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Battery Tenders - should you use them or not?
- Thread starter cjr00
- Start date
cravenfun
Member
Battery Minder Plus on all my batteries. 10 yrs on a HD battery, changed due to age. Same on one of my snowmobiles with no recoil, 10 yr change due to age.
Just doubling the life of a battery pays for the maintainer. I only use the desulfating models with temperature compensation.
Currently have 8 doing their job on toys and equipment with 3 seeing routine subzero storage temperatures.
Just doubling the life of a battery pays for the maintainer. I only use the desulfating models with temperature compensation.
Currently have 8 doing their job on toys and equipment with 3 seeing routine subzero storage temperatures.
This same discussion is going on at a motorcycle forum I am on.
One person who is a dealer says he sells about 100 batteries a year, and half come back due to maintainer issues.
All I know is that I have had the same Battery Tender Jr. for 18 years.
It has been used on three bikes in that time with no problems.
My Harley XR1200 has been on it for the last year and is fine.
One person who is a dealer says he sells about 100 batteries a year, and half come back due to maintainer issues.
All I know is that I have had the same Battery Tender Jr. for 18 years.
It has been used on three bikes in that time with no problems.
My Harley XR1200 has been on it for the last year and is fine.
Living in South Texas and riding year round, I very seldom use the tender. Only plugged my CTX1300 in once in 4-1/2 years. Have had my wife’s F3-S on it a couple times, but she doesn’t ride as often (or as far) as I do. My “quick rides” are usually around 25-30 miles. But... I do have a Battery Tender. It's just not used much. :doorag:
pidjones
Member
If the Spyder is wired like mine, it is only connected when the key is on. I use the Electrical Connection Power Port which is relay switched. Have a standard SAE maintainer connector on the key-off connection and heated gear coaxial connector on the key-on bus.
Peteoz
Well-known member
Yes, that’s my attitude too, BC. I only plug in if the Spyder is going to sit for a while. If I’m about to head out on a multi day trip, I don’t want to disconnect the tender, get 300 miles from home, and find my battery is flat the next morning as the tender has been hiding the fact that it was failing.
I had my first new F3 battery on a tender constantly, and my battery caught me out after 8 months after an overnight stop. I did not connect my 2nd battery to a tender (except for longer sitting periods) and it was still going strong after 4 years. I have adopted the same practice with my new RT.
There are so many variables, and no single correct answer as to whether a permanently connected tender is indeed necessary.
Pete
FlyingBoat
Member
What is the correct kind?
I put mine on a tender all winter. Just went out to start it and it is completely dead.
Mine is a Deltran Battery Tender Junior that I had from a few years back.
Peacekeeper6
Member
That's the same brand and type I have.
I'd test the battery at Batteries Plus or AutoZone, it has probably reached the end of its service life.
These things don't last forever despite the use of maintainers.
I'm a firm believer in them. In saying that, that's the brand I've had the best luck with, and even then I had to get one replaced under warranty that stopped charging.
I used to believe in Schumacher, but one last winter fried my new battery on my Voyager by continuously charging at 16V. Replacement under warranty did the same thing as the battery was actually boiling. To add insult to injury, the replacement had the front label on upside down, you can see the LED's on the interior circuit board shining thru the label in the wrong spot!
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If I had put it on and forgot about it, that battery would have been fried also. That 16V at 1.12A is on a fully charged battery. Contacting Schumacher for the second replacement got me a lot crickets.
EdMat
Well-known member
Maintainer = Good. Only charges when voltage starts dropping on battery.
Tender/Trickle = Bad for long term. Provides a constant rate charge no matter the charge state of the battery. Not too big a problem on large battery setups (think multiple batteries in a big truck) but deadly for small batteries like used in a motorcycle.
Last edited:
racoon
Well-known member
I use a Battery Tender Jr.
According the description on their website:
From this page:
www.batterytender.com
According the description on their website:
From this page:
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? Get expert answers to common battery charging, maintenance, and troubleshooting queries in our comprehensive FAQ section.
www.batterytender.com
EdMat
Well-known member
I should have put trickle charger instead of tender. So many use tender and trickle charger as the same thing. Battery Tender is one of the best out there at maintaining.
trikermutha
Active member
Sure does look like for heated gear. Don’t recommend that for charging a battery anyway if it was used for that.
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