Keeping batteries charged

[dodge man]

How to people keep rarely used batteries charged? In my case I'm talking the breakaway battery for my trailer and I also have one for a portable generator. These are smaller batteries and they often go several months without being used. Both of these batteries lasted a very short time. The breakaway battery was the worst. It lasted maybe a year and the terminals corroded and broke off. My plan is to keep them on my workbench and hook them up to a trickle charger every few weeks. The problem is then you have to install and then remove them every time you use them. This doesn't take a huge amount of time but is still an inconvenience. Neither of them are easy to get at when installed to hook a charger up to.

Looking for any ideas that make it easier.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Brake away battery wasn't a charge issue. I would replace and coat terminals well.

As for charging we use small solar panels we got at Rural King.

Chris

 

[dodge man]

I thought about a small solar panel, but the area is heavy with trees and might not get enough sun. It still might get enough light to keep it charged though. Its also seems like its a pretty damp enviornment in the trees.

 

[TractorGuy]

You don't need that much sun. I have a solar charger on one of my mowers that is shaded 24-7 and it kept it charged over the winter. That said I never worried about my break away battery. I replaced it once but haven't checked to see if it's charged or not since. Might be a good place for one of those $14.95 solar chargers from HF.

 

[dickfoster]

How to people keep rarely used batteries charged? In my case I'm talking the breakaway battery for my trailer and I also have one for a portable generator. These are smaller batteries and they often go several months without being used. Both of these batteries lasted a very short time. The breakaway battery was the worst. It lasted maybe a year and the terminals corroded and broke off. My plan is to keep them on my workbench and hook them up to a trickle charger every few weeks. The problem is then you have to install and then remove them every time you use them. This doesn't take a huge amount of time but is still an inconvenience. Neither of them are easy to get at when installed to hook a charger up to.

Looking for any ideas that make it easier.

What I do is install a maintenance charger and just leave it connected all the time. When you're gonna store it, just plug the charger into an extension cable. A maintenance charger apples a small charge to the full charge voltage then switches to a lower voltage float charge level which can be left on the battery indefinitely. If the charge level sinks, it again restores the full charge then switches to float automatically. They cost about 20 to 30 bucks but aren't good for charging a dead battery as maintenance chargers typically only put out an amp or two but that is plenty enough to maintain a full charge. They are OK to leave connected when the vehicle is running and charging the battery off the alternator.

 

[dodge man]

I keep the trailer parked where there isn't power really available so the solar panel might be good for that. The genarator is in my unattached garage so I might be able to just leave it on a tricke charger all the time.

 

[Fossil Farm]

A battery tender would be better than a trickle charger. It supposedly has better electronics to monitor the battery and not overcharge it. I have used the 1.25 amp ones from Deltran and like them, but of course there are many brands out there. Not sure how well they would work on a solar panel for juice.

 

[WM75Guy]

My breakaway battery charges off the trailer battery on my horse trailer. The other two trailers don't have any batteries but the breakaway. I use the Battery Minder with solar panel and it works OK, it is just not cheap. I keep mine loose and unplug the charger and solar panel when I need to use the trailer. I made an adapter to fit the 7 pin trailer plug that all three have so I can move it from trailer to trailer. That way I don't have to splice wires.

Make sure you use a controller with a solar panel. Some panels say you can hook it straight to the battery to charge it. Problem is at night it reverses the flow and discharges the battery.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...est&utm_campaign=DSA&utm_content=_inpage:jump starters&mkwid=ss7eZ6QbQ&pcrid=81459276551&mtype=b&devicetype=c&storeId=6970&langId=-1&type=search&gclid=CKDEn_-Ihs0CFY-DaQodASgCPg

 

[Diamondpilot]

I thought about a small solar panel, but the area is heavy with trees and might not get enough sun. It still might get enough light to keep it charged though. Its also seems like its a pretty damp enviornment in the trees.

If it's damp you should not be storing a trailer or anything there. It will rust out prematurely.

Chris

 

[dodge man]

Not sure I really have a choice, its the only place I can really store my trailer. I've thinned out the trees quite a bit already.

 

[newbury]

I only use my trailer once every few months at the most. I just charge up the battery before a trip by running a charger out to it.

 

[KenB2920]

Trickle charger makes what they call a pig tail. I had one hooked on my Harley


You screw it to the battery leads and it leaves a pig tail out. This end can then be easily plugged into the charger itself when needed.

You can get several pig tails for different items and then plug into the charger only when necessary ....

This way there is no need to take things a part to access the battery terminals. Easy and cheap

 

[dodge man]

I think thats what I need for my generator is just a pig tail.

 

[clemsonfor]

I use those HF solar maintainers. There not chargers as they wont charge a battery but they will maintain it. I keep them on my stuff that I keep at the farm. THe last few years with my new son I have only gotten there a few times a summer, maybe 4. And a few years only got there every 6 months or so. And in this time my like 2 year old auto battery on the farm truck (no tags just used on property) battery would be so dead it would barely crank the truck over and same with the tractor battery (which is like 7 years old and needs replacing anyway) but with those HF maintainers the batteries stayed topped up and no issue at all.