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Opinions on Trickle Chargers: #1765629
03/01/15 01:11 AM
03/01/15 01:11 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,390
Highland, MI.
Sunroofcuda Offline OP
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Sunroofcuda  Offline OP
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Highland, MI.
Do I need to spend $20.00, $40.00, $60.00 to get something good? I need to plug my Challenger in over the winter so the battery stays good. I was reading about $55.00 Dekas today, some people swear by them, others said they had a $20.00 Shumacher that works great.....

Opinions?


No Man With A Good Car Needs To Be Justified
Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: Sunroofcuda] #1765630
03/01/15 01:20 AM
03/01/15 01:20 AM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,657
A
Andrewh Offline
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so I have had 4 different kinds.
Battery tender, worked about 3 years and died. The warranty was worthless. They wanted me to pay for shipping both ways. it was about as much as the tender was new.
I have a ctek- but only because one car had an agm battery, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.

I have 2 of the under 20 dollar shumaker's. I have had one of them for 2 years and the other under a year now. no issues on either.

I also had one of the cheap 4 dollar harbor freight one's. I used it about 6 months.
My only issue with it was that if you unplugged it, the car powered it up. so no reverse protection.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: Andrewh] #1765631
03/01/15 01:37 AM
03/01/15 01:37 AM
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 289
Lowes
steve660 Offline
enthusiast
steve660  Offline
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Posts: 289
Lowes
I've never used one. I use a regular battery charger set on 2 amp and plug it into a timer that's set to turn on for 1/2 hour a day. You could set it up for however you want though. Once a day, twice a day......


PSO headed 632 from MM. Cracked cylinder, loose valve seats, low oil pressure, low cylinder pressure.
..... Now its a door stop....
Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: steve660] #1765632
03/01/15 01:40 AM
03/01/15 01:40 AM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,321
Banana Republic
FM3AAR Offline
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Banana Republic
I've got 4 Battery Tenders/Jrs (the oldest being 15 years) and they are all still working fine.


“You’ll own nothing” — And “you’ll be happy about it.”
K. Schwab



Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: FM3AAR] #1765633
03/01/15 02:06 AM
03/01/15 02:06 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,194
Harrisburg, Pa.
screamindriver Offline
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screamindriver  Offline
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Posts: 7,194
Harrisburg, Pa.
I've got a schumacher pro series that's about 5 bucks more than the 20 dollar one and it's worked flawlessly for 3 years now...

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: FM3AAR] #1765634
03/01/15 02:07 AM
03/01/15 02:07 AM
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
451Mopar Offline
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451Mopar  Offline
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Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
In 2012, I bought a quad output Battery Tender, been in constant year round use since then, and haven't had any problems with it.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: 451Mopar] #1765635
03/01/15 02:35 AM
03/01/15 02:35 AM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 30,247
Florida STAYcation
dIc dOc Deity ! Offline
The village idiot's idiot
dIc dOc Deity !  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 30,247
Florida STAYcation
The Shu one works for me

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: dIc dOc Deity !] #1765636
03/01/15 02:48 AM
03/01/15 02:48 AM
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 166
Los Altos Hills, CA
Dans 68 Offline
member
Dans 68  Offline
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Posts: 166
Los Altos Hills, CA
I have used a Battery Tender for about 5 years. I have had no issues with it, and my batteries seem to like it.

Dan

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: Dans 68] #1765637
03/01/15 03:45 AM
03/01/15 03:45 AM
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,396
chicago,il
jaque Offline
pro stock
jaque  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,396
chicago,il
batterey tender works great.. 50.00
so does cheapo harbor freight..10.00

go grab a harbor in the meantime sometimes you can get em for like 7.99


you come here with nothing and leave here with nothing!! enjoy life while on this planet, cuz when youre dead youre dead!!!
Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: Sunroofcuda] #1765638
03/01/15 04:18 AM
03/01/15 04:18 AM
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,443
Morristown Tn.
7
71birdJ68 Offline
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Posts: 4,443
Morristown Tn.
Don't use one on one of the reproduction gel cell batteries.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: 71birdJ68] #1765639
03/01/15 06:18 AM
03/01/15 06:18 AM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 6,906
IL, Aurora
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ademon Offline
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ademon  Offline
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IL, Aurora
Never used one and my battery's last 8 to 9 years. I usually just toss the charger on them twice during winter storage for 3 or so hours, and right before I start it in early April. My garage stays at around 52 degrees over winter.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: ademon] #1765640
03/01/15 11:02 AM
03/01/15 11:02 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,664
IN
A
ahy Offline
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IN
Quote:

Never used one and my battery's last 8 to 9 years. I usually just toss the charger on them twice during winter storage for 3 or so hours, and right before I start it in early April. My garage stays at around 52 degrees over winter.




Works for me also.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: ahy] #1765641
03/01/15 12:05 PM
03/01/15 12:05 PM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,378
KY USA
mopargem Offline
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KY USA
Quote:

Quote:

Never used one and my battery's last 8 to 9 years. I usually just toss the charger on them twice during winter storage for 3 or so hours, and right before I start it in early April. My garage stays at around 52 degrees over winter.




Works for me also.




Same here.... If you do use a trickle charger, watch your water level


68 Polara 500...LL1 Y7 M6X
69 Hemi road runner...X9 X9 M6X
69 A12 road runner....R4 R4 M6X
69 ModTop FLORAL Super Bee...F
70 AAR 'cuda...EW1 EW1 H4X9
71 Duster 340...FJ6 V24 L6X9
71 road runner FC7 V1X M6X9

72 Rallye Charger B5 V1W

74 'cuda 360...KB5 V1X A6X9
08 SRT Challenger #234



Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: mopargem] #1765642
03/01/15 12:09 PM
03/01/15 12:09 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,365
St.Louis,Mo.
70RR383 Offline
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Posts: 3,365
St.Louis,Mo.
I have 2 battery MINDERS from harbor freight.1 on my riding mower and 1 on my reproduction gel cell battery AS RECOMMENDED by the manufacturer!!!!

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: 70RR383] #1765643
03/01/15 12:23 PM
03/01/15 12:23 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,482
Lake Orion, MI
goldduster318 Offline
pro stock
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Posts: 1,482
Lake Orion, MI
I have a dual bank battery tender, one side for my pickup and the other side for the Duster. 3 years without any problems. Battery in the Duster is from 2008 and still cranks great. It's been 20 below zero in my garage this winter.


'70 Duster 470hp 340/T56 Magnum/8 3/4 3.23 Sure-Grip
Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: 70RR383] #1765644
03/01/15 01:46 PM
03/01/15 01:46 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,194
Harrisburg, Pa.
screamindriver Offline
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screamindriver  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,194
Harrisburg, Pa.
Quote:

I have 2 battery MINDERS from harbor freight.1 on my riding mower and 1 on my reproduction gel cell battery AS RECOMMENDED by the manufacturer!!!!


Let's hope another vendor picks up on the turbostart battery line or the repop battery market is going to get ugly....

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: screamindriver] #1765645
03/01/15 01:58 PM
03/01/15 01:58 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,323
NY NY
3
340duster340 Offline
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Posts: 4,323
NY NY
i have the battery tender 4 bank all mount unit. its great, i have the extra long leads and it can reach cars with in 10 feet of my garage! have 2 in and 2 out on the charger. no complaints. have it running continuously for 2+ years now.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: 340duster340] #1765646
03/01/15 02:42 PM
03/01/15 02:42 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,390
Highland, MI.
Sunroofcuda Offline OP
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Sunroofcuda  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,390
Highland, MI.
Well, I'll be at the NTEA show in Indy this Wednesday so I'll look & see what's there - all the latest & greatest items. Thanks for all the input.


No Man With A Good Car Needs To Be Justified
Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: 340duster340] #1765647
03/01/15 03:04 PM
03/01/15 03:04 PM
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 208
washington
T
TA Wanted Offline
enthusiast
TA Wanted  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 208
washington
Quote:

i have the battery tender 4 bank all mount unit. its great, i have the extra long leads and it can reach cars with in 10 feet of my garage! have 2 in and 2 out on the charger. no complaints. have it running continuously for 2+ years now.




I have one on all my cars that are not daily drivers, one on my lawn tractor, my generator, and even the spare battery in the garage that is out of the Charger right now. That what the kids get me for Christmas every year. Highly recommended.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: Dans 68] #1765648
03/01/15 03:22 PM
03/01/15 03:22 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 528
Cincinnati Ohio USA
M
Moeggenpar Offline
mopar
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Posts: 528
Cincinnati Ohio USA
Quote:

I have used a Battery Tender for about 5 years. I have had no issues with it, and my batteries seem to like it.

Dan


no issues here

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: mopargem] #1765649
03/01/15 03:26 PM
03/01/15 03:26 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312
Cincinnati, Ohio
Challenger 1 Offline
Too Many Posts
Challenger 1  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312
Cincinnati, Ohio
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Never used one and my battery's last 8 to 9 years. I usually just toss the charger on them twice during winter storage for 3 or so hours, and right before I start it in early April. My garage stays at around 52 degrees over winter.




Works for me also.




Same here.... If you do use a trickle charger, watch your water level




Me three, I just charge them a few times a year when they are not being used.

Feels good doing it and you can say "I worked on the car today"

What fun is it having them charged all year long?

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: Challenger 1] #1765650
03/01/15 09:01 PM
03/01/15 09:01 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,100
Tucson, AZ
Ramrod39 Offline
My New Title
Ramrod39  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,100
Tucson, AZ
I have 4 Battery Tenders in use right now. I have the cheap models and the more expensive models. I think all of them are at least 5 years old, some are probably as old as 12- 15 years. No problems with these, altough I did have one that just quit working a few years back.

i would not hesitate to buy another Battery Tender.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: Sunroofcuda] #1765651
03/04/15 12:08 AM
03/04/15 12:08 AM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 53
Middle of Illinois
S
Ski 61701 Offline
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Ski 61701  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 53
Middle of Illinois
I have one of these for the past 4 yrs absolutely no problem less than 20 bucks. http://www.lectriclimited.com/battery-butler.htm

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: Sunroofcuda] #1765652
03/04/15 02:38 AM
03/04/15 02:38 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,436
Blair County,PA
62maxwgn Offline
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Posts: 9,436
Blair County,PA
Quote:

Do I need to spend $20.00, $40.00, $60.00 to get something good? I need to plug my Challenger in over the winter so the battery stays good. I was reading about $55.00 Dekas today, some people swear by them, others said they had a $20.00 Shumacher that works great.....

Opinions?




Never needed one and my last two restoration batteries are both 9 yrs old,started each car every few months during the winter and let it run for about 1/2 hr.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: 62maxwgn] #1765653
03/04/15 10:43 AM
03/04/15 10:43 AM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,584
MD
p d'ro Offline
pro stock
p d'ro  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,584
MD
Who leaves everything connected? Mine says not to but it is designed for underhood mounting and many people seem to do it with no harm..

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: p d'ro] #1765654
03/04/15 11:37 AM
03/04/15 11:37 AM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,657
A
Andrewh Offline
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Andrewh  Offline
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Posts: 8,657
all of mine are continuously connected, unless I am driving it.
I found a place to mount them so they stick out somewhere and I just connect and disconnect as needed.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: Andrewh] #1765655
03/04/15 01:27 PM
03/04/15 01:27 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
pittsburghracer Offline
"Little"John
pittsburghracer  Offline
"Little"John

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
Love them. I have a couple of the cheapo Harbor Freight ones and a 20 dollar Schmucker one from Walmart. Using it occasionally was a big part of the battery in my 2003 Chevy Malibu lasting 12 plus years. It was still going strong but I didn't trust it making this years cold Winter in PA so I finally bought a new battery.


1970 Duster
Edelbrock headed 408
5.984@112.52
422 Indy headed small block
5.982@112.56 mph
9.42@138.27

Livin and lovin life one day at a time




Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: pittsburghracer] #1765656
03/04/15 01:33 PM
03/04/15 01:33 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,539
Motor City
6
6PKRTSE Offline
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6PKRTSE  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,539
Motor City
I have never used them in my life and everything I own starts up just fine whenever needed but I do have a heated garage so that probably helps. I don't trust them. I hear too many horror stories of them burning down garages or causing fires from shorting out or over charging batteries.


1963 Belvedere 440 Max Wedge Tribute
1970 Charger R/T S.E. 440 Six Pack
1970 Challenger R/T, 528 Hemi
1970 Charger 500 S.E. 440 4 BBL
1970 Plymouth Road Runner 383
1974 Chrysler New Yorker 440
1996 2500 RAM 488 V-10 4X4
2004 3500 Dually Cummins 4x4
2012 Challenger R/T Classic.
Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: 6PKRTSE] #1765657
03/05/15 12:18 AM
03/05/15 12:18 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,193
Omaha Ne
T
TJP Offline
I Live Here
TJP  Offline
I Live Here
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,193
Omaha Ne
On the older vehicles I recommend disconnecting the battery, On newer ones UHHH
http://www.ctek.com/
have good reviews. I have a customer with over 100 cars and he has a BIG box FULL of battery tenders. Schumachers seem to be better thnt the battery tenders IMO. No Experience with the HF ones

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: TJP] #1765658
03/08/15 01:37 PM
03/08/15 01:37 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
markz528 Offline
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markz528  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
My opinion is that they can do more damage than good. In my opinion if you treat the battery correctly and put a charger on it a couple of times a year you will be better off.

I have a Schumacher 3 amp trickle charger on my marine battery and it destroyed the battery by overcharging it. It boiled the water out of it. The charger failed - it never shut off. They sent me a newer version under warranty and this unit maintains the voltage at a significantly lower level than the older one.

I personally would not be using a trickle charger on my vehicles.

If nothing else, they are an additional fire risk.


67 Coronet 500 9.610 @ 139.20 mph
67 Coronet 500 (street car) 14.82 @ 94 mph
69 GTX (clone) - build in progress......
Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: markz528] #1765659
03/08/15 04:01 PM
03/08/15 04:01 PM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 11,678
W. Kentucky
justinp61 Offline
I Live Here
justinp61  Offline
I Live Here

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 11,678
W. Kentucky
I have several HF trickle chargers and so far they've been fine. My four wheeler doesn't get ridden much so I put an end on the trickle charger that matched the pig tail for my sprayer. One thing about the HF trickle, if you don't unhook it from the battery when you unplug the power it will run the battery down.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: justinp61] #1765660
03/08/15 11:36 PM
03/08/15 11:36 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,390
Highland, MI.
Sunroofcuda Offline OP
master
Sunroofcuda  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,390
Highland, MI.
Well, I bought one of the Schumacher ones (one that goes into float mode when the battery is fully charged) & hooked it up today to my Challenger. I connected the pigtail quick connect to the positive on the battery post, & the negative on a chassis ground - all located in the trunk. Plugged it in & we'll see how it works.


No Man With A Good Car Needs To Be Justified
Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: markz528] #1765661
03/09/15 12:40 PM
03/09/15 12:40 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
pittsburghracer Offline
"Little"John
pittsburghracer  Offline
"Little"John

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
Quote:

My opinion is that they can do more damage than good. In my opinion if you treat the battery correctly and put a charger on it a couple of times a year you will be better off.

I have a Schumacher 3 amp trickle charger on my marine battery and it destroyed the battery by overcharging it. It boiled the water out of it. The charger failed - it never shut off. They sent me a newer version under warranty and this unit maintains the voltage at a significantly lower level than the older one.

I personally would not be using a trickle charger on my vehicles.

If nothing else, they are an additional fire risk.





I would NEVER use a 3 amp "trickle charger". A trickle charger is 1/2-1 amp and in my eyes should never be left on long term.


1970 Duster
Edelbrock headed 408
5.984@112.52
422 Indy headed small block
5.982@112.56 mph
9.42@138.27

Livin and lovin life one day at a time




Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: pittsburghracer] #1765662
03/10/15 11:06 PM
03/10/15 11:06 PM
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,193
NEW JERSEY
AARCONV Offline
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AARCONV  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,193
NEW JERSEY
charge mine every few months...cant see a trickle charger running 24-7..its just another item sucking up electricity...even if it states that it shuts down..its still plugged in..

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: AARCONV] #1765663
03/10/15 11:34 PM
03/10/15 11:34 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,622
Millinocket, Maine
J
JonC Offline
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Posts: 3,622
Millinocket, Maine
Over the winter I just start the car outside and bring it up to temperature and let it run for half an hour or so after that. Good for the engine and battery. Also, replace the battery every three years whether it needs it or not.

Re: Opinions on Trickle Chargers: [Re: JonC] #1765664
03/11/15 12:00 AM
03/11/15 12:00 AM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,311
NJ, USA
B
bill440rt Offline
top fuel
bill440rt  Offline
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B

Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,311
NJ, USA
I have a 4-gang Battery Tender, have used it going on 4 years now.
I pull the batteries out of everything when not in use over the winter (cars, lawn tractor, trailer, etc). I keep them on my workbench and attached to the Tender.
Works for me.

Anyone have any horror stories with these things?

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