Have a few tractors that we run battery minders on. They dont seem to work. Some tractors are not ran for months. We leave minders on them when not being ran. Seem to have problems that batteries still go dead and water has evaporated out of cells. Anyone else use these and have problems. If you have good luck with them what am I doing wrong?
- Thread starter Paul Gi.
- Start date
Have a few tractors that we run battery minders on. They dont seem to work. Some tractors are not ran for months. We leave minders on them when not being ran. Seem to have problems that batteries still go dead and water has evaporated out of cells. Anyone else use these and have problems. If you have good luck with them what am I doing wrong?
GeneMO
Well-known Member
- Location
- Pilot Grove, Mo.
We have used one for years to keep a 12Volt battery charged at the hunting cabin. Now all it runs is the RV pump that pumps the water. But in about 10 years, we are still on our second battery. And it's always charged when we go down there.
I also use one on my 706 and it seems to work great. I dont use the 706 a lot. I have converted it to one, real heavy interstate battery. So far so good. I am on year three of it.
Gene
I also use one on my 706 and it seems to work great. I dont use the 706 a lot. I have converted it to one, real heavy interstate battery. So far so good. I am on year three of it.
Gene
Is it a trickle charger or a FLOAT CHARGER? I use three float chargers for years and batteries always last a long time. If you have trickle chargers and lose water that because they charge all the time. If they HF, get rid of them, I've had 2 of them melt and good thing I was there.
Justin SE IOWA
Member
I have 3 of them and havent had any trouble. 2 of them are "battery tender" brand and they were $35 bucks each and the other is "battery maintier brand" I think and it was $40 bucks. They only charge when they need to and are designed not to over charge.
Janicholson
Well-known Member
Two possible issues: if the tractor has a one wire alternator (or a battery drain, or bad battery) it can draw down the battery faster than the maintainer can supply. Battery charger products that just trickle charge are only good to top charge the battery then removed.
Jim
Jim
gtractorfan
Well-known Member
With ones I use, there are lights that show when they're charging and when they're "idle". You didn't explain, does yours stay in the charging mode all the time? Sounds like it.
What caused your H.F. chargers to melt? I have 4 of them in use right now on four different battery's. I will plug them in ever now and then during the winter and then unplug them after a couple of days. I have never had any problems like that. This about the fourth winter I have used them.
I used the cheaper ones from them, I think they have more expensive ones also..now. The ones with the little 2" or so square box and they were ok for a year and then I plugged one in, went away and came back in a few hours, it was melted and smoking in the plug receptacle. later that year, another one did the same thing and I pitch them all out. I don't know what caused it. I now have 3 of the ones from Walmart..about 20 bucks and have been using them for about 4 years. They're made by the major brand battery charger folks...Schumacher..or some such.
So, what made them melt? Don't know but I'm not keen on burning down my barn so in the garbage they went. I think I paid $4 on sale from HF.
So, what made them melt? Don't know but I'm not keen on burning down my barn so in the garbage they went. I think I paid $4 on sale from HF.
I am real satisfied with Deltran Tenders. Both batteries that came on my diesel pick up December of 2003 never had water added and are now on tractors and still strong. I credit their longivity to being on a Tender when idle. The rv is on a tender any time it's not on the road and never add a drop of water.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
I have the Schumacher brand available at wallmart. 20 dollars. They work on 6 or 12 volt. No problems. I tried one called a battery butler, it was made in china junk.
use them all the time. the harbor freight ones will melt if the battery shorts a cell..
the more expensive ones, trickle first then go into a pulse mode that keep the sulfide down by using the quick pulses. These will evenually require the battery to have water added once a year or so. But then getting batteries to last 6 years or so is worth it. When a battery decides to go, no mater what you do, its gone, so you still got to replace sooner or later. Later is much better for me. I have 9 tractors, 3 lawn machines, and 8 motorcyles, not to mention the cars and the rv..
Its the external_link gas that is much more probamatic.
the more expensive ones, trickle first then go into a pulse mode that keep the sulfide down by using the quick pulses. These will evenually require the battery to have water added once a year or so. But then getting batteries to last 6 years or so is worth it. When a battery decides to go, no mater what you do, its gone, so you still got to replace sooner or later. Later is much better for me. I have 9 tractors, 3 lawn machines, and 8 motorcyles, not to mention the cars and the rv..
Its the external_link gas that is much more probamatic.
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
sotxbill,
There is a time to be born and a time to die. I have owned a BatteryMinder 12248 for over a year. It won't make a battery any better. It may prevent it from aging faster, but it won't make the battery any better. I put on a 5 year old delco on my charger for 3 months to desulfate. The GMC dealer told me my battery had a full charge, but failed the load test, sulfate problem. I also have a battery conductivity tester that will give me the actual cold cranking amps. I confirmed my battery was down on the CCA. The battery conductivity testor is what the dealer uses and in my opinion it's better than a load tester, which I also have. I have yet to see my cold cranking amps increase because of the BatteryMinder, which I use on about 20 batteries.
If your charger is boiling out the water, your charger isn't shutting off. The wrong charger will do harm also. Letting a battery sit over the winter and lose it charge isn't good either.
I rotate my BatteryMinder from battery to battery, as soon as it goes in to the float mode. Yet to see it boil a battery.
Check out the BatteryMinder 12248 and Midtronics Advanced Battery, Starter & Charging Tester BT300.
George
There is a time to be born and a time to die. I have owned a BatteryMinder 12248 for over a year. It won't make a battery any better. It may prevent it from aging faster, but it won't make the battery any better. I put on a 5 year old delco on my charger for 3 months to desulfate. The GMC dealer told me my battery had a full charge, but failed the load test, sulfate problem. I also have a battery conductivity tester that will give me the actual cold cranking amps. I confirmed my battery was down on the CCA. The battery conductivity testor is what the dealer uses and in my opinion it's better than a load tester, which I also have. I have yet to see my cold cranking amps increase because of the BatteryMinder, which I use on about 20 batteries.
If your charger is boiling out the water, your charger isn't shutting off. The wrong charger will do harm also. Letting a battery sit over the winter and lose it charge isn't good either.
I rotate my BatteryMinder from battery to battery, as soon as it goes in to the float mode. Yet to see it boil a battery.
Check out the BatteryMinder 12248 and Midtronics Advanced Battery, Starter & Charging Tester BT300.
George
Our volunteer fire dept has 8 trucks that sit sometimes for weeks without being used. For years we fought battery problems, with chargers of various types, float chargers, trickle chargers, and combinations of timers as well.
Right now we are using the Schumacher (sp?) version that comes on about once in ten minutes, checks the state of charge, and completely goes off, no constant charging unless the battery needs it.
So far we are getting about 5-6 years out of our batteries. Each bay has one of these chargers in the ceiling above with a plug going to the panel beside the driver door on the truck. These trucks all have rechargeable flashlights and other things that draw on the battery. This has been the best solution so far. At least once a month all are started and allowed to run for about thirty minutes if they haven't been used in a fire run.
We also keep a couple of the "booster packs" charged up ready to use as a last resort.
Right now we are using the Schumacher (sp?) version that comes on about once in ten minutes, checks the state of charge, and completely goes off, no constant charging unless the battery needs it.
So far we are getting about 5-6 years out of our batteries. Each bay has one of these chargers in the ceiling above with a plug going to the panel beside the driver door on the truck. These trucks all have rechargeable flashlights and other things that draw on the battery. This has been the best solution so far. At least once a month all are started and allowed to run for about thirty minutes if they haven't been used in a fire run.
We also keep a couple of the "booster packs" charged up ready to use as a last resort.
I don't like to leave a charger or battery minder connected to a battery for extended periods. It wears the chargers, consumes electricity and there is too much chance of boiling out the battery.
I prefer quick disconnects to isolate batteries from the vehicle instead. That way the vehicle does not draw down the batteries. I put a small automatic charger (6 to 10 amp max) on the batteries every month or two to top them off and prevent them from freezing. It usually only takes 10 to 30 minutes to top off a battery.
I prefer quick disconnects to isolate batteries from the vehicle instead. That way the vehicle does not draw down the batteries. I put a small automatic charger (6 to 10 amp max) on the batteries every month or two to top them off and prevent them from freezing. It usually only takes 10 to 30 minutes to top off a battery.
Do you mean battery maintainer ? Battery MINDer is the brand name of a very good battery charger / maintainer / desulfator combo. They will keep a battery charged , desulfated and not dried out as long as the parasitic drain from the machine/ battery self discharge, does not exceed 1.3 amps.
The batteryMINDer brand is also safe for use on a sealed AGM battery, while many cheaper battery maintainers are not.
Their are many cheaper battery maintainers on the market, but some will not do the job or may even damage the battery.
I have 4 of the $40 BatteryMINDer brand charger/ maintainer/ desulfator units that I rotate through my fleet of over 20 machines, many with AGM batteries. The BatteryMINDer units are good quality and do a good job.
Northern tool BatteryMINDer.
The batteryMINDer brand is also safe for use on a sealed AGM battery, while many cheaper battery maintainers are not.
Their are many cheaper battery maintainers on the market, but some will not do the job or may even damage the battery.
I have 4 of the $40 BatteryMINDer brand charger/ maintainer/ desulfator units that I rotate through my fleet of over 20 machines, many with AGM batteries. The BatteryMINDer units are good quality and do a good job.
Northern tool BatteryMINDer.
A battery should be fully charged with a conventional charger before connecting a battery maintainer. Connecting a little trickle charger or maintainer to a dead/ low battery will cause it to overload / overheat/ burn up / burn out. A battery with a shorted cell will do the same thing to a trickle charger or maintainer.
Always fully charge and voltage test a battery before attaching a maintainer.
Always fully charge and voltage test a battery before attaching a maintainer.
I"ve been using the Harbor Freight float chargers for a couple years on several batteries that see winter storage, as well as my old diesel truck (dual batteries,) that sees intermittant service. So far so good. They will bring a tired battery up to charge, and hold it well charged. Wall wart is only 350 ma, so probably can"t over charge the battery if it wanted to. Seems to work for me!
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