Was wondering what everyone uses for a battery tender, for those trucks that sit more than run.

 

Curious as well.... so free bump.

 

Says not available, but I use one of these. I did not permanently mount it as I use it for other batteries also. Truck mostly sits Nov-Apr.

 

^^^ Yup.



And I also use the smaller versions on the other vehicles, etc.

(So, check this out. My wife has these two standup jet skis which she has not used since before we were married (she used to race in the women's division) and in 2010 we went to Lake Havasu to visit her old race buddies and brought the skis, bought a new battery for each, installed them, cleaned the carbs, started the skis up, but never put the skis in the water then or since. Never ran the skis. Never charged the batteries since 2010.

So last week I put the 2/4/8 BatteryMinder on them and they wouldn't take a charge. (A BatteryMinder is not a bulk charger. It is not even a trickle charger, which if left on for months can boil out your water. Rather, it is advertised as a "smart" charging "maintainer/desulfator." So, a battery has to have at least 10 or so volts before a BatteryMinder can charge it.) So I put the 80 Amp Napa charger on them to get at least a "surface charge" of over 10 volts. Then put the 2/4/8 BatteryMinder on them one at a time for a couple of days. It charged each of them and then went into desulfation mode.

Now one reads 13.38 volts the other 12.98 volts and both have been used riding the skis for the first time last week.

Remember, to begin with the useful life of these small 12v PWC/garden tractor/ATV batteries is only about 3 years.

OK, in my personal experience a BatteryMinder can extend the life of a battery if used when the vehicle is not in use. But maybe, as advertised, that desulfation feature can really bring an abused battery back to life? )

 

I use one
On all my vehicles. I use the battery tender juniors. Ran the cable to my grill so I don't have to open hood to plug them in. There are stories of leaving them plugged in for months at a time is not good. I just go for a couple months then let them rest.

 

I put them on my little-used vehicles, and buy the $29 ones from Autozone. The genuine Battery Tender brand ones are quite expensive. I also use the $4.99 ones from Harbor Freight, and solder a quick-disconnect on the end. These provide 500ma of current, and keep old batteries nicely charged. My ATV, plow truck, and camper batteries all use one of these, and I get excellent battery life out of each.

 

X2 on all of the above!

 

I have these on all my vehicles including Motorcycle, Boat, Tractor, and Lawn Mower. Use them year round. The only thing you need to do is extend the 120vac Plug to where you want it. Mine is coupled with my Block Heater so I get to either or both if need be. Well worth the $35 I paid for then individually.

Tom

 

Thomas: I have had that very unit on my Bronco for 10 years and it has performed great. Eventually, I would like to change it out for this one:




12V 1.5A On Board Battery Charger Maintainer Desulfator

But it is twice the price...

 

I have this unit on my Ex and it is great when the truck sits for a long time.

 

I have had the Battery Tender Plus mounted in my truck for 3 summers and 2 winters. It is nice to know that your batteries have full juice when I go out to start the thing on those South Dakota winter mornings. I bought mine for $50 at wally world, but it does have a lifetime warranty I believe. I have the cord running down to right beside my block heater as well.

 

Thanks for the replies. I also planned on mounting one pemanately and running plug next to block heater cord. Now just what one to go with?

 

Thomas White, where did you mount the Shumacher charger, it's cord is quite short. Or what did you do to extend the 120 cord?

 

The Units come with a 90* mounting bracket which mounts to the battery tray.

I bought the exact same cord at Lowe's (Actually bought about 20' as I had five to install) and extended it, soldered connections, used weatherproof shrink tubing on each connection and a sleeve over the work.

Takes maybe 20 minutes a unit to complete.

Tom

 

I use the battery tender from Deltran. It fits on the fender next to the pass side battery and I installed a Marinco power inlet on the front bumper to plug it in. The Battery Minder was not around when I bought my tender (or at least I didn't know about it) or I would've bought that instead. It got great reviews by Road & Track