metman
New member
After searching old posts and some trial and error, here's my solution to using a battery maintainer:
I bought my first "battery maintainer" from Cycle Gear down in Nashville and hooked it up to a two-conductor SAE style plug that I mounted under the seat on my 2012 RT-S. I figured one of these days I could use that same plug for heated gear, but....
That $24 unit lasted about a year, then I went looking for a "Battery Tender" brand maintainer at Wal-Mart. My plan was to find something small enough that I could hard wire in the Spyder's trunk. That way it would always be where it was supposed to be and all I had to do was find a drop cord and plug it up.
The two units that my Wal-Mart carried were the "Jr" @ about $40 and the "Plus" at about $70. Neither one suited my needs as the "Jr" was much larger than it looks in the package and it had to plug directly into a 110 outlet. And the "Plus" was way too big to fit in the trunk.
A walk down the aisle to the Boat/Marine section and I found a small $30 unit that looked about the size I figured I needed. Well, it didn't even last a week, but at least I was able to get my $30 back.
Then a visit to Advance Auto Parts and I found just what I thought I was looking for, a "Battery Tender Waterproof 800". A little over $50, but small enough to fit right into a recess/pocket just inside the trunk on the left-hand side.
I shortened the 110 AC cord to about 12" and then drilled a hole in the side of the trunk for the 12 VDC cord to pass through with a strain relief bushing. Then I ran the DC cord up to the back side of the 12 VDC socket in the back left part of the trunk. I tied those leads into the leads going to that socket using a couple 3M Scotchlok run & tap connectors.
Then I mounted an old reel-up extension cord just above where I park the Spyder in the garage. Now all I have to do is open the trunk, unwrap the AC cord from around the battery maintainer, pull down some cord from the reel, plug the two together, and walk away. At least this way I don't have to go find the unit and I don't have to worry about tripping over a 110 AC cord on the floor.
Now if this Deltran Battery Tender unit doesn't work out, the little CETK US 0.8 would be my next choice. And in my opinion, those of you who are using trickle chargers or junk from Harbor Freight, you need to do your battery a favor and throw that stuff away.
Mike in KY
PS. This is my first attempt at adding attachments. Hope it worked out like I planned.
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I bought my first "battery maintainer" from Cycle Gear down in Nashville and hooked it up to a two-conductor SAE style plug that I mounted under the seat on my 2012 RT-S. I figured one of these days I could use that same plug for heated gear, but....
That $24 unit lasted about a year, then I went looking for a "Battery Tender" brand maintainer at Wal-Mart. My plan was to find something small enough that I could hard wire in the Spyder's trunk. That way it would always be where it was supposed to be and all I had to do was find a drop cord and plug it up.
The two units that my Wal-Mart carried were the "Jr" @ about $40 and the "Plus" at about $70. Neither one suited my needs as the "Jr" was much larger than it looks in the package and it had to plug directly into a 110 outlet. And the "Plus" was way too big to fit in the trunk.
A walk down the aisle to the Boat/Marine section and I found a small $30 unit that looked about the size I figured I needed. Well, it didn't even last a week, but at least I was able to get my $30 back.
Then a visit to Advance Auto Parts and I found just what I thought I was looking for, a "Battery Tender Waterproof 800". A little over $50, but small enough to fit right into a recess/pocket just inside the trunk on the left-hand side.
I shortened the 110 AC cord to about 12" and then drilled a hole in the side of the trunk for the 12 VDC cord to pass through with a strain relief bushing. Then I ran the DC cord up to the back side of the 12 VDC socket in the back left part of the trunk. I tied those leads into the leads going to that socket using a couple 3M Scotchlok run & tap connectors.
Then I mounted an old reel-up extension cord just above where I park the Spyder in the garage. Now all I have to do is open the trunk, unwrap the AC cord from around the battery maintainer, pull down some cord from the reel, plug the two together, and walk away. At least this way I don't have to go find the unit and I don't have to worry about tripping over a 110 AC cord on the floor.
Now if this Deltran Battery Tender unit doesn't work out, the little CETK US 0.8 would be my next choice. And in my opinion, those of you who are using trickle chargers or junk from Harbor Freight, you need to do your battery a favor and throw that stuff away.
Mike in KY
PS. This is my first attempt at adding attachments. Hope it worked out like I planned.
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ray:
