Battery Tender

[Colonel]

What is the best one to buy and why? Any safety issues to consider in brand and hookup? Thanks

[V4F]

i like "battery tender" brand . automatic tender .............

http://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...attery+tenders

[Ca. Kid]

I have used Deltran Battery Tender brand for years on airplanes, motrorcyles and cars. I find the Jr. model works just fine on a full size battery if your battery is in good shape. I just order a 6volt Jr. on amazon for $22.05. They even make a solar unit.

[criswellnk]

I would reccomend and use nothing but the "Battery Tender" that is made and sold by Deltran. I have been using them for more than 10 years on four different cars and two tractors and have never had a single problem. Also buying/having a quality battery to start with helps a lot. The only battery brand that I use or would reccomend is Deka made by EastPenn Manufacturing.

[bogiediver]

I agree with the actual 'Battery Tender' as the one to use...

BUT - be careful if you intend to install the pigtail supplied onto the battery.

If you do it as instructed (i.e. red coded wire to positive terminal, black coded wire to negative terminal) - the exposed lug of the pigtail will be from the negative post of the battery - the HOT SIDE. If this exposed lug touches metal - you'll have short going on - not a good thing...

I reversed the pigtail connections to the battery so that the exposed lug is connected to the positive post - which is ground in the (normal) 'A'. Then I created a 'gender mender' to be able to connect the Battery Tender leads to the pigtail...

See my crude diagram attached as a PDF

[Mike V. Florida]

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I just bought the deltron battery tender and the pigtail came with a cover.

[bogiediver]

Yes, it does come with a cover - but, what if you forget to put the cover on... the hot lead would be the exposed lug...

I prefer to install the battery pigtail 'backwards' to have the exposed lug be the ground side.

Then make the 'mender' cable, tape it to the leads coming off the tender and not have to worry about it...

Just me...

[William Kelchner]

I've been using 2 "Battery Minder" units for about 3-4 years and never a problem - 12v on the Impala and of course 6v unit for the A. I'm truely impressed with this brand.

[Jim in S.C.]

I have a 8 volt battery tender that I sure would like to trade for a 6 or 12 volt one. send me a private message if you need a 8 volter.

[real550A]

I'm using the 6 volt model Battery Minder. An automatic float charger with the desulfating feature to "repair" a worn battery. Seems to work great!
http://www.batterymart.com/p-battery...y-charger.html

[roccaas]

The Diehard brand is the Schumacher with a three year warranty. Works 12 and 6.

[John LaVoy]

We have review several different brands, each having their own special benefits. C-Tek offers 6 & 12 volt, we have one that is switchable between 6 & 12, the system is fairly simple and Battery Tender does a lot of advertising they really don't have anything that is not offered else where.

[mkmskm]

What is the real advantage of these? My car is stored in a garage with no electricity so connecting one is never a problem, but then again the battery has never been a problem. I try and drive the car regularly but even when we have had bad winters and it sits for 3-4 months the old 6V still fires it right back up. The battery that was in my car when I got it was 8 years old and still cranked over fine, I just changed it because I don't like them to get that old.

[Kurt in NJ]

I like the factory battery tender --the generator, I have been told that if I used a battery tender that I would get double the battery life, but the people i know that use them get 1/2 the battery life I do, ----I get 7-9 years from regular batterys, and have 14 years so far on my Optima, only had a charger on it for 10 min once when I left the ignition on and it was totally dead for several months ---hand cranked it on the charger, 20 miles later it would start the car, my battery tender has done it's job for 40 years without problems ---havn't even changed the belt. ---no need to be plugged in, no need to unhook something,very safe, no worrys about something plugged in to 110 catching a voltage surge and bursting into flame ---besides the fact my "A" garage has no electric.

[eagle]

Make sure whichever one you decide on that it is for 6 volt if thats what battery your using. Another thing, the maintenance charge should NOT be more than 1/2 amp. Any more and it is a battery charger and leaving it on indefinitely will shorten your battery life. When it comes to a battery MAINTAINER, smaller is better.

[John LaVoy]

We just reviewed a tender by Granite. They also make a solar powered one for the guy that doesn't have electricity to the garage. We are looking into getting one installed on our enclosed trailer.