins

Saved per battery string

Technician time no longer wasted by having to disconnect batteries from the string.

95 mins

Saved per service call

Technicians can now diagnose batteries at the unit instead of returning them to the shop.

18

Batteries kept in service

Batteries are being kept in service that would otherwise have been replaced.

Customer and Challenge

Battery Condition Was Difficult to Judge Between Rentals

Sunbelt Rentals in Coquitlam, BC manages a large fleet of rechargeable equipment across multiple locations. Between rentals, technicians needed a reliable way to determine whether each battery could support the next customer deployment.

Voltage alone could not show how much usable capacity remained, while traditional discharge testing required 2 hours of technician time. As batteries aged, weak units could remain in service until runtime declined in the field.

The organization needed a consistent way to:

  • Identify weak batteries before deployment
  • Verify sufficient capacity for the next rental
  • Standardize battery decisions across locations
  • Reduce unnecessary battery replacements

Solution and Workflow

Test Each Battery Without Discharging the Pack

Technicians were especially impressed that Spectro™ Modular allowed them to assess batteries directly at the equipment rather than performing a full discharge test at the warehouse. Battery capacity could be estimated in seconds, allowing technicians to identify weak batteries and make service decisions before equipment returned to the rental fleet.

Each battery followed a consistent four-step process:

Identify → Test → Classify → Return to Service

• 75% capacity or greater: Ready for deployment

• 60% to 75%: Monitor or assign based on application

• Below 60%: Recondition or replace

Impact

Battery Decisions Moved From the Shop to the Equipment

Capacity testing helped technicians identify weak batteries while servicing the equipment rather than after a runtime complaint. Batteries with sufficient capacity could remain in service, while low-performing batteries were identified before the next rental.

Using the same capacity-based criteria across locations also gave technicians a more consistent basis for reuse, monitoring, reconditioning, or replacement.

Before

2-hour discharge testing
Capacity confirmed through lengthy full-discharge testing.

Battery strings disconnected
Individual batteries had to be removed or isolated for testing.

Problems found after runtime loss
Weak batteries could remain in service until equipment performance declined.

Decisions varied by technician
Voltage, runtime history and technician judgment influenced replacement decisions.

After

30-second capacity testing
Capacity estimated in seconds at the equipment.

Batteries tested in place
Individual batteries assessed without removing them from the string.

Weak batteries identified earlier
Low-performing batteries found before the equipment returned to service.

Capacity-based decisions
Consistent thresholds guide reuse, monitoring and replacement.

Improve Rental Equipment Uptime

Bring Capacity Testing to the Equipment

Cadex helps rental fleets assess battery capacity, identify weak batteries and make maintenance decisions before equipment returns to service.

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