Do Trickle Chargers Really work....

Opti-Mist · Feb 16, 2015

I've used the Harbor Freight battery tender on all sizes for years without any mishap on lawn tractors, diesel, etc. Nice to be able to leave them over the winter and return to every one of them ready to start.

mikehaugen · Feb 16, 2015

adimice said:
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.

What am I missing here... how does a solar charger work in a barn?

xzcVAbc5 · Feb 16, 2015

I have this one:

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 022-0150-DL-WH Waterproof 800 Battery Charger: Automotive

It comes with ring terminals and clamps. Just took the battery bolt nut off and slipped the ring terminal over it and put the nut back on. Tighten everything up and shove the batter back in the compartment. On my BX I have to open the battery cover each time and connect the charger. I bought the same charger for my Dad's JD2440 and installed the same way. There's a gap big enough on the battery door that we just leave the cord hanging out. It prevents the tractor from having to be jump started every time we use it.

The way these things work is they will only output up to whatever the rating of the maintainer rated at. All the time they are monitoring the battery and when it gets "full" it just keeps checking and adding a little bit as the battery naturally discharges. Also, when keeping a maintainer on your battery it keeps the battery "in shape" by preventing buildup on the plates of the battery.

If you have a really big battery and need something bigger than the 800ma I think I saw ones that go up to 3A that were sold at NAPA auto parts.

xzcVAbc5 · Feb 16, 2015

mikehaugen said:
What am I missing here... how does a solar charger work in a barn?

Solar brand battery chargers/maintainers. I had to figure that one out, too. There are PV solar chargers like what you're thinking.

k0ua · Feb 16, 2015

mikehaugen said:
What am I missing here... how does a solar charger work in a barn?

You put it up by the south facing window, angled 45 degrees or so to catch the winter sun. It works very well. Clean the dirt off the window and it every once in a while

J_J · Feb 16, 2015

I am not sure why anyone would ask the question as there several thousand if not millions of small battery chargers/tenders out there.

Of course they work.

If the combination of charger and battery don't work, it is probably the battery at fault.

Bird · Feb 16, 2015

I think I've posted before that I paid $29.99 plus tax for my DieHard charger/maintainer from Sears, but it analyzes first, determines whether a battery is 6V or 12V, has a digital display, and can charge fairly quickly if a battery is down (the digital display shows percentage of charge), but then can be left on and maintains a full charge. I'm using it on my Toro ZTR battery during cold weather. I like it now, but it's only a little over 2 years old, so if it lasts, it'll be well worth what I paid for it.

GManBart · Feb 16, 2015

This thread reminded me I've been meaning to buy another maintainer now that I've got a few more machines to keep ready to work. I have a really nice RN brand (made here in Michigan) charger for serious stuff like heavily run down batteries, or boosting to get a dead vehicle started, but a couple of years ago I bought one of the $25 Schumaker 6/12V maintainers, and it's worked well. So, I had to stop at Tractor Supply today and bought another of what I thought was the same model. It looks almost the same, and has the same features, but it has been changed drastically. The older one I bought (talking just the last 2-3 years) is pretty heavy, and must have some lead inside. The new model is so light it feels empty. I have no idea why they would change so much, but something is different.

Schumacher 6/12V Battery Maintainer, 1.5A - Tractor Supply Co.

Parkanzky · Feb 16, 2015

GManBart said:
This thread reminded me I've been meaning to buy another maintainer now that I've got a few more machines to keep ready to work. I have a really nice RN brand (made here in Michigan) charger for serious stuff like heavily run down batteries, or boosting to get a dead vehicle started, but a couple of years ago I bought one of the $25 Schumaker 6/12V maintainers, and it's worked well. So, I had to stop at Tractor Supply today and bought another of what I thought was the same model. It looks almost the same, and has the same features, but it has been changed drastically. The older one I bought (talking just the last 2-3 years) is pretty heavy, and must have some lead inside. The new model is so light it feels empty. I have no idea why they would change so much, but something is different.

Schumacher 6/12V Battery Maintainer, 1.5A - Tractor Supply Co.

Probably an inverter instead of a transformer.

oldballs · Feb 16, 2015

Yeah, and the older (heavier) one will last longer than the lighter one.....in my experience.....but still not as long as the Deltran.....in my experience.