Everything You Need to Know About Equipment Data Plates

Jul 15 2024 4 Min. Read

Data plates, also known as equipment name plates, are where you can find important information pertaining to your machine. This information is crucial for determining what parts to buy and is helpful when requesting service for your unit. This will help us prepare for providing the best service for your machine.

Where can I find my machine’s data plate?

Locations of data plates vary by manufacturer and type of equipment, but they are most commonly found near the user operation controls, such as the on/off switch, key ignition, steering wheel/handles, throttle, seat, etc. Sometimes data plates are found in the battery compartment of the unit. However, it is important to note that batteries and motors tend to have their own information labels and should not be confused with the machine data plate.

It’s in a manufacturer’s best interest to display their equipment’s information in easy-to-find locations, so you shouldn’t have to look too hard to find it. In some cases, it may not be prominently displayed, but most units should have a data plate. If you can’t find it prior to requesting service, provide us with any pertinent information you do know, such as type of equipment, manufacturer, and model name (commonly printed on the sides of machines).

Examples of where you might find a unit’s data plate:

FactoryCat Data Plate — Many data plates are found underneath the machine’s controls on the panel facing the operator on walk-behind machines

Tennant 500e Data Plate — Many data plates are found also be found on the side of the operator control panel, near the steering handles.

Tennant Rider Scrubber Data Plate — On ride-on units, data plates are frequently found near the seat(s) or below the steering wheel.

Nilfisk Rider Data Plate — Rider Scrubber - Data plate near the seat

Taylor-Dunn Data Plate — Data plate under the seat

Minuteman PowerBoss Rider Data Plate — Less commonly, data plates may be found on the back of the machine.

Burnisher Data Plate — On burnishers and buffers, data plates are commonly found somewhere on the base of the machine, if not by the handles or control panel.

Big Joe Pallet Stacker Data Plate — For many other types of commercial and industrial equipment, data plates can easily be found right next to the operator controls.

What information can be found on a data plate?

While it varies by manufacturer, data plates typically display manufacturer information, model number, serial number, production date, and, if applicable, voltage/amps, fuel type, load capacity, etc. Safety warnings to help prevent accidents and injury are also commonly included on data plates.

It is important to note that not all data plates are physical plates, but rather, some are simply stickers. Regardless, they should have the same information.

When requesting service, these are the most helpful pieces of information to know from your machine’s data plate:

Make: Manufacturer of the unit will be listed somewhere on the data plate.

Serial Number: Your machine’s serial number is unique to your unit. As such, serial numbers are usually longer and more complex than model numbers. Manufacturers keep record of this number and can search their database to pull relevant information regarding the unit such as production date and model information. To determine a machine’s warranty eligibility, manufacturers will need to know the serial number.

Model Number: Aside from designating the style of machine you have, model numbers often contain information about the unit’s size, set up, and, consequently, part information.

Certain manufacturer’s data plates do not specifically designate the model number as it is included in the serial number. See this example of a data plate for an M20 sweeper-scrubber where the model is designated in the first section of the serial number before the hyphen:

Some might even be spread out across two separate ID tags/data plates:

Helpful pieces of information for equipment use:

Voltage: The voltage on your data plate designates the voltage at which the machine’s motor is meant to operate. If the motor is used at a different voltage than designated (such as by adjusting the number of batteries or replacing them with different voltage batteries), the machine will not perform as well or may not even work at all.

Weight Limit/Load Capacity: To ensure safe usage of your equipment, there may be a weight limit included on the data plate. All operators should be aware of this weight limit prior to using the machine.

Forklift data plate

Fuel Type: While many types of industrial and commercial equipment are electric and use batteries, some equipment such as burnishers may require fuel. If this is the case, it is important to consult the data plate to determine what type of fuel is required for proper use.

However, some just indicate that they are electric:

Personnel & burden carrier data plate

When in doubt, take a photo and share it with our customer service department when scheduling service for your machine. If you need your machine serviced or to sign up for our preventative maintenance program, please call us at (888) 834-9948 or email us at service@triadservice.com.