Looking for good trickle charger

[Bill]

Can anyone point me at a DECENT trickle charger? I know I can go to WalMart or the local auto supply house and buy a blister-packed charger for $10, but over the years I've had very poor luck with these cheapies. Either they don't charge at all, or they overcharge, or they quit when the weather gets cold, or they overheat ...

In a thread last year, someone mentioned buying one from Camping World (about $50, if I recall correctly), but when I inquired whether the buyer was pleased with his purchase, I got no response. I take that as a vote of No Confidence.

So what actual experience do any of you have?

Thanks

Bill

bill

i have a shummacher 6/2 amp charger that i purchased at western auto about 8 years ago.  has served me well in fact it is running in the basement as we speak charging a dead battery on my mini-van.  cost was about 30.00.  i have used it a lot prior to the trailmanor purchase when we used a battery with an inverter for electric lights when tent camping.  good luck

dennis  

Bill, I've been using the VDC Electronics (http://www.vdcelectronics.com/) Battery minder on my RV/Trailer, motorcycle and standby generator battery for several years now. They are an intelligent charger that maintains the battery at peak charge without fear of overcharging. The Battery Minder runs about $60. The Sure Care, which doesn't charge, but only maintains a full charge, runs about $25. I recommend either one highly, especially if you search out a good discount.

Prior to using these, I employed a trick I learned from the Moto Guzzi (motorcycle) web site. I connected my usuual battery charger to the bulb socket on my garage door opener. Each time I opened the door, it charged the battery for the minute or so the light stayed on. That was enough to keep the battery topped off through the winter. This would work well if you have a garaged TM.

I've got a Guest bank charger on my boat and have been VERY pleased with it. It charges both trolling motor batteries, as well as the starting battery, and keeps them maintained by charging only when needed.....I.E.....you can leave it plugged in 365 days a year with no worries! It's strange looking, but sealed for tight spaces, it's got a plastic case with LED's to let ya know the status of the battery, and looks more like a car audio amp than a charger. But it sits in an enclosed space right near the gas tank with no worries at all! I would HIGHLY recommend this one if you don't mind spending the extra money, oh, and I just found out it's waterproof as well! (I just found a link to a place that sells them as mine came with my boat and wasn't sure where to find one).

Anyway, here's the link:
http://www.basspro-shops.com/servlet...rTarget=search

[glow=red,2,300]Happytrails...........[/glow]

[Bill]

Bill, I've been using the VDC Electronics Battery minder for several years now. They are an intelligent charger that maintains the battery at peak charge without fear of overcharging.

Wrench -

Thanks for the input.  Do you have any solid feeling that the "desulphation" function actually works? Or is it just a gimmick? Have you peered into the top of your battery and seen sulphation disappear? The web site suggests that you can. Camping World seems to have a pretty good discount.

Bill

No Bill, I cannot attest to the desulphation feature actually working. From my knowledge though, pulsing a battery to remove light sulphation is a valid concept. I can say that batteries I have maintained with these chargers routinely last 5 years or so.

I just got a new catalog from Northern Tool. They have the Battery Minder on for $45.(http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...battery+minder)

Anyone know where I can get replacement cables for the Battery Minder? I need the one with round battery lugs, not the clamps.


Wade

Wade, I'd imagine that you can buy a replacement from VDC. You could try the website I listed above.

I'd just make a new one though. A Napa auto parts store should have the two conductor connector near their trailer supplies. Come to think of it, Radio Shack has them cheaper. Then get some circle lugs and crimp them on.

BTW, I use a connector with male spade lugs and insert them into the TM tow cable, picking up power and ground to keep the battery topped off without opening up the trailer.

Wrench, you said, "No Bill, I cannot attest to the desulphation feature actually working."

Is this the thing where you get white stuff on your terminals? I was just curious, and not familiar with that term, but I get NONE of that with my Guest charger, and mine's been plugged in 24/7 for almost two years now! If my assumption is true, mine must have that feature as well, and it does work. (Which is kinda neat, I didn't know anything about that feature until now).

[glow=red,2,300]Happytrails............[/glow]

P.S.........lol, someone, either Chris, or the Yabb board modifys

My
assumption

to read something completely different when posted, but read back and there was talk about looking down into the battery, so I might be completely off about that.....how can ya tell if that's occuring? (And no, really, I don't get ANY white stuff on my terminals, they stay the same............

Sulphation is a chemical process that occurs with battery age, and is accelerated when the battery is allowed to sit at less than a full charge for any length of time. If the battery is recharged right away, the stuff breaks down and all is OK. In more severe cases, crystaline structures form on the lead plates that prevents the normal chemical exchange that produces the energy we use to power our TMs. When advanced, the sulphation becomes hard and will not come off of the plates and the capacity of the battery suffers. If you look into a new standard battery you will see clean, lead plates. An older sulfated battery will have white plates that look as if something is growing on them. It is. This stuff (sulphation) actually gets in the way of the lead and serves to reduce the surface area of the lead plates that is available for the battery to use. The pulsating charger supposedly breaks down the sulphation, and improves it's performance.

The white fuzzy stuff that grows on your battery terminals is just battery acid caused corosion. The fact that yours is clean attests to a clean battery in a well ventilated environment.