Do you bring your battery inside for the winter?

[Hay Dude]

Seems odd that a plugged-in power cord is going to be a fire hazard unless it's all beat up with cuts/abrasions in the insulation. Then again, I usually put things away when I'm finished for the day just for neatness' sake.
I would have thought vandalism would be a bigger issue at construction sites.

Re-read.
It’s #1 reason jobsites burn down.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

I used to take them (3) out of my boat and it was a PITA so I stopped.

 

[careyo63]

3 bank charger on the Ranger. Trolling motor, live wells etc. Rule of thumb was Keep them charged up! A full charge after use and before I was going to use it. The Deep Dwell Marine battery's get expensive. Only took a Hr. or so to recharge them.

 

[riptides]

I am in a moderate climate. One of my Kubotas went over 10 years sitting outside with the original OEM battery. No issues, no chargers or tenders.

My Kubota ZTR battery, is like two years old and was replaced once already. I did disconnect and bring that newer battery into the house, just yesterday. I doubt I will tend to it, but it will sit in a more temperature controlled environment over "winter".

 

[RjCorazza]

I am in a moderate climate. One of my Kubotas went over 10 years sitting outside with the original OEM battery. No issues, no chargers or tenders.

My Kubota ZTR battery, is like two years old and was replaced once already. I did disconnect and bring that newer battery into the house, just yesterday. I doubt I will tend to it, but it will sit in a more temperature controlled environment over "winter".

I think the ZT's beat up batteries from the physical abuse they endure in season, then sitting for months on end. I recently installed SAE ringed terminal charging connectors on my 2 ZT's that just hang out of the battery box lid.

 

[yomax4]

Most people I know with boats that get stored outside in winter will charge fully and then remove the negative post wires. Good to go until spring. Same with Lithium Ion deep cycles.

 

[kozal01]

I am in a moderate climate. One of my Kubotas went over 10 years sitting outside with the original OEM battery. No issues, no chargers or tenders.

My Kubota ZTR battery, is like two years old and was replaced once already. I did disconnect and bring that newer battery into the house, just yesterday. I doubt I will tend to it, but it will sit in a more temperature controlled environment over "winter".

My exmark ZTR battery is almost 10 years old, has never come out of the mower.

 

[careyo63]

Brothers Z turn battery disintegrated. The whole Plastic bottom fell off pretty much! It was only a few Yrs. old. The EL. Cheapo factor was apparent! Just happened last Yr. !!

 

[John_Mc]

I always wonder if those maintainers aren’t a fire hazard
or they dry out/“boil” your batteries.

Probably unfounded worry, but I’ve seen plenty of electrical fires, too.

I have 3 or 4 maintainers, but never used them much.

A good quality smart maintainer is not a problem. Two brands I've had good luck with are BatteryMINDer (I have about 6 of them) and NOCO. Both brands are temperature compensated and include a desulfation feature. I've left batteries connected continuously for weeks or months without a problem.

Some of the old style "trickle chargers" can cause problems. Even some of the cheap charger/maintainers that claim to be "smart" have significant quality control issues: some units will be right on the recommended charging and float voltages, others of the same brand and model will be way off, either undercharging the battery or overcharging and boiling off electrolyte.

 

[mikester]

Can you avoid battery deterioration by keeping it connected to a solar charger when not in use during the winter? It's a pain to remove the battery from one of my tractors.

Cheap solar chargers can kill your battery...