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Jerry Bruette
10-05-2017, 10:13 PM
I'd like to buy a battery maintainer for my ATV to keep the battery charged this winter, I keep it at my cabin. I've never used one and I'm not sure what to get. I see some that use alligator clips on the posts and some that use rings under the posts and some that plug into the 12 volt accessory plug.

Anyone use one of these units and what are your opinions about how they hook up?

Frederick Skelly
10-06-2017, 6:54 AM
I have one that clips onto the posts. Bought it at harbor freight, of all places. It's worked just fine for 3 years.

I'll be interested to hear of others' experiences.

Fred

Jerome Stanek
10-06-2017, 7:45 AM
I have the Harbor Freight one also. Why not one of those battery jumper boxes you could keep it in your truck or car

George Bokros
10-06-2017, 8:00 AM
Better to keep the battery charged. It will last longer. If you let it discharge I believe it sulfates which kills the battery. You also need to make sure the electrolyte does not go below the top of the battery. The only thing that evaporates is the water which makes the electrolyte stronger on acid and it ruins the plates. Most newer batteries do not have caps that can be removed to check the electrolyte level though.

Lee Schierer
10-06-2017, 8:30 AM
I have one of these (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7HZ6FC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for my boat and RV batteries. The clips work well on any size battery.

Matt Meiser
10-06-2017, 8:38 AM
I had a few of the Battery Tender brand ones similar to what Lee linked to that I kept on the toys and equipment I had when I lived out of town. They worked well, especially in the winter months. The tractor started much easier on cold snowy mornings and the stuff that sat all winter would start right up in the spring (I religiously used fuel stabilizer to help with that as well.) On all my stuff I used the hard-wire harness that Battery Tender includes and had a plug hanging out from the hood or some other convenient spot. I just had to grab the cord of the Battery Tender and plug right in.

Thomas L Carpenter
10-06-2017, 8:48 AM
I've used a solar trickle charger on my truck and it worked fine. Obviously it needs to be exposed to the sun. Harbor Freight.

Chris Damm
10-06-2017, 8:56 AM
I use Battery Tender Jr. on my boat, hotrod, and lawn mower. The batteries always have a full charge and a bonus they last longer. I had to replace my lawn mower battery after 8 years, the boat battery is 10 years old, and my El Camino SS396 needed a new one after 11 years. They are all hard wired and simply plug in when I put them away.

Malcolm McLeod
10-06-2017, 9:20 AM
I finally got one from local boat supply house - after 2 (!CHEAP!) mower batteries in 2 yrs went bad over consecutive winters. With a hard-wired trickle charger on the mower, the next (!CHEAP!) battery was still going strong 4 yrs later when I sold it.

The hard-wired ones are nice, by my standards at least - - especially if the battery terminals are covered/enclosed. You put ring terminals under the posts and leave a simple pigtail accessible. Park the mower and connect the charger lead to pigtail. 'Charger' is a 2"x3"x1" wall-wart with ~15' of cable.

Matt Marsh
10-06-2017, 9:39 AM
I use three of the Schumacher smart maintainers. One on the ATV, one on the garden tractor, and another on my zero-turn over the winter. Extends the life of the batteries by years. All three are wired in, so all I need to do is plug them in.

Mike Wilkins
10-06-2017, 3:01 PM
Go to your local motorcycle dealer and they will have what you need. Mine is made by DelTran and is a Battery Tender Jr. I use one for my mower and motorcycle and keeps the batteries conditioned and charged. It's amazing the cost of batteries for these machines; approaching the cost of an automobile battery.

Rich Riddle
10-06-2017, 3:08 PM
I use the Battery Tender. The advantage to it is that you can add a quick disconnect pigtail to the battery posts. You simply plug and unplug the pigtail that remains in place. They are great. I use several, including one on a skid steer, a 1965 Mustang, back-up cars, and various tractors.

Jerry Bruette
10-06-2017, 3:29 PM
Go to your local motorcycle dealer and they will have what you need. Mine is made by DelTran and is a Battery Tender Jr. I use one for my mower and motorcycle and keeps the batteries conditioned and charged. It's amazing the cost of batteries for these machines; approaching the cost of an automobile battery.

This is the one I was looking at on Amazon. Looks like alot of good reviews.

Matt Marsh
10-06-2017, 4:17 PM
I use the Batter Tender. The advantage to it is that you can add a quick disconnect pigtail to the batter posts. You simply plug and unplug the pigtail that remains in place. They are great. I use several, including one on a skid steer, a 1965 Mustang, back-up cars, and various tractors.

Same as the Schumacher.

michael langman
10-06-2017, 6:56 PM
I too use the schumakers. I have 2 and need a third. They have worked well for the past 15 years or so. For 19.95 apiece it's a heck of a deal.
I also have an older schumaker 1.5 and 6 amp - 6 volt and 12 volt charger.

Jim Becker
10-06-2017, 7:32 PM
I use one with my ZTR as its alternator became unreliable and the external tender was, um...more affordable...and more versatile. I installed the quick connect directly to the battery posts. The unit I bought has an alternate quick connect end that has clips and I can use that when I need to use it for a different "vehicle", such as charging the break-away brake battery for my horse trailer.

Art Moore
10-06-2017, 8:22 PM
Battery Tender is the "big dog" of the float charger /maintainers. Be careful of the HF chargers ; we used to see a lot of damage because they don't have overcharge cutoff built in.

Rick Potter
10-07-2017, 3:27 AM
Another Battery Tender user. I have several, and find them very reliable, even when the special plug to the battery is in the rain. Only one ever went bad.......the dog ate it. I like the ones that charge two cars.

Ole Anderson
10-07-2017, 10:09 AM
If you bring the battery inside for the winter, just charge it in the spring before your first use. Been doing that for 40 years with my boat batteries. A discharged battery can freeze. But unused equipment left outside in the winter, particularly older batteries closer to their end life, should be left on a trickle charger. Which reminds me I need to do that with my Z425, not easy to remove the battery. Been lucky so far.

Rod Sheridan
10-10-2017, 7:56 AM
I use the Battery Tender at home for 4 motorcycles and use them at work to keep spare VRLA batteries ready for UPS applications.

They work very well.............Regards, Rod.

Bill Jobe
10-10-2017, 3:19 PM
Another downside to the HF units, the battery lights the led. I found out the hard way. I'd check it regularly and see the led lit and think..great. works just fine. Come spring the battery was shot. The extension cord had been unplugged all winter.

Frederick Skelly
10-10-2017, 8:51 PM
Based on this thread, I just bought the battery tender junior. Installed it tonight. Thanks for the tip guys!
Fred

Jerry Bruette
10-10-2017, 10:52 PM
Based on the info here and the reviews on Amazon I bought the same one over the weekend but didn't get it installed yet.