Battery tender

SVcummins

Well-known Member
Are these things any good ? And could you mount one on a tractor and leave it and will it last ?
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$6 at harbor freight and they seem to last well. i would be nervous about a permanent mount as all the bouncing around that a tractor does!
 
They are a good brand. I really like my Schumacher battery tenders.have them at Lowes and Bass shop. Very good quality and automatic 6-12 volt selection. Also goes into a battery tender mode when fully charged.
 
They are all I use. I extend the wire so it sticks out of the battery box. When I park it, I plug it in and life is good. Nothing bulky to mount, nothing to open each time.
 
I've had 2 for over 10 years and am convinced they more than double battery life. At .75 amp don't expect to recharge batteries but if battery is charged when you put it on,it'll take good care of the battery. Yes,you can and should leave it hooked up all the time for months. If the Harbor Freight deal is Deltran brand,go for it,otherwise stick with this one. Deltran make's several chargers,all are unsurpassed quality.
 
I have a Deltran and like it but it is 12V only. Must buy individual units for 6V, etc. My $20 Craftsman units are 6/12V automatic and also work well.

I leave mine on each 12V battery for a week or so before rotating it to the next battery.

Don't know how you could hard mount it. The unit plugs into an outlet and the cable extends to the vehicle. Wouldn't want to do so, anyway.

Dean
 
They work well, haven't heard of any problems.

As for mounting, there is not a provision on that model for a permanent mount. Some do have mounting flanges, are weather resistant, intended for marine use, and are more expensive.

But I do see that one has a wire harness that can be connected to the battery. Just leave the plug hanging in a continent place that the charger lead will reach.
 
I have been using Deltran, Sears, and Schumacher maintainers for over 10 years. Haven't had Delran or Sears fail but have had 2 Schumacher fail.
 
I have a couple of similar models that I use. No problem. I think they really extend the life of the little lawn tractor batteries.

I have a little solar panel that I use on a farm pickup that only gets started once a week or so. I just lay it on the dash, and it plugs into the cigarette lighter. Very old battery, but it's always hot and ready to go. Won't work in a shed, of course, but I've thought about making a roof mount and running wires down into the building. They were two for about $25.
 
after having problems with weak batteries last winter, I bought three of these one for each tractor and left a pigtail from the battery that I could plug the unit in. No reason to carry on the tractor. No starting problems at all after I started these plan in November '16.
 
The Battery Tender does what it's supposed to do. Our family keeps a 44 Massey on the charger 24/7, but after only 18 to 20 months, the Bomgaars battery would not crank the engine. I suspect this was because we only used that tractor once every 6 months or so. They replaced the battery under warranty, but told me that was the last time. I guess battery's are like muscles, got to use them once in awhile or they get weak.

Beagle
 
I use low current battery tenders to charge small batteries on snowmobiles and motorcycles. For larger batteries I prefer a regular battery charger to top off batteries every month or two during the off season. A pocket size multimeter ( VOM meter ) is handy for checking battery voltage.

Unhooking one battery cable during the off season or using a quick disconnect will eliminate the slow battery drain through aging alternators, starters, radios or electronics.
 
I use the one Harbor Freight sells. It's only about five bucks. You are suppose to be able to leave it connected for months at a time but I don't. About once a month I put the charger on for 2-3 days and take it off.
 
Deltran is the original, and a good quality product.

I used the Harbor Freight ones for years, but they really don't have a lot of "oomph," no indication of the state of charge of the battery, and no 6V capability, so I upgraded to the Schumacher 1.5A maintainers sold at TSC and Walmart.

The Schumachers show you if it is charging, and will do 6V.

I've had a couple of the Schumachers go bad while sitting over the summer, so there's that.
 

The one piece of equipment I use year round is a gas golf cart I have a solar battery maintainer on it, it makes a big difference in the winter when I mostly use it a few times a week to go check the mail. I permanently mount them and use a toggle switch to turn off/on one day I will get around to adding a relay in the circuit to turn it off with the switch on...

Extending battery life is one benefit the big benefit is the battery is ready to go when I am ready to go if its not then the battery is more than likely BAD...

I permanently mounted on like you posted to a buds jeep he keeps at the beach water got it. The replacement same brand is a sealed unit time will tell... His battery only lasted 5 years with it but it cranked the engine every time in those 5 years till the battery took a dump. Whit out a maintainer he had to fudge with the battery every time he went to the beach...
 
I bought a road side speed checker on a trailer like the cops set up on side the road,it has a large solar charger built in plus a big metal box to hold the back up batteries.I've used 4 of the 8 batteries in tractors but now am using the unit to charge other batteries up,am going to put all the batteries I don't use in hay making tractors over the Winter in the box and hook them up to the solar charger.Will see how that works.
 
I have everything on a Deltran probably twenty units
Including 6V,12,&24V models.

Usually get 7 to 10 years out of my batteries, Some have lasted longer.

My sister has several of the cheaper one's ie HF and others.
They scare me, as there so cheaply made, and she is always
Replacing them.
I had two Deltran Jr's fail in twenty years.

Tom
 
I use them on everything with battery, and they have helped extend battery life tremendously. Was purchasing 2 or 3 new batteries a year and now maybe one every other year. Especially antique cars and tractors that sit 99% of the time. No brand loyalty, HF ones seem to work as good as the high dollar ones. We have 8 Schumacher maintainers (identical to HF unit) on the fire tucks and never had a failure. Menards has Stanley 1 amp on sale for 12 bucks this week.
 
I have over 30 Schumacher 1 1/2 amp maintainers from Walmart plugged in all the time. $20 each and not a single one has failed. I think I got my first one 10 years ago. They have changed many times and the new ones are much lighter then the old ones. That said, they still work great. For $20, I cannot dream up a reason to pay more for another brand that does less.
 
Why not install a battery disconnect switch? We have 20+ tractors with them on. Nothing really to fail.
 

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