Battery Maintainer - Good/Bad/Ugly?

[Snowback]

The GPS locator unit on my 2538 has just enough parasitic draw to make parking the machine for a couple/few of weeks at a time problematic. Time for a battery maintainer I guess.
Anyone have either of these units, or perhaps want to suggest another low cost solar option or better idea? Panel will be mounted on side of shed and cables through wall to the machine. I'm a cheapskate, thus the choices here.

Low cost, low voltage, simple maintainer with no controller: Amazon.com: Schumacher SP-200 2.4W Solar Battery Maintainer: Automotive

Higher voltage charger/maintainer with a controller in the cable: Amazon.com : MicroSolar - 10W Solar Panel Charging Kit for 12v Battery /// Plug & Play /// Solar Charge Contoller Included - Braket Included - 18 Feet Waterproof Wire - Optional 16.4 Feet Extension Wire - Cigarette Plug with Fuse - Alligator Clips wi

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[oldballs]

I bought two Schumacher battery maintainers from Wally World. Yes, they were cheaper than Deltran "Battery Tender Plus" but didn't last long and ended up in the trash. The Deltran units are several years old now, and still good.

 

[JerryK]

I've had real good luck with the Schumacher. Some of them do not like being dropped... there is a choke coil on the circuit board that sometimes does not take to the shock...

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Go for the 10watt, 2.4watt barely keeps up with self discharge.


Have 90watts of panels on my Jeep with radios drawing all the time and this time of year this far north get about 15-20 watts charge in cloudy skies.

Do not think other posters realize your talking solar. Even the .75 amp plug in maintainer is about 10 watts.


David

 

[dickfoster]

The GPS locator unit on my 2538 has just enough parasitic draw to make parking the machine for a couple/few of weeks at a time problematic. Time for a battery maintainer I guess.
Anyone have either of these units, or perhaps want to suggest another low cost solar option or better idea? Panel will be mounted on side of shed and cables through wall to the machine. I'm a cheapskate, thus the choices here.

Low cost, low voltage, simple maintainer with no controller: Amazon.com: Schumacher SP-200 2.4W Solar Battery Maintainer: Automotive

Higher voltage charger/maintainer with a controller in the cable: Amazon.com : MicroSolar - 10W Solar Panel Charging Kit for 12v Battery /// Plug & Play /// Solar Charge Contoller Included - Braket Included - 18 Feet Waterproof Wire - Optional 16.4 Feet Extension Wire - Cigarette Plug with Fuse - Alligator Clips wi

Thanks in advance for any input!

For a solar unit the bigger the better. By on the side I hope it will see some sunlight or it isn't going to do you much good.
Why don't you unplug the GPS to reduce the parasitic drain? Since it's parked there is no need for GPS anyway.
I'd rate this Amazon unit as more of a charge maintainer instead of a charger. A charger will charge a completely dead battery.
Be sure to use the charge controller or you'll boil your battery and ruin it as the panel can put out up to 17 Volts. The 10W panel output wattage is at full voltage in direct sunlight so will be something less in dimmer light and with the controller in the circuit but likely will be enough to keep your battery up to snuff with what light it gets.

 

[Travelover]

I'm a cheapskate, too. I'd just snag a 10 watt off eBay, from a North American supplier and direct wire it to the battery with alligator clips. At 10 watts, you don't even have to have a charge controller, though you can get one off eBay for another 10 bucks. 1�W 12V Poly-Crystalline Solar Panel 1� Watt 12 Volt Off Grid RV Boat Marine | eBay

 

[fried1765]

I'm a cheapskate, too. I'd just snag a 10 watt off eBay, from a North American supplier and direct wire it to the battery with alligator clips. At 10 watts, you don't even have to have a charge controller, though you can get one off eBay for another 10 bucks. 1�W 12V Poly-Crystalline Solar Panel 1� Watt 12 Volt Off Grid RV Boat Marine | eBay

A "North American supplier"?
Maybe a North American seller!
But .... most probably,...... a North or South Asia manufacturer.

 

[Gunny]

I've had good luck with one of the Black and Decker maintainers and two of the Battery Maintainers, one stays on the tractor during winter, the others keep the RV and ATV batteries topped off.

 

[oldballs]

Thanks, David Kb.... I didn't realize the OP was talking solar............Geeze ..... I should read more carefully.

 

[1stDeuce]

I wondered how much draw those trackers really were... For the unfamiliar, the GPS he's talking about is an anti-theft unit, not the typical "where am I now" unit. It will report position every day, or more frequently if the tractor is running/moving. I think it's about $25/mo for the service, and the units run $25-100.

Anyway, I'd say if you are talking about solar, you'd be best with 10W. You'll get quite a bit less than rated output with the panel mounted flat, or on a cloudy day, and unlike being plugged into the wall, with solar you only get a few hours of charge time a day.

To give an example, a flat mounted 10W panel will only give you .2A of charge in the winter on a sunny day, and that for only about 3 hours. That's likely enough to overcome the GPS draw without hurting the battery. With only a 10W panel, you could wire it through a diode directly to the battery. No worries about overcharging with so little amperage available.

I have a $10 5W aluminum framed panel flat-mounted to the tank on one of my firefighting trailers. It's wired through a diode (so it doesn't draw when it's not charging) directly to the lawnmower battery. Even in the middle of summer, it isn't capable of producing enough current to get the battery above 13v. On a bigger tractor battery, you would still be safe at 10W, in the middle of summer, even in Texas. The panels are available on fleabay for much less than the charger setups you linked... Just mount it to the roof or hood with some dual-lock and wire it to the battery. It would not be a bad idea to use a fuse near the battery, and a 1 Amp diode is necessary to keep it from drawing at night.

FWIW, I also have Solargizers on my tractor, and truck. I am using the 24v versions available a few years ago for cheap on ebay. They seem to work fine, even on 12v systems, but they are not chargers, just conditioners. The tractor battery is 13 years old, and was getting weak when I bought it this fall. I put the solargizer on a month or so ago, and it's already noticeably stronger. The batteries in my truck are six years old, and show no signs of weakness. There are solar charger-conditioners available, but they are pretty pricey...