Battery: Trickle Charger Vs Kill Switch

Hey Folks. So I spend time keeping up with my jeep and have fun driving in the summer but it earns its stay by being able to plow. So... it sits outside all winter and is only driven a couple times a month. How do you keep the battery fresh? Do you keep a trickle charger on it at all times (outdoor outlet and extension cord) OR is it better to install a simple battery disconnect? I don't want to remove the battery and want to keep it in the jeep. Also any battery recommendations would be great. The PO has a Walmart special in there and I am sure I will need to change it in the next 12+ months or so. Thank you!

 

A battery maintainer is the way to go. These are different than a trickle charger. These devices slightly discharge, then recharge the battery. They keep the plates from sulphating up, eventually killing the battery. I have had 4 year old batteries that wouldn't hold a charge, and after four or five days on the device, the battery was back and went another 4 years before it was spent.
I have a C-Tek 3300 that has paid for itself many times over keeping up vehicles that are not regularly run.
-Donny

 

I have a battery maintener, Black & Decker works well I use it when I know that I won't use the Jeep. I have also a big red switch to stop the battery.

 

My sources (brother's Triumph club) says the Deltran "Battery Tender" is the one to buy - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJ5KEEA?psc=1

I buy my batteries at WalMart.

 

wow great info thank you! No nothing fancy in mine. Couple extra lights for plowing. I have a Altec bluetooth wireless radio which works great so no extra holes in my dash, trying to stay simple. I actually have the Deltran now - the box-ier version. So I will stick with that. Appreciate the info!

 

got 2 of them work great

 

You may not be running it long enough to top up the battery. While a tender is a great idea, maybe it just needs a longer drive once in a while, or an occasional full charge from a conventional charger.

 

that is true but useful in many circumstances in fact.
and the black and decker battery maintener is at 20$ on amazon. twice cheaper.

 

I wouldn't worry about the battery based on it being sold by Walmart. there are only a few actual battery manufacturers in the USA Interstate for instance makes batteries for dozens of brands.

Walmarts Everstart Batteries are made by Johnson Controls an American battery manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis. Johnson Controls was founded in 1885 by Warren Johnson and a group of investors out of Milwaukee. The same company that makes DIE HARDS for Sears.

 

I don't disagree with any of the prior posts, but I'm a big fan of having a battery cut-off switch. They're inexpensive and serve three valuable purposes:

1. Safety: In the event of a short, you can quickly shut off all voltage to your electrical system.
2. Security: I shut off the battery and remove the red "key" from the battery shut off whenever I park the Jeep in a public place.
3. Battery Life: While there "shouldn't" be a draw on your battery when the Jeep is parked, the fact is that many components in a lot of Jeeps are wired so they are hot all the time. The CB for instance. Turning off the switch will prevent any draw, no matter how slight.

 

I replaced 2 batteries on my Harley that died from lack of use. I got a Battery Tender and that was the end of my problem.
They also make solar powered maintainers if you don't want to mess with cords and they are cheaper than a new battery.

 

for lead acid batteries.. battery tenders end up killing the battery over time.
AGM or sealed will take battery tenders much better.

anything pre modern electronics do better with the battery disconnected..
most modern day, especially high end european, require a battery tender.

 

How so? I disagree, having had many antique cars that are idle over winter.

Modern electronics have 'phantom' loads such as computer memory that will drain a battery. In an older simpler vehicle, unless there is a clock or some such, off is off.

 

I totally hear you on the Walmart thing. Actually that's were I got my recent Battery Tender - among other things. Its like back in the day Remington made rifles that would eventually be stamped Sears. Just an example but that practice still holds true today - great companies making private label. My dad, electrician of 50+ years also likes the disconnect. I mat do both. Use the disconnect for security, life but keep with the tender too. This has been a great thread. Thanks again for chiming in. Cheers, D

 

I left my 3a connected and "off" one winter.
came back to a stone dead battery. There was a short in the harness, some insulation rubbed.
It wasn't enough to drain the battery during frequent use but it sure killed it over the winter

by disconnecting there is no chance... kinda like abstinence

 

Sure, disconnecting for safety is great.

But that's not the same as saying all older cars must be disconnected, and new ones don't have to be.

 

i leave my jeeps connected because i know there is no loads on them and drive them every few weeks atleast. my other car with a clock and modern stereo i disconnect. I try to run everything every 3 weeks or so to keep them alive and the fuel flowing. Other things with batteries that can sit get the batteries removed and brought inside. i had walmart battery in my 67 i think it was an everstart maxx. It lasted 8 years never disconnected or maintained. Last winter it died and didnt seem to take a charge so i swaped a known good one in.

 

I have read and been told that lead-acid batteries slowly discharge even when there's no regular circuit between the posts. Supposedly batteries should not be stored on a concrete floor, because they will discharge faster - they need to be on a piece of wood or similar insulator.

Ok, this article says that the concrete thing is a fallacy. Battery Storage FAQ, battery manufacturer's recommendations for storing batteries, storing lead acid, sealed lead acid, NiCad, NiMH and lithium ion batteries However, seems that every manufacturer recommends top-charging periodically during storage, and all say that the battery charge will be slowly lost during storage.