Pull the battery or trickle charge?

MarkM · OTTAWA, ONT

Pull the battery or trickle charge?

Petebil · ONTARIO

if the truck will be in cold storage, remove the battery, place in heated location and hook up a battery tender for the winter.

Offset · HALIBURTON, ONT

Agreed on the using a Battery Tender, I have had mine for twelve years and they run perfectly. I have removed my battery from the car the last couple of years, there is a lot that can go wrong if no one is keeping an occasional eye on the battery and charger. Just peace of mind for me.

You do not want something to happen and the battery discharges and freezes. Just not worth the mess and perhaps damage.

poncho62 · ADMINISTRATOR

I have a number of batteries, garden tractors etc.....I remove them and set them on a bench in my unheated garage. Once a month or so, I put them on 2 amp charge for a few hours each. I think you could leave yours in the car, just remember to give it a little charge every month or so.
Some people do the start the car every month routine...I think that does more damage than good unless it is totally warmed up and driven a bit.

chips · Veteran Member

Definitely pull the battery (or at least disconnect it). A guy I used to know stored an older boat on his driveway for the winter, left the battery hooked up, something happened with the wiring (mice?) and the boat caught fire, then his garage caught fire too. Lost the boat and two muscle cars in the fire.

I have no opinion on a trickle charger as I've never used one.

toomuchjunk · S/W ONTARIO

for years now I've just disconnected the ground. If it's fully charged with no drain it will be fine

TMJ

DavyJ · NIAGARA REGION, ONT

Harbor Freight sells the battery tender for $19.95, I got three on sale for half that..............best thing I have tried, just plug it in and it takes care of the battery all winter. Harbor Freight is located five minutes from the border in Niagara Falls NY,, great store for bargain tools and neat stuff.

www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-deluxe-battery-maintainer-and-float-charger-61911.html

and they have lots of on line coupons too.

I would recommend this as a great way to maintain a battery without having to worry about remembering to charge it once a month.......................

studeshaker · BUCKHORN, ONT

i pull them and put a tender on all the batteries. i have one hard wired on my kubota tractor because i use it during the winter. the tenders lengthen a battery's life substantially.

el toro · LONDON, ONT

toomuchjunk wrote:
for years now I've just disconnected the ground. If it's fully charged with no drain it will be fine
TMJ

That's all I do.

Moobster · NORFOLK COUNTY, ONT

Yup, disconnect the grounds and leave them. Motorhome is in unheated barn, both chassis battery and house batteries, never have a problem.

henry · CORNWALL, ONT

Heat kills batteries. make sure it has a charge and leave it in an unheated garage. the cold slows electron flow of the chemical reaction and basically is less "wear" on the battery. (check water level too) top up before charging.

shag766 · FOXBORO, ONT

studeshaker wrote:
i pull them and put a tender on all the batteries. i have one hard wired on my kubota tractor because i use it during the winter. the tenders lengthen a battery's life substantially.

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