Battery Tenders

[Richard]

I park my tractor away from the house. My backhoe IS within reach of a 100' extension cord so I can put a charger on the hoe if I need/want.....but the tractor is a bit away.

Been thinking on putting a tender on both of them. My tractor has two new batteries (the long skinny 12v type) and the hoe has a more traditional auto "square/rectangular" style battery.

Looking at them you can buy various watt outputs. Seems to me if you leave this on all the time the machine is parked, you are ok getting a smaller one no? (it would come off when machine is in use)

I'm not familiar with these at all......appreciate any wisdom!!

 

[whistlepig]

I have tried a few battery tenders. One of the high dollar battery tenders I bought fried a couple of my batteries when left hooked up. It was solid state with a microprocessor. I have had one of these for a couple of years that I hook to a long extension cord and highly recommend it:

Battery Tender(R) Plus 12V, 1.25A Battery Charger

 

[Seven Gables]

So if your tractor is out of reach of your extension cord I'm assuming your interested in solar powered?

 

[jaxs]

I've been using 3 Deltran Battery Tender Plus 1.25 amp for close to 15 years with good results. They are on something most of the time. Not only are batteries kept at full charge,battery life is dramaticly extended.

 

[kthompson]

I often parked excavator where there is no power and last year got a solar power one. Did not use it a lot but was pleased with it. Not safe to say how effective it was for while it served my well in my opinion it was not where it got a lot of good sunshine.

 

[whistlepig]

I use my Deltran with a 100 foot extension cord. If the tractors/ATV's do not get run during the winter I'll move them close enough to get a charger on them a couple of times during the winter. Most of my equipment is stored a pole barn with no electric service. A 100' extension cord will reach the pole barn.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have tried a few battery tenders. One of the high dollar battery tenders I bought fried a couple of my batteries when left hooked up. It was solid state with a microprocessor. I have had one of these for a couple of years that I hook to a long extension cord and highly recommend it:

Battery Tender(R) Plus 12V, 1.25A Battery Charger

I have a few of these same ones, they have been great!

SR

 

[SirMaxwell]

I park my tractor away from the house. My backhoe IS within reach of a 100' extension cord so I can put a charger on the hoe if I need/want.....but the tractor is a bit away.

Been thinking on putting a tender on both of them. My tractor has two new batteries (the long skinny 12v type) and the hoe has a more traditional auto "square/rectangular" style battery.

Looking at them you can buy various watt outputs. Seems to me if you leave this on all the time the machine is parked, you are ok getting a smaller one no? (it would come off when machine is in use)

I'm not familiar with these at all......appreciate any wisdom!!

I've got 6 of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Q820T... 15W Solar Battery Charger&sb-ci-a=B004Q820TQ. Bought between 60-80 bucks each. Have had them now for over 5 years. Use them for Tractor, Cars, Trucks, etc. If it is sitting, it has a Tender on it.

I have a few of the 10W versions, use on Yard Tractors, Motorcycle, Scooter, ATV's etc.

Were they worth it - ABSOLUTELY. Would I buy again, yes, if I need one, I'll buy one. I've had zero failures. On most vehicles I add an accessible power point, so I can just plug it in when needed.

YMMV

Max

 

[whistlepig]

My bad. Didn't know this thread involved Solar Battery Tenders.

 

[fried1765]

I have tried a few battery tenders. One of the high dollar battery tenders I bought fried a couple of my batteries when left hooked up. It was solid state with a microprocessor. I have had one of these for a couple of years that I hook to a long extension cord and highly recommend it:

Battery Tender(R) Plus 12V, 1.25A Battery Charger

I have 5 of the Battery Tender Plus units,
6 of the Battery Tender Jr. units,
4 Battery Minder units.
1 6V Battery Tender.
I 48V Save A Battery Maintainer.

I am away for up to six months at a time, and leave one on every battery, or in the 48V case, bank of batteries.
The little Battery Tender Jr's seem to do the maintaining function just as well as the larger, more expensive, parent Battery Tender Plus version.
The Battery Minders are my favorite.
The NOCO Genius is reported to be another good one.

 

[whistlepig]

Believe me. You can spend $100.00 + for a solid state battery tender with a microprocessor that will absolutely fry a couple of hundred dollars worth of batteries. Buy the Battery Tender Plus.

 

[deserteagle71]

Not only are batteries kept at full charge,battery life is dramaticly extended.

My motorcycle, ATV, Miller Bobcat welder, tractor - all are on Batteryminder maintainer/desulfators I got from Northern Tool. My experience has been identical. Used to be I had to replace batteries every 3-4 years, especially on the welder and the bike which are used only occasionally. Batteries last forever now that I use the maintainers. The welder sits in a pole barn with no power so that unit is solar with a panel up on the roof and it works as well as the plug-in units.

 

[Imold]

Like some here I use 9 tenders and then I have 4 regular battery chargers (7 junior tenders and 2 Harley brand tenders)year round and then I have 5 batteries sitting in my basement for my boats and camper that I just rotate a auto charger on in the winter then I just plug my golf cart in once a month to keep those four charged, been doing this for over 20 years and I can’t imagine the cost of batteries I have saved.
I also have tried two solar type maintainers and both have failed, not sure if they where just to cheap or what but those went into the garbage.
Right now I am in the process of getting all my batteries for tractors,atvs,UTV s,boats,bikes set up for the winter.

 

[AllByteNoBark]

I highly recommend the Battery Tender brand. Have used them for years and never an issue. Currently have one on the motorcycle and one on the forklift. Don't really need one anywhere else at this point.

 

[5030]

I use Yuhasa brand tenders, probably because I sell them...lol

On my tractors in the barn I don't use anything. Just make sure the batteries are topped off before I put them away for the winter and then I break the negative side with a knife switch and they are just fine all winter. One, cold don't destroy a flooded cell battery, heat does and two, flooded cell batteries have very little parasitic loss when idle and not in a circuit, usually around 3% of total charge per month.

I like the knife switch when I farm as well because I do leave tractors sit in places other than at the farm during the summer and the knife switch under the hood makes a nice theft deterrent. You can hot wire them but with no power, they won't start anyway.

I run Yuhasa tenders on my bikes sitting in the shop.

 

[Imold]

Just received two of these battery tenders to try out that I forgot I had ordered with some wheels, was more interested in the wheels then the tenders.

 

[Imold]

This should maybe be moved to owning and operating maybe ?

 

[Reb954]

I'm not sure if these qualify as "battery tenders" as Sunforce calls them "battery maintainers" but I just ordered two more Sunforce/Coleman 2 watt 12 volt solar battery maintainers, p/n 58012. I had bought one at TSC a couple years ago and it has worked well, even in the low light conditions in the barn.

I have 6 batteries out of equipment that gets little to no use during the winter so I store them in the barn and rotate the battery maintainers so each of the batteries gets a charge. I may leave the maintainer on a battery for a couple days to a couple weeks, just depends on when I happen to get to the barn to change them and when I happen to think about changing them. One of the best things about them is no extension cords to mess with.

The only down side I can think of is these aren't water proof, which to me doesn't matter, but I know for some it will make a difference.

 

[fried1765]

Just received two of these battery tenders to try out that I forgot I had ordered with some wheels, was more interested in the wheels then the tenders.
View attachment 625524

"Battery Tender" is a registered trademark (patent?) of Deltran Corp. in DeLand, Fl.
Those pictured are not Battery Tenders!
Maybe Harbor Freight?

 

[Richard]

So if your tractor is out of reach of your extension cord I'm assuming your interested in solar powered?

Well....to show you how little I know.... I didn't realize (given your comment) that there might be a choice!!!

So, yes...solar powered.