trickle chargers?
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=154368
Printed Date: 28 Jun 2025 at 1:24am
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Topic: trickle chargers?
Posted By: Herb(GA)
Subject: trickle chargers?
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 8:08pm
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I should be using trickle chargers (couple 6 volt and several 12 volt); what are pluses and minuses and what units and sources are recommended? Herb(GA) |
Replies:
Posted By: omahagreg
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 8:43pm
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I got mine at Northern Tool. $25 if my memory is correct! Works great! ------------- Greg Kroeker 1950 WD with wide front and Freeman trip loader |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 9:25pm
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Yea, I bought a small one that cost maybe $20. It puts out about 1 amp. Has a red and green LED light on the outside. Connnect up the clamps and let it set for months.. Charges slowly on red, when its charge it goes to green... will set for a few days, then back to red... holds voltage VERY CONSTANT........ about the size of a pack of cigaretts. ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 9:56pm
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something like this........ most are only 12 v ........... look harder for 6 + 12 v https://www.ebay.com/itm/ATV-Motorcycle-Battery-Charger-Float-Tender-Car-Boat-6V-12V-Trickle-RV-Truck/282507829539?epid=1253690623&hash=item41c6c76123:g:7vEAAOSww9xZMr92" rel="nofollow - https://www.ebay.com/itm/ATV-Motorcycle-Battery-Charger-Float-Tender-Car-Boat-6V-12V-Trickle-RV-Truck/282507829539?epid=1253690623&hash=item41c6c76123:g:7vEAAOSww9xZMr92 ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: DaveKamp
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 11:49pm
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I've found that some are better than others, but in most cases, I feel most comfortable using an ordinary motorcycle battery charger (1A) on a mechanical timer, that's on a mechanical timer... here's how I do it: I have several battery chargers, connected to several battery chargers. The batteries are from my boats, for my generators, and for my motorcycles. The chargers are all fed from a power strip. Powering this power strip is a mechanical timer, set to run for fifteen minutes in a full day's revolution. This timer is powered by a second timer, which is set to run for eight hours a day. Combine them, and you'll find that the mechanical timer only advances eight hours each day... so the other timer takes three days to make it's circle. That's fifteen minutes every three days... which is more than sufficient to 'hold' any battery. Why do it this way? Well, because I found that many of my trickle chargers, in operation, weren't any better than, and oftentimes worse than running no charger at all. When the 'charged' light is on, it's discharging the battery. While that happens, there's a resistor bridge and measurement circuitry drawing current to run the charger's logic... so the charger is generally charging what it's discharged. In the event of a failed charger, that little light, and the voltage sensing circuitry depletes the battery, and when you finally figure it out, the battery has been dead flat, and frozen... for a month or more. By running the chargers the way I do, the only discharging is what occurs internal to the battery, which isn't much. Fifteen minutes every three days is ample, and with the two timers in series, I can dial that up or down any way I see necessary. It's crude, but incredibly effective. ------------- Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest. |
Posted By: shameless dude
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 11:57pm
| I bought a couple battery maintainers last year. used them, and this spring I still had to buy new batteries! years ago I had a trickle charger (don't know the make) and it worked great. guess it's like everything else, it gits made cheaper and labeled new and improved, then doesn't work! sounds like Dave has it down to a science! |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 3:56am
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Compare the prices of a trickle charger and a 6 AMP "smart" charger. The smart charger would be more versatile. If you can find one for $20 more, I'd go with the smart charger. |
Posted By: chaskaduo
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 5:09am
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I've been using a BatteryMINDer Plus #12117 - Charger/Maintainer/Desulfator from NorthernTool for the last 2 years. It has worked great on my rider battery. It is a 12v model and I belive they also make a 6v model (#12106). Charge up to 4 batteries (parallel connected for 12 volt, or series connected for 6 volt) of similar size and same type at a time. It is 1.3 amps. ------------- 1938 B, 79 Dynamark 11/36 6spd, 95 Weed-Eater 16hp, 2010 Bolens 14hp |
Posted By: Steve in NJ
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 7:38am
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I don't know of any minuses with Battery tenders. They all work good, and especially for 6V Batteries keeping them active is what gets the longevity out of them! Steve@B&B ------------- 39'RC, 43'WC, 48'B, 49'G, 50'WF, 65 Big 10, 67'B-110, 75'716H, 2-620's, & a Motorhead wife |
Posted By: Dave H
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 8:12am
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I got several Deltran battery maintainers in use. However reading the reviews on that black and decker one and its price compared to the Deltran unit and the reviews makes it a better buy.
 and a 6 volt mode to boot |
Posted By: iowallis
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 8:47am
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I know there are fans of trickle chargers but I am not one of them. Leaving some electrical device (charger) plugged in to another electrical device (battery) all winter long in an out building or garage that I don't check on everyday is too much risk for a fire or other issue for me. I have those turn knob style battery disconnects on my older stuff. When not going to be used for awhile make sure the battery is fully charged, unscrew the disconnect and the battery should still be fully charged when needed as there was no electrical circuit to drain the battery. The battery in my '59 Chevy is going on 12 years old (knock on wood) and some others are at 7+. Never figured out why you need to "maintain" a battery with a trickle charger, if you disconnect it and it is fully charged there is no reason for it to lose it's charge. Sure I have to reset the clock on 2 of the cars but not a big deal, and I know someone for some reason needs the battery connected ALL the time but I don't on any of my stuff. |
Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 8:56am
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A great deal of the 'Maintainers' do not do well. I have one on my motorcycle and had them on my boats over the years. I do NOT leave them powered up for months, did that Twice, once on a fishing boat battery and on my current Harley, both times the maintainer charged hard enough to evaporate the electrolyte away, cooked BOTH batteries. I still have and use them, the Harley will get plugged in for a few days then unplugged. On my ATV same conditions apply, just to freshen it up every so often. Seriously considered that for the AC 7G as well but have not done it yet. |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 9:53am
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DMiller's post is why I mentioned smart chargers. A good one won't overcharge. It should switch to the "float" mode once the battery is charged. At float the charger applies about 13.3 volts, which keeps the battery charged while not boiling the battery. Even a 1 AMP charger can boil a battery if it is applying too high of a voltage. |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 10:21am
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Most pure trickle chargers are not regulated and will overcharge a battery given long enough time. Like 65 hours for a 1 amp trickle charger. The modern battery maintainer has a regulated voltage where it quits like 14.2 volts for charging a 12 volt battery which is the proper full charge voltage for a starting battery and by that it is much better for the battery than a vintage trickle charger. My battery maintainers bought at walmart give up if they can't full charge a battery in about 24 hours. Gerald J. |
Posted By: Dave (NE)
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 11:06am
| Has anyone had experience with the ones you can get from Harbor Freight at $5 a pop when they are one sale or with a coupon? They are only for 12 volt, but I've put them on my 4 wheelers and a vehicle not used much over the winter and they seem to do their job. Dave |
Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 12:42pm
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During the winter I'm not using several tractors so I disconnect the neg terminal. On my snow blower tractor I have an H.F. $5.95 battery tender on it. Starts right up every time. I've been using this one for several years and it hasn't failed me yet. I have also been contemplating putting my jumper box on as a tender. It is plugged in all of the time and maintains a charge. Should be very similar to a battery tender. ------------- D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446 |
Posted By: tadams(OH)
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 1:49pm
| I have a couple solar charger in my building and move the m around to different batteries all year round |
Posted By: badjeep
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 7:32am
I got several of those about 5 years ago and put them on everything, ended up cooking four tractor batteries and one mower battery over the winter. Threw the chargers away. ------------- In the shed- 7020,7060, L2 X (2), CII, WD X (2), 200, 210, 611H, 440, Fiat Allis 345B |
Dave (NE) wrote:Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 7:42am
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There's a BIG difference between a 'charger', 'maintainer' and 'tender'. A charger will ALWAYS dump power into the battery, 24/7/365... A maintainer will shut itself OFF when the battery is fully charged and then test the battery and WHEN it gets low (say 12.6 ) it'll 'top up' the battery and then SHut itself off. A 'tender' will keep a fully charged battery, charged. LOW power, usually 1 amp charge rate. I bought a '10A does-all' unit from banggoog for 15 Canucks..does a fine job though the clips are really low grade. Course I have 15 batteries so it does get used ! just looked.. here's a 'tender' unit.. https://www.banggood.com/DC-12V-1_2A-Car-Motorcycle-ATV-Smart-Compact-Battery-Charger-Tender-Maintainer-EU-Plug-p-1210691.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN" rel="nofollow - https://www.banggood.com/DC-12V-1_2A-Car-Motorcycle-ATV-Smart-Compact-Battery-Charger-Tender-Maintainer-EU-Plug-p-1210691.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN The 'keywords' you want to see are 'shuts off automatically', that way you can't cook the battery... I haven't bought bought should keep a battery 'topped' up for 8 Canucks ! Jay
------------- 3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112 Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor) Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water |
Posted By: Stan IL&TN
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 7:21pm
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Been using about 15 of the maintainers for more than 10 years. They work and the batteries last longer. BatteryMinder from Northern Tool is the one I use on most of them. ------------- 1957 WD45 dad's first AC 1968 one-seventy 1956 F40 Ferguson |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 5:16am
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Look at one similar to this: https://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/battery-tender-6v-12v-battery-tender-plus-high-efficiency-charger-022-0211-dl-wh.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/battery-tender-6v-12v-battery-tender-plus-high-efficiency-charger-022-0211-dl-wh.html It's a bit more pricy than the $5 ones some have mentioned and it's Made in Asia, but you'll pay an arm and a leg for more charger. Note that this one does 6 and 12 volts. |
Posted By: Phil48ACWC
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 5:33am
| I use a Deltran Junior. it puts out 0.75 Amps or 750 mA and does not overcharge causing them to boil dry. Boiling dry is a sure way to destroy a good battery. In my opinion, they work best. All my stuff is 12V. |
Posted By: Phil48ACWC
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 5:36am
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/Deltran-Battery-Tender-Junior-Jr-12V-Battery-Maintainer-Charger-New-021-0123/331960260648?epid=1411813777&hash=item4d4a5f9828%20" rel="nofollow - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Deltran-Battery-Tender-Junior-Jr-12V-Battery-Maintainer-Charger-New-021-0123/331960260648?epid=1411813777&hash=item4d4a5f9828
Click on above. That's what I use.
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Posted By: Dave H
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 8:28am
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I use the deltran juniors also. they come in either 6 or 12V |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 9:30am
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When overcharged at battery does NOT boil. It just looks like its boiling because the overcharge energy is causing the water to dissociate into elemental oxygen and hydrogen with the perfect ratio (two parts hydrogen gas to one part oxygen gas) for the biggest bang if ignited. And those gases are fairly easy to ignite. The gases bubble in the electrolyte and that does look like it is boiling but it isn't nearly hot enough to boil. Gerald J. |
Posted By: Phil48ACWC
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 11:16am
| OK, OK it doesn't boil. Just the electrolyte goes down dramatically caused by water disassociation into elemental oxygen and hydrogen or gets essentially eliminated to the naked eye. My neighbor put his 1 year old automotive battery on a cheap "Battery Maintainer" through the winter. In the Spring there was essentially no electrolyte remaining due to water disassociation into elemental oxygen and hydrogen. In any event, the battery was junk and in need of replacement. I had my share of college level chemistry courses also 46 years ago. |
Posted By: WF owner
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 11:52am
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When I look at some of the links for battery maintainers listed here, I find the price is close to, and sometimes more than, a smart charger. I have two smart chargers and I use them 90% of the time I need to charge a battery. They shut themselves off when a battery is fully charged and start back up automatically when the charge drops slightly. Virtually no coolant loss. I still use my (wheeled) 200/75/20 charger, too, but not nearly as much. When one of my ~15 year old automatic chargers dies, I will definitely replace it with another smart charger.
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Posted By: Brian Jasper co. Ia
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 1:46pm
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I don't use trickle chargers or maintainers. I keep the tops of my batteries clean and dry. A battery that is wet between the posts will slowly discharge itself. ------------- "Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 4:35am
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I would not trust my $125.00 battery to a $20.00 charger/maintainer/whatever until I've monitored the voltage every hour for the first two days with a very accurate digital voltmeter. If the voltage remains at 13.6 or higher after a couple of days, the battery is eventually going to cook. Halve that voltage number if you are dealing with a 6 volt battery. |
Posted By: Phil48ACWC
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 6:24am
| The battery doesn't cook. There is a process of "water disassociation into elemental oxygen and hydrogen" or gets essentially eliminated to the naked eye. To us real world tractor guys, IT COOKS! I'm having too much fun with this "water disassociation into elemental oxygen and hydrogen" BS. All BS aside, the hydrogen and oxygen mixture can become very explosive. So be careful around batteries. Hydrogen gas explosion is what took down the Hindenburg, and the outer skin was very flammable. So I expect, one could argue. Did the skin light up first or the hydrogen? Call Mythbusters. |
Posted By: 1terrygladys
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 9:30am
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I have had good luck with the Harbor Freight cheap variety. It's frustrating to jump on a tractor you haven't used in awhile, and the battery's dead. I don't know any of the science on it, but I know they work for me. And I haven't fried any batteries with them, except when I've put them on the wrong posts (duh, old man me). Terry ------------- WD-45, WD, Unstyled WC, SC Disk, JD 4430D, JD 4010D, JD B, Iowa pastor & disciple of Jesus Christ |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 10:19am
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The proper full charge voltage for a starting battery with 1260 specific gravity electrolyte at full charge is 14.200 volts. 13.6 is the proper charging voltage for a deep cycle battery with a lower full charged specific gravity. A starting battery charged to only 13.6 volts is not fully charged. Those voltage are for 6 cell lead acid batteries. 3 cell as used in nominal 6 volt systems need to be charged to 7.100 volts for the starting battery. A golf cart battery might prefer 6.8 volts. There won't be dissociation of the water in the electrolyte if these voltages are the charging limits like they are for a good automatic battery charger and a good battery maintainer. Gerald J. |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 10:26am
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I'm not interested in having the battery charge after two days on the charger. I want to see float voltage, 13.2 to 13.6 volts or less- depending on manufacturer's spec, applied to the battery. Anything higher will boil or cook the battery. He wants to apply a trickle charger to the battery and walk away from it for a long period of time. |
Posted By: WF owner
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 12:00pm
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I know it's splitting hairs, but, as Jay said earlier, there is a lot of difference in a trickle charger and a good battery maintainer. I agree with your earlier post Doug. I will stick with my smart charger. Gerald, thanks for the real explanation about why a battery loses electrolyte. Maybe everyone else already knew it, but I learned something (which is what I think you were trying to do). I knew it lost electrolyte from overcharging, but I never knew why. I know your background is in electrical engineering and I have learned a lot from your posts!
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Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 12:26pm
| How do you like your batteries? Boiled, cooked, or fried? If you're in an accident, .....are they scrambled? |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 12:30pm
| I’m not particular about my eggs, but if I pay $19.95 a pound for a tenderloin, I don’t want it burned. :) |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 7:40pm
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14.2 volts won't overcharge a starting battery, though it might a deep cycle battery. 13.6 volts won't get a starting battery to full charge no matter how long its applied. Gerald J. |