Packard Forum Index » General

I've been looking into buying Battery Tenders for use when I store my antiques during winter. If what I've read is true, you can just hook them up and they'll be ready to go in spring. My previous method was to fill them with fresh gas and stabilizer, also a fresh oil change and start them every other week, letting them run at least 5 to 10 minutes. Doing that isn't good for exhaust systems and a few other things.

A give three thumbs up to battery tenders...they're SOP in the motorcycle world. If you really want to go for the gold, get one that also has a "conditioner" or "equalizer" etc. There's a ton of names for this feature but what it does (supposedly) is keep the creeping crud from accumulating on the plates so the reserve stays as high as possible and you get a longer service life out of the battery.

Whatever you get, make sure it is self regulating and can be left hooked up and charging 24/7 without any chance of over-charging...in other words, not a plain Jane "trickle charger"

I use one made by Schumacher on my 56. It's a small flat box I mounted on the battery tray, has a 1 1/2 amp output, turns off when at full charge and when voltage drops one volt turns back on until charged again.

Hello,

I bought a little Battery Tender Jr several months ago after some some weird battery behavior. The battery was run very low trying to start it with some ignition problems. I have a Schumacher SE-82-6 charger that does 6 or 12 Volts but is not 'smart.' It is hard to know just where the charging process is.

I like the BT Jr. It only charges 0.75 amps but gives a red light when it does. The light begins flashing green when it has reached 80% charge. It turns solid green when fully charged and the charger goes into storage mode. That's nice. I can plug it in and forget it till I come home from work.

The BT Plus model does faster charging at 1.50 amps. Since I had a 6 amp Schumacher, I just got the smaller BT Jr. I paid about $30 on eBay. The Plus model is about $39-$43. The next model is a charger with Battery Tender for about $50.

Happy Customer
DanL

Some other things to look for in a charger, polarity and overload protection. How many times have any of us hooked up a connection backweirds? Not me, but I'm just sayin....

Overload protection will prevent a Chernobyl meltdown if you try cranking the engine over while the tender is still hooked up.

I've just ordered 2 of the Tender Plus models. a 6 volt and a 12 volt. If they do as advertised, then I'm in good shape. If they don't extend battery life beyond what I get now, then at least I won't have wasted all the gas sitting out in the cold starting them every week.
From what they say on their site, too much trickle charging damages the battery as does letting it run down then recharging.

I bought the Harbor Freight version for $8. I have had the same battery on it for the last two years and it has held a stable charge. I just check it every couple of months to make sure the water level is ok.

Unlike the garden variety trickle charger, the Battery Tender automatically switches from full charge to a float charging mode and then monitors the battery, to prevent excessive gassing that shortens the life of the battery.

That's the #1 reason I bought a Battery Tender; anything else is just icing on the cake.

Perhaps other chargers now have similar operating characteristics, but I tend to stick with the pioneer.

I'm a believer in the "tenders" after buying too many motorcycle batteries. Here in Minnesota the riding season is so short, my MC batteries just don't last without help through the winter. The AGM batteries seem more sensitive to storage than the lead acid.