Cold Winter....battery question

[deeselfitter]

I have an 06 mega and it is spending a lotof time just parked in the driveway this time of the year and the outside temps are getting down around -25 here in mid atlantic. If i just wanted to hook a trickle charger on the truck to keep the batteries up would it be ok just to hook it onto 1 battery or would i need 2 trickle chargers. I know its best to take the batteries out altogether ,but i do use the truck once or twice a month. Any suggestions guys
TIA
Wayne

 

[B.G. Smith]

I would not use the trickle charger. If you drive the truck or charge the batteries every two weeks you should be ok. If the batteries are old, yes they would need to be seperated to charge correctly. bg

 

[DavidC]

You need one of these. Plug it in and forget it. A constant trickle charge is not good long term.

Dave

 

[Prairie Dog]

I agree, a trickle charger will kill your batteries - use a battery tender and you can just hook it to one battery as they are connected in parallel.

 

[deeselfitter]

I have a "smart" charger that i can set at 2 amps.......will that do the trick? (i see the Battery Tender gives out 1.25 amps)

 

[DavidC]

the 1.25 is the maximum output of the tender. Once the batteries are charged it goes to a float charge.

The Battery Tender® Plus is a 1.25 amp battery charger designed to fully charge a battery and maintain it at proper storage voltage without the damaging effects caused by trickle chargers. Included is a quick connect ring terminal harness for hard to reach areas and alligator clips for an alternate connection.

Temperature compensated to ensure optimum charge voltage according to ambient temperature.
Automatically switches from full charge to float charging mode.
Battery Tender® at 1.25 amps will charge as fast or faster than any 3 amp charger available.
Reverse Polarity Protection to ensure user safety. Red & Green Lights Alternately Flash in this condition.
Complete 4-step charging program (Initialization, Bulk Charge, Absorption Mode, Float Mode).

Dave

 

[Prairie Dog]

I have a "smart" charger that i can set at 2 amps.......will that do the trick? (i see the Battery Tender gives out 1.25 amps)

Yes it will.

 

[LFalconer]

Yes it will.

The Battery Tender is the way to go, I have 4 of them for my tractors and the 76 Ford F250 that sits more than I drive it. I especially use them in the winter to keep the batteries at top charge. Once a starting battery discharges fully it shortens the life quite a bit. Deep cycle battery plates are designed for the deep discharge and recharge cycles.

2 weeks in the Mid Atlantic is a long time to go without a charge in the winter, or running the vehicle. Personally I run all my equipment at least once a week, even with the battery tender connected.

Just my 0.02

Luke

 

[deeselfitter]

Thanks fellas,I appreciate your input.

 

[Prairie Dog]

The Battery Tender is the way to go, I have 4 of them for my tractors and the 76 Ford F250 that sits more than I drive it. I especially use them in the winter to keep the batteries at top charge. Once a starting battery discharges fully it shortens the life quite a bit. Deep cycle battery plates are designed for the deep discharge and recharge cycles.

2 weeks in the Mid Atlantic is a long time to go without a charge in the winter, or running the vehicle. Personally I run all my equipment at least once a week, even with the battery tender connected.

Just my 0.02

Luke

Yes, a BT is good but a three stage electronic charger will do the exact same thing and if he already has it and doesn't want to spend the money then his charger will work fine.

 

[DavidC]

Yes, a BT is good but a three stage electronic charger will do the exact same thing and if he already has it and doesn't want to spend the money then his charger will work fine.

Question is, what is the smart charger and specifications.

Dave

 

[LFalconer]

Yes, a BT is good but a three stage electronic charger will do the exact same thing and if he already has it and doesn't want to spend the money then his charger will work fine.

I agree with you. I get a version of the battery tender at Tractor Supply for 24 bucks, 1.5 amp charge until battery is charged, then goes to a float cycle to maintain. The way I looked at it is that in the past I would be replacing batteries more often due to the cold weather draw down. The units I have from TSC have lasted for years, cheaper than buying batteries in my book....

I have an electronic charger that has 2,4,6 amp selections that I rotate on my deep cycle batteries. I use them in the winter to power a remote field with a fence charger for cattle, in the summer they live in my boat for trolling motor etc duty, along with rotating on the fence charger. keeping the batteries charged extends their life to maximum from my experience.

Luke