Does anyone use or have any comments on Deltran Battery Tenders? Before I spring for one, and no one I know uses one, I want to know if they actually work. I'm not going to need to do anything extraordinary, simply charge my battery and keep it charged. I looking at the Battery Tender Jr. and Plus.
I've got one I use, but I don't just hook it up and leave it hooked up. I hook it up on a battery (on vehicles that aren't being used) about once a month and let it charge until it's charged up and then move it to another vehicle. I don't think you need them on something that's run pretty regularly.
I use Sears brand chargers....I have at least a half dozen...I think they are great! I have several low or seasonal use vehicles/implements and this has reduced both frustration of a dead battery and battery replacement costs dramatically. These units charge only 1.5 to 2.0 amps, when needed, otherwise they 'float' and monitor battery voltage. So, they can be safely left connected all the time, unlike a constantly charging type. From my several years experience, I heartily recommend them for consideration.
I have three Del Tran battery tenders hooked up all the time on cars I don't use often. Never had a problem with them and would not be without one on a rarely used car or motorcycle.
I appreciate the responses. This car is seldom used lately (I deserve a kick in the pants for that) and this winter has been a mother. I guess the decision has been made. Thanks.
I have a 12v transformer from some old device. (phone?) it will keep a battery charged indefinitely and was free. I think a solar powered tender is trick, but I have been too cheap to buy one. Won't work as a jump box, though.
Yep I'm a Sears fan... less than 20 bucks in the fall when they go on sale. I was surprised to discover that it is a combination charger and a tender. I did have one die on me but for less than 20 bucks I just shit canned it.
Tommy is right. I bought a Deltran yrs ago for like $60 bucks (still use it) but for $19.99 ( on sale) I got a Sears Charger/tender and I'm very happy with it. Watch for them on sale at K-Mart as well. They are usually $29.99.
I have a Battery Tender hooked up to each one of my cars and have done so for close to 20-years. I've never had a problem and my batteries are always ready to go. I haven't noticed any dramatic increase in battery life, but while they still have life left, they're always charged up and ready to roll.
I have a couple of Battery Tenders, but I also have several of the Harbor Freight $6 tenders that work just as well. When I put things away for the winter (4 to 5months) everything is on tenders. They seriously extend the life of batteries, especially small ATV & riding lawn mower batteries.
I do the same thing, mostly on my MCs , bought a bunch of the plug in leads so I don't have to remove things to use it. Just plug it in.
I have 4 Deltrans units. Had batteries last over ten years. I also have 3 C-Teks and even found some new brands that are Aussie made. I have them on everything that is not driven with any regularity even the Car trailer, Gen Set and the ride on Mower. One thing to be aware of the Deltans units specially the smaller units is they are not weather proof. A sealed tender is better. C-Tek used to be made in Sweden and are now made in China.
I have a Battery Tender Jr. on my bike that is run 24/7/365, except for when I'm out riding. It's been in operation for 7 years without failure or other incident. I haven't needed a new bike battery in 7 years now.
I help build Sierra Madre's annual Rose Parade float. The chassis sometimes goes a couple months between start-ups, so we built floaters right into the circuits on all the batteries (there's a fair bit of redundancy required ) two years ago. We typically replaced two batteries (of the four aboard) per year prior to the floaters, and have yet to replace one since.
I have a Vector battery charger with a float charge mode. Every few weeks or so when I'm in the garage all day, I'll hook it up the whole time I'm out there. I just don't feel comfortable leaving a battery hooked to a charger 24/7 unattended. I mostly use it on a spare battery I use to jump start and move my O/T Cutlass out of my garage.
I have about 10 of them. I use them on everything. They will save you a ton of money on batteries that you would normally let sit. Great product.
Is this the sears one mentioned above? http://www.sears.com/diehard-batter...p-02871219000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2
I have never used one(I probably should). But a while ago Hagerty had an article in their magazine about a battery tender malfunctioning and severly damaging a policyholders car.I believe it was an early plymouth,with the battery under the floor.The battery exploded and caused serious damage.They had several pictures of the damage,it was not pretty.I am quite paranoid about leaving things plugged in while I am not present in the garage,and in my opinion,I would never leave anything from Harbor freight plugged in constantly.
Yep but they are often on sale as a lost leader in their sales fliers to get you in the door. Wait for a sale and then jump on them.
I've been using two made by Black and Decker for a couple of years. $19.95 at Home Depot. Seems to be working as good at the $50 battery tenders. They have a 12 and 6 volt setting
Thanks for the testimonials. I've wondered about having one continuously hooked up but heard that the trickle charge (for lack of a better term) is minimal, and safe. I'm sure others have wondered about a "Tender"... Sears, huh?
I have a bunch of them on my cars. I was concerned about overcharging, so I bought a simple timer from K-Mart. After a few months of experimentation, I found that if you set the timer to 15 minutes a day, it will keep the batteries up without worrying about overcharging and boiling. Cost me $6.99.
I have a Deltran tender on the battery in my Olds conv. I started using it about 5 years ago, and wish I would have started earlier. The Optima in the car is about 12 years ago, I think I am finally going to have to replace it, but feel it I had used the tender all the batteries life, I would not have to replace it for a long while. This is a great product
My First Deltran B/tender kept an Odyssey PC925 alive for 6 yrs while I completed my project.. The Second one is on my stump-grinding equipment.. The Third one is on my trailer breakaway battery.. The Fourth one goes on my beater S10 that only gets driven every so often.. The Fifth one keeps my riding lawnmower alive over the winter.. Ya see a pattern here...
I've owned 3 Battery Tenders for several years. They work great, but are a bit expensive. A couple of years ago, I was having trouble keeping the battery in my riding lawn mower charged (problem since diagnosed and repaired...). I was going to order another Battery Tender, but happened to be in Walmart one day and noticed that they had Schumacher 'automatic battery chargers' for about $25. I've used Schumacher products for years with no complaints, so I bought one. The interesting thing was that there was no 6V/12V switch. The box said that the charger could sense the voltage and switch itself accordingly, which meant that I could use these on my '51 Chevy or my 'modern' cars without having to worry about the voltage. These chargers have an output of 1.5 amps and also have a float switch, so they don't have to be switched off or unplugged when the battery is fully charged. Since then, I've bought 4 more of these charger/maintainers. The latest model is the XM1-5-CA and the price has come down to $19.97. I'm sold on them!
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