Friday (23rd) we had a really fast temp drop. Started at morning was 37,before dark was just 3 ... just three. I have 6 veh batteries to keep up, 4 were already on maintainers and under covers parked in carports, but I had a few more maintainers so I extended cords and added pigtails for easy hook up to the '77 and a '95 Tbird, now they are being "maintained" as well. It was down to about 13 then, winds gusting too. It might not seem cold to those up north, but it is here.

Yesterday(24th) was still rteally cold, even down to like 2.3, it never got out of the teens. The tender on the '77 struggled. The green light stayed on showing power but the red "charged" indicator never showed. I had begun to think it wasn't really working.
The '95 had a 3A maintainer, it was showing full charged and on Float mode Friday night late. The other 4 that were already on dedicated 1.5A maintaioners have been on float mode and were fine.

Today (25th) I remembered my tractor out in the shed, so I went to get it's battery to bring in and put on yet another maintainer and it was a balmy 24 outside, no wind, is some sun (I expect to see shorts out soon) ... and finally that maintainer on the '77 reached full charge, the red light is cycling every few minutes showing that it's "floating now". Those wind gusts and single digets had that 1.5A maintainer working OT.

 

Just curious and spit balling here. But are you sure that the 77 doesn't have a parasitic draw? I think I'd be looking into that. Or checking the overall state of the battery. I mean if all the other maintainers are working flawlessly and this one is struggling, may be just may be there is something else wrong.

 

OH, I suspect any draw was provided by those single digit temps. That maintainer seems to have caught it up, it stayed in float mode last eve / night. The others have been being maintained for some time and they are sheltered. That '77 has a good battery, but it might have been down a little from just sitting unused for a week or so in the back, and then I started it last week to pull around up front. Maintainer just needed to get it up over the threshold built into it ... I think.

I was just musing. It's like after going through modifying and checking leads making them longer, fighting the cold wind, you watch more closely for results at first. I have them all hung so I can see them from a window. What makes this weather seem so cold to us is we rarely see these temps.

 

I pull all mine out of the 77,78,79 trucks, and they go in the warm shop and on the maintainers. The DD run around black Ranger, Red F150 CC, Dodge diesel (it gets a daily crank and idle to temp at least) get to keep theirs in and get used daily. Bronco's still have theirs, but one is on maintainer. Once is about to go in the shop for major work. Lawn mowers battery's are coming out tomorrow.

https://www.harborfreight.com/automa...ger-64284.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-de...ger-62813.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-amp-...ner-63350.html

The big Schumacher roller jump charge box is always helping somewhere also. https://www.schumacherelectric.com/p...tery-chargers/

 

Understood, like I stated I was just throwing some ideas out there to be watchful of to help a fellow Ford truckyen. However you would know best since they're your trucks and equipment and you maintain them so well. I know that I for one am glad that storm passed.

 

And I appreciate the feedback. Glad that storm passed, but still a lot struggling up north. I know some look at near zero as an improvement ... but it's cold here. Take Care ..........