Looking for an automatic battery charger without breaking the bank

TMR · Jan 9, 2016

Quick charger "operating" question. Took delivery of my new NOCO G3500 and tried it on three batteries I have in storage (still in machines). The One in the Polaris Ranger and the one in my Craftsman lawn tractor worked out fine (net through 4 levels of charge in a minute or so and stopped on Green as already fully charged)...on the small battery/cold setting as they are in unheated garage/shed.

I also have a DR Brush mower and on that battery it stayed on orange. I think that means too discharged to accept a charge??

I have had all three batteries on chargers 2-3 times earlier this winter...but one seems to have not taken a charge.

Is there something else I should try...like "repair"...or do I just need to get a non-floating rate" charger to charge it a bit before putting on the new charger?

Sorry if a bit off topic but this seems to be where the "battery" guys are...I guess we are all essentially battery guys

Thanks...TMR

ultrarunner · Jan 9, 2016

I've tricked smart chargers by first charging with a dumb charger or putting in series as in two 6 volt or two 12 volt batteries...

murphy1244 · Jan 9, 2016

Orange light is maybe wrong polarity or bad battery according to my book

ultrarunner · Jan 9, 2016

Sometimes a bad battery can be overcome with time on a regular charger...

Just make sure it is in a place where outgassing will not pose a problem if you try.

sixdogs · Sep 17, 2016

Just got around to ordering a charger and I picked the NOCO Genius 3500 as suggested in this thread. Seems like a good value for the money and can't find a bad word said about it. Thanks to all on this.

murphy1244 · Sep 17, 2016

sixdogs said:
Just got around to ordering a charger and I picked the NOCO Genius 3500 as suggested in this thread. Seems like a good value for the money and can't find a bad word said about it. Thanks to all on this.

Good choice. I have 3 of them and am quite happy with them. Made in Ohio too.

sixdogs · Sep 17, 2016

murphy1244 said:
Good choice. I have 3 of them and am quite happy with them. Made in Ohio too.

I'm a little concerned the 3500 won't charge fast enough but I don't need the 12/24V the next model up offers. Should I also buy the next model up from the 3500? What do you think and what models do you own?

murphy1244 · Sep 17, 2016

sixdogs said:
I'm a little concerned the 3500 won't charge fast enough but I don't need the 12/24V the next model up offers. Should I also buy the next model up from the 3500? What do you think and what models do you own?

I only have the 3 3500's and some older craftsman starter charger models.

sixdogs · Sep 20, 2016

Just got my Genius 3500 today and glanced through the info book a little. Are there any things I should look for or know about before I start learning about a new product that is different to what I am accustomed to?

Also, some in this thread have mentioned an inability of some batteries to accept a charge. I was taught years ago to always discharge a battery a little before It's charged and it will charge better. It has worked for me. I usually leave the lights on in the vehicle for two minutes even when the battery has shown as fully charged but I knew it wasn't. Whatever the discharge does, it allows the battery to take a charge.

ultrarunner · Sep 20, 2016

I've had batteries stone dead and modern charges were useless.

Drag out my 1960's Charger and leave it one for 20 minutes and then switch to my new charger... works most of the time.

I had one battery in a car I bought that was only a year old... it had been parked a couple of months and the dome light was left on... 5 hours and nothing... so I left it outside overnight on the old charger and found it bubbling like crazy... let it cool down and load tested it later that day and in passed.