battery charger on timer?

[goaliedad]

If I hook a battery charger up to my tractor, and put a timer on the AC side of the charger, will the battery discharge back thru the charger when it is off? I want to be able to charge the battery for an hour or two before I start blowing snow, but the tractor is in the barn, away from the house and I'm lazy, OK!

[RalphVa]

The answer's "no".

I took the battery out of my car for 6 months one time we went to Singapore. Connected it through 2 timers in series, so that it would only get charged for a couple of hours about once every 22 days or so. Went I returned, I took the battery up to the garage and put it in the car, glowed it, and it started immediately.

I'm doing the same thing now with the backup battery to my generator.

Ralph

[Hooked_on_HP]

I you have a good charger you can leave it on and it will shut off when the battery is fully charged. The new microprocessor chargers are realy good at maintaining your battery. Unless you have somthing draining the battery, putting the charger on before you try to start it shouldn't make a difference. I wouldn't trust a timer with a cheap charger you might boil the battery dry.If your charger has any lights that come on when you hook it up it may drain the battery while it is off.

[GaryE]

With a good charger you do not need a timer.... But better yet, with a good battery you will not need to worry about the charger. Replace your battery every other year and you have to worry about it.




Gary

[thcri]

I would go out and get one of them "Battery Tenders". They will allow a battery to drop down some and then charge it back up. Put on my boat every winter and it works great.

As far as your question of leaving a battery charger on all the time, some of the old ones will drop your battery dead. I know, I had one and I learned the hard way. Instead of taking the cables off one time I went in the shed and just pulled the 120 volt cord out of the wall. Next day the battery was totally dead. The newer ones as others have said you don't have to worry.

murph

[Farwell]

With a good charger you do not need a timer.... But better yet, with a good battery you will not need to worry about the charger. Replace your battery every other year and you have to worry about it.




Gary

Gary,
My batteries last me between 5 to 7 years depending on the quality of battery that I purchase. I drive a 2000 Toyota Camry and the original battery is still going strong. My Kubota riding lawn mower is around 4 years old and the battery is still going strong.
David

[MrJimi]

We use the one and only true Batterytender.com - Home of All Your Charging Needs , I have 6 of these and they are great, the battery life is extended and is very easy to use and comes with a 10 year warrantee


Jim

[GaryE]

Gary,
My batteries last me between 5 to 7 years depending on the quality of battery that I purchase.......

David,


Every two years may be overkill for some, but if you start pushing a battery to 5 – 7 years you are more likely to have a problem. Considering my tractor can sit for a week or more in the winter before I need it. For me, changing the battery out every 2 years is cheap insurance. This way the battery is the last thing I have to worry about. And I don't have to worry about dealing with a battery charger!



Gary

[shaley]

The absolute best device I have ever found for prolonging battery life is the Shumacher maintainer/charger. Mounts directy on to the tractor and plugs in like the block heater.
My 2120 battery finally died after 12 years. I'm on the coast and we use alot of wet cell batteries in boats. A good diesel marine battery will run you about $225 and you need 3 or 4 of them. One to start each engine and a spare or house. I allways install a battery maintainer. I have several of these Shumachers for my land craft and they use to be about $20 at Wally World. You can connect the male end of a cig lighter plug to the maintainer and then just plug it in to the cig lighter socket on the tractor if you want it keep it portable.
SE-1-12S - 1.5 amp Battery Charger

[Soundguy]

Your charger had a defective or leaky rectifier in it.. perhaps an old selenium jonb.. or just a plain bad silicon diode..e tc.

A plain jane transformer and bridge rectifier type charger, on a good working timer will not cause a problem.

I don't like the new fangled microporcessor type chargers. They aren't as usefull when it comes to flat batteries, or ones with a slight reverse charge on them..

Soundguy

I would go out and get one of them "Battery Tenders". They will allow a battery to drop down some and then charge it back up. Put on my boat every winter and it works great.

As far as your question of leaving a battery charger on all the time, some of the old ones will drop your battery dead. I know, I had one and I learned the hard way. Instead of taking the cables off one time I went in the shed and just pulled the 120 volt cord out of the wall. Next day the battery was totally dead. The newer ones as others have said you don't have to worry.

murph