Do Trickle Chargers Really work....

[skyhook]

Well here's my story,
About 3 weeks ago, after reading a few threads here on the issue, i decided to go out and buy one at Wall-Mart,
$20 bucks, it clamps on and you plug er in, delivers .7 or 2 amps, I chose 2 amps. I leave it on permanently in the winter, plugged in.
I did this because my big girl tlb ( actually one of the smaller ones in its class) only has one battery (new) and a 65 hp Perkins power plant. ( think I'll call her Bertha because she's so hard to turn over).
After wiring a digital multimeter in my system, without the trickle charge, I would have 12.3 volts showing when i turned on the key.. ( block heater is also plugged in for about 2 hours prior).
I would then insert the fuse for my "pre-heat" and count to 15 ( I'll fix this issue when it gets warmer), and my meter would drop to about 11.4 volts, Bertha would turn over slow, very slow (-25C).
Now with this "trickle charger", when I turn on the key, my voltage is at 14.3 volts and when I insert the fuse for my pre-heat, (15 seconds) it drops to 13.3 and she turns over like she should.
Yesterday,,,it was -25C, winds blowing and darn cold, had Bertha plugged in for about 3 hours (block heater), and the trickle on as usual, Its always plugged.
Turned the key on, but forgot to put my fuse in for the pre-heat, although I did do the count of 15:confused2:
Low and behold, she fired right up like it was the fourth of July.:thumbsup: Almost instantly.
So for those of you who constantly run down your batteries from trying to get er going, GET ONE.:thumbsup:

 

[NewfieDan]

I agree. I don't have trickle charger like you have but I do have battery tenders on all my seasonal toys. They only deliver about .75A. As an example my motorbike is a 2007 and is still on its original battery. I figure that the tender is keeping it topped up and in good shape.

 

[skyhook]

You know Dan, I may have used the wrong terminology, mine is also a battery tender.
Thanks.

 

[Parkanzky]

Just to make sure everyone knows the right terms:

A trickle charger will pump 2 amps (or whatever it's set to) into the battery no matter what. These are OK for gently bringing a dead battery back to life overnight, but shouldn't be left on 24/7.

A float charger, battery maintainer, or tender will monitor the battery's voltage and only charge it when it needs juice to stay topped off. These are meant to be plugged in long-term.

 

[pmsmechanic]

$20 at Walmart....in Canada! I'll need to go and have a look. Most that I've seen are $60.

 

[nikdfish]

I like the Deltran Battery Tender Jr. (0.75A) smart chargers. With Amazon Prime, they are < $27 delivered. I have connector pigtails on various items (gator, mower, jump box, deep cycle battery, etc.) so they can get rotated through periodically. Extra pigtail connectors are available at about $5.

Nick

 

[oosik]

Yes, I keep a Deltran Battery Tender Plus on the tractor all winter. Never had any problems starting it without the tender - I'm just trying to extend the life of the battery in the tractor. I paid $60 for the unit.

Otherwise, the batteries out of all the winterized seasonal equipment are in the spare bedroom and I use a standard charger on them every three months.

 

[k0ua]

I like the Deltran Battery Tender Jr. (0.75A) smart chargers. With Amazon Prime, they are < $27 delivered. I have connector pigtails on various items (gator, mower, jump box, deep cycle battery, etc.) so they can get rotated through periodically. Extra pigtail connectors are available at about $5.

Nick

These are very good. they were on sale for $20, but looks like they have went back up to 25 with prime free shipping

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 021-0123 Battery Tender Junior 12V Battery Charger: Automotive

 

[check]

I got the "Battery Tender" brand on the weekend because my ATV battery was slowly draining down, and it is -30 at the cottage. The problem is that I have a snowplow on it, which is raised and lowered by the winch. These ATV winches use a lot of power, and I believe that the ATV does not recharge the battery enough. If all I do is plow each time I am up. So, when you put the ATV away and go away for a week or so, the battery is in pretty poor condition. Had to get a new battery, but left the Battery Tender on when I left the cottage. This time, when I return, I am sure the ATV will fire right up. And those little beads that you can connect right to the battery with rings on the end of the leads or just the cats meow. Very convenient for me, since my Can Am 650 Max ATV has the battery tucked up in an area where the posts are basically inaccessible unless you take the battery right out.

 

[adimice]

I've had rel good luck with $17.00 solar maintainers from Harbor Freight. Two boats with 4 batteries, Kubota 3830, 2001 Chevy PU, they sit all winter in the barn in Maine. We get there in April, and all motors fire right off.