My truck usually sits for a week or two before it is driven. I was thinking about putting a quick disconnect in the grill and using a battery tender to keep the charge up. Does this sound like a good idea?

 

That is a great idea. That's what I would do if my truck wasn't used for a week or two at a time.

 

I am thinking along the same lines as you are. I want to install a battery tender in my truck with a disconnect.

I read up on them a while back, but I can't remember which one it was that was (Water Proof). I found one at Northen Tool it was $3?.?? dollars........close to $40.00.

 

I keep a battery tender on all of my vehicles anytime they are in the driveway. This is particularly important on my diesel truck, because I am like you and only drive it every couple of weeks or so. Unless you drive a good distance each time you start it, you'll never fully recharge the batteries with the alternator.

I'm using a couple of different models of Battery Tenders. I have the Battery Tender Plus, one of their two bank chargers, and the waterproof 800 (currently on a jet ski). I've been happy with them all. I hard wired quick connects on all of my vehicles so I can connect them all without opening the hood. It took about a week though for me to get in the habit of unplugging the charger BEFORE I backed out of the garage.

 

Mounted my Battery Tender on the LH battery box. Battery Tender comes with a short cord so I lengthened it and installed a Marinco flush mount plug in the LH side of the bumper. Also cut the plug off my block heater and installed a flush mount Marinco plug over on the RH side. Set mine up to automaticially unplug if I forget it.

 

If your batteries are good and you don't have any unusual power draws, sitting for 2-3 weeks should be no problem.

 

I had a set of batteries that only lasted a year and a half when my truck would sit for several weeks at a time. It probably didn't help that when I did start the truck up, I would drive it a mile (to and from work) and then shut it down. I would usually drive a hundred miles or so down the highway on the weekends that I drove the truck, but I did take a lot of short trips and then the truck would sit.

 

Mine came with a harness to permanently mount it. I mounted it on the right side battery and ran the cord down and out where the block heater cord comes out. It also has a quick connect on it so it can be removed in the warmer weather when it's not required and the harness remains connected to the battery.

 

Big Dirty
I too like the idea of a battery maintainer since mine sits alot.

I think this is the 1 u were looking at:
Waterproof 800 International - 12V @ 800 mA - USA & Western Hemisphere - Automotive - Products - Batterytender.com

This appears to be the popular but i too like the idea of waterproof even though its a less output, i wouldnt think it would matter always being plugged:
Battery Tender® Junior 12V @ 0.75A - Automotive - Products - Batterytender.com

 

I didn't think of just mounting the tender on the truck. I like that idea. Thanks for the replies.

 

I have the schaurer 3 amp for mine. Has an analyzer to tell ya battery status and activity. Was about $30 at sears. Keep it on pretty much all the time since the truck is not a daily driver and the chance that bad batteries can influence the electronics and cause failures. cheap insurance.

 

I am running a napa 1.5a that connects directly to the battery and comes with a mounting bracket. It has a short coed but plugs in directly beneith the mounting location to a 4 plug box with the block, oil and trans heater plugs that then runs down to the stock plug location.

 

Deltran Battery Tenders are secound to none for your application. I have used maintainers of some kind ever since I went through training at Globe Union in Garland Texas in 1967. They forbid dealers having a quick charger in thier building and furnished dealers free loaners to put on customers vehicle after replacing alternator or other circumstances where the coustomers battery was less than 75% charged. The dealers charger was 1.5 amp max with taper and maintainance feature. During those 40+ years of treating batteries as I was trained has given me much longer service life than is commonly expected. Deltran's web site information pretty much paralles Globe Union's battery reccomendation. I am frugal so don't like to replace anything until it breaks. I also am nervious about driving somthing with old batteries that might make me late or strand me.
To satisfy both fedish,I keep 3 Deltrans connected to diesel trucks & farm tractors,gas truck&mini-van,lawn tractor,boats,5th wheel,Mule 3010 most any period of non-use/short use exceeding a few days. As a battery nears or surpasses it's expected life I will install it on a lower risk application around home. Presently the origional motorcraft batteries from the 2004 6.0 has been on a 4020 Deere diesel for 3 years. One of the origional 2006 6.0 batteriers is on the 65 MF diesel and the other is on the 5th wheel since last year. I usualy buy a new group 27 automobile for starting the old Sea Ray cc200 because I hate swiming even more than walking home. I use retired auto/truck batteries for house batteries on the Sea Ray. Marine/RV batteries carry short warranty because they usualy remain in varying stages of discharge majority of time which kills them. I use specialized batteries where vibration and shock is expected like ski boat and atv. So there you have it,right or wrong,works for me.

 

I have this one, and I don't believe it is big enough for the two batteries in a diesel truck. I originally used it on my wife's 4Runner, and it would usually charge that single battery overnight. When I used it on my Ford though, it still wouldn't be charged after 3-4 days. The Battery Tender Plus usually charges the Ford overnight, or two days max, depending on what type of driving I've been doing (takes longer after running errands around town and doing a lot of <5mi trips).

 

Thanks TexasA&M
I figured it would be ok always being plugged in but was a little concerned w/the very small rating (which is why i posted) but i like the waterproof idea.
Ive had a 1.5 amp Solar auto charger ive used for years that i exchange between my seasonal batteries which are all on my bench in the way (lol) but everyone talks up these Battery Tenders so guess ill put 1 in the Diesel, good insurance.

Guess ill get this one:
Battery Tender® Junior 12V @ 0.75A - Automotive - Products - Batterytender.com