[mrbb]

OK guys, what make/model tenders do you all use

I am debating on using them again after having two of them fail on me and one causing me a lot of issue's and costs when it over charged a shid steer it was hooked up to, and then second one I THINK I caught before it screwed up a second machine!

BOTH tenders were bought at same time, less than a yr old and were both Schumacher model SEM-1562A-CA
I actually bought 5 of them on sale at Tractor supply store, and stopped using the others due to well, paranoid I guess of them, almost a several hundred bucks down on repairs on machine due to it over charging and cooking things before it failed and stopped working!(tender that is, machine was parked when it went bonkers)

when I first discovered thing wrong, I contacted Schumacher, as they were all under warranty, and at FIRST they were all understanding and offering possible help with repair costs, but then after that, they have refused to even return a phone call and or email, so I am very turned off by there BS story they gave me on the first contact and stopped contacting me after that more or less! or once I told them the first set of things that needed replacing and there cost.
they magically just stopped responding with me, no excuse no NOTHING< just will not return a call or email, as ALL I get when I call them is directed to the person 's extension and put on hold and then voice mail! and again Emails get NO reply's!
so am NOT very impressed with there customer service, and doubt I will be buying any more of there products, !

SO< what are you all using, do you ALL use maintainers with IN line fuses to help protect things?the model above DIDN"T have a inline fuse, and think MAYBE it should have? might have helped me but not sure
I have seen one's with in line fuses and the fuses seem to range a in a lot of sizes, from 3 amp to 25 am fuses in them, so not sure where they should be at, to prevent a like repeat on things IF a tender ever fails again like mine did (two fo them so far) LOL

SO< what are you all using, , how long, and have any issue's with the,?

 

[ktriebol]

I have been using Deltran Battery Tender Juniors. One on the Foreman and the other on the lawn tractor. They have been in use for a few years with no problems so far. I think they have a fuse, but I doubt it would help in a situation like yours. Your case seems to have been constantly overcharging, but that doesn't necessarily mean charging current would be high enough to blow the fuse.

 

[mrbb]

thanks, I have been reading up on tenders/maintainers and also found out that MANY of the new Sealed GEL AGM battery's need special maintainers, the older models can over charge them and cause them to expand the battery case as temps and over charging can happen with them, I THINK this is what cause the second tender I have to over charge my other battery as it is a new style AGM sealed battery , I THINK its OK as I caught it before it got damaged,a s far as visually, the battery never got deformed
but might be a heads up for anyone that upgrades to a better newer style battery and has a older maintainer they PLANNED to use on it!

 

[Jeepwm69]

I've had good experience with the Schumacher, and I have to say your report worries me as I'm running about 8-10 of them at any given moment, including a couple of them on AGM (Optima) batteries (older ones before Optima started making garbage).

Next one I buy will likely NOT be a Schumacher after the lack of customer care you've gotten from them.

What about the Battery Tender Jr? I noticed that's what Walmart sells now, and they no longer carry the Schumacher units.

 

[SamUK]

I still find it strange that you guys over the pond use maintainers, it’s not a common thing over here at all. We tend to just replace a battery when it’s knackered or if something is standing for a while fire it up and give it a run round or leave it running for half an hour or so. More popular with the caravan and motorhome owners I think where they can be stood for a long time in storage away from home.

Do you use them when you put your machinery away for the winter or everytime you park up?

 

[Jeepwm69]

We have a seldom driven Jeep (1985 CJ8 with 5K miles on it) that I keep a maintainer on so the battery doesn't discharge between drives.

I keep my two lawn tractor's batteries on maintainers during the winter when they aren't in use.

I keep the two farm tractor batteries on maintainers during the winter when they aren't in use.

And I keep my ATV's plugged into them between rides.

Honestly once you put a pigtail on the battery on any given machine, it only takes about 2 seconds to hook up when you park, and it makes the batteries last MUCH, MUCH longer if they aren't allowed to discharge between uses. The tractor and Jeep batteries I'm running are about 10-12 years old.

I park my ATV's under an overhang next to my shop. I have holes drilled in the shop wall so the maintainers are inside the shop and stay plugged in, and I run the cords out through the holes so when I park I just reach over and grab the cord and plug it into the pigtail on the bike (they hang out on the right side, coming out from under the seat right next to the latch).

When you have as much crap as I do, buying batteries all the time gets expensive. These maintainers are only about $20 each and greatly extend the life of the batteries.

 

[shadetree]

battery tender jr all the way !!. for machines that '' sit '' up ?, I have them on all of my toys. for a quick charge ?, I use my sears die-hard charger. i have not used a Schumacher in a very long time. ever sense i started using the battery tender jr's ?, i've had noooooooooo problem with my batteries dying on me !!. you should know by now, what we bought 20 years ago..or more ?, is most likely made in china now !!!!..lol. you can't buy good products these days..of all ppl mrb..you should know this by now ?!..lol.

 

[shadetree]

I still find it strange that you guys over the pond use maintainers, it’s not a common thing over here at all. We tend to just replace a battery when it’s knackered or if something is standing for a while fire it up and give it a run round or leave it running for half an hour or so. More popular with the caravan and motorhome owners I think where they can be stood for a long time in storage away from home.

Do you use them when you put your machinery away for the winter or everytime you park up?

buying batteries over here is not something you want to do much !..lol. just for an atv battery, or motorcycle battery..they run close to 100 bucks from the dealer. ( yes..i know..this is a dealer price ), but i don't trust batteries anywhere else these days. i can remember back 30 years ago when die-hard was THE BEST ?, not now..they plain suck !!!. now we got durlast, interstate, lord knows what else ?, its a hit or miss these days. i bought a AGM battery a very long time ago, bought it from wally world ( Wal-Mart ) installed it in my '89 trx350D foreman, that battery never seen a charger one time in all the years i had it, lasted about 10 years ?, i was impressed !. today..same battery, same place..nope !..pure junk.

 

[SamUK]

Dang! I can get a Yuasa or Varta 14Ah for a Honda or whatever for about £30, batteries run expensive over there then shady?!
Maybe I could start up in business shopping batteries to the US lol

 

[shadetree]

Damn! I can get a Yuasa or Varta 14Ah for a Honda or whatever for about £30, batteries run expensive over there then shady?!
Maybe I could start up in business shopping batteries to the US lol

yeah, batteries over here have gone way up in prices. most times they run anywhere from 70 to 100 bucks, depending on where you buy them ?. but from a honda dealership ?, look to spend at least a 100 dollar bill !..lol.

 

[mrbb]

I still find it strange that you guys over the pond use maintainers, it’s not a common thing over here at all. We tend to just replace a battery when it’s knackered or if something is standing for a while fire it up and give it a run round or leave it running for half an hour or so. More popular with the caravan and motorhome owners I think where they can be stood for a long time in storage away from home.

Do you use them when you put your machinery away for the winter or every time you park up?

I use and don't use, pending on how often things sit
but since I have things like snowmobiles that sit still for 7-8 months, and battery's are about a 140 bucks a pop
or say a skid steer that also sits more than used and a battery there is about 250 bucks
and gets used mostly in VERY cold weather, where a older diesel motor needs a GOOD battery to fire things up,
a tender just seems to make better sense
but to be honest what this tender did when it fails, cost me a lot more than what buying a new battery every yr would have cost me for a few yrs at least LOL

 

[mrbb]

battery tender jr all the way !!. for machines that '' sit '' up ?, I have them on all of my toys. for a quick charge ?, I use my sears die-hard charger. i have not used a Schumacher in a very long time. ever sense i started using the battery tender jr's ?, i've had noooooooooo problem with my batteries dying on me !!. you should know by now, what we bought 20 years ago..or more ?, is most likely made in china now !!!!..lol. you can't buy good products these days..of all ppl mrb..you should know this by now ?!..lol.

OH trust me SHade I know NOTHING is made like it used to be, lots of expensive junk made today more than ever!

as for brands of tenders, I am leaning towards a BatteryMINDer brand tender, BUT the crazy part is, if you read up on them, they have different maintainers for different battery types
there really ISN"T a one tender fits all deal, which is WHY I stated before, the NEW AGM battery's are not made to be on the OLD school tenders from all I have read up so far on them
its easy for the older tenders to OVER charge them and ruin the newer batteries we have today

these BatteryMINDer seem to cover more info in there information than the other brands and seem to get the best reviews too
but also cost more , or one's I have looked at

there is even a difference in AGM and Optima batterys so NOT all sealed battery's are the same
so heads up guys?

I also think my next tender/maintainer will be set up on a timer, to turn on and off, just a few hours a day, this way if one ever goes bonkers, it will have some down time between charging LOL and not just cook away as the old one did on me!

 

[SlammedRanger]

Battery tender jr. Have 5 of them total and not had a single issue out of any of them. Had a shumacker before them that swelled the battery in my bike to the point i couldnt even get it out of the spot it was slid down in. That one went right in the garbage. And i had a stanley that claimed to float charge just like the shumacker did and neither worked right. Ruined a few batterys to find that out. Since i have only purchased battery tender brand and havent had one single problem. Shoot the one im using on my quad rightnow is 5 years old.

 

[Bryan]

I run these on my Trucks and ATV's.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FQBWCY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[LedFTed]

Damn! I can get a Yuasa or Varta 14Ah for a Honda or whatever for about £30, batteries run expensive over there then shady?!
Maybe I could start up in business shopping batteries to the US lol

35 years ago if not more, an probable so. i got an exide 12v battery for my 55 truck. i would take that battery out of the truck, use it for trolling motor, come time for the sun, i would head back to the dock, put it back in the truck, an head home. the johnboat, had a gas motor, but sometimes you got to sneak up on those fish. that excide battery had a warranty. the new battery's, dont say its good for 3 yrs, 2yrs year replacement warranty, then pro-rated, that has gone, also.
i dont know what happened to excide, cept, now you are supposed to buy a new battery ever 3 yrs. the excide i had back then lasted 7 yrs. if its not doing that now over the pond, expect it. the same old thing,, quality over quantity. honor over $$$$. b/s does hit the fan, an then some.

 

[Z7What]

Battery Tender Jr here as well. I use one on my truck that sits up for weeks at a time, on my 4 wheeler, lawnmower, boat, etc. I even use it to charge the trolling motor battery for my boat. Never have had issues with any of them. One of them are 10yrs old, maybe longer!

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tend...sr=8-1-spons&keywords=battery+tender+jr&psc=1

Home Depot normall puts them on sale for $19.99 around Chirstmas.

Wayne

 

[shadetree]

battery tender jr all the way !!. for machines that '' sit '' up ?, I have them on all of my toys. for a quick charge ?, I use my sears die-hard charger. i have not used a Schumacher in a very long time. ever sense i started using the battery tender jr's ?, i've had noooooooooo problem with my batteries dying on me !!. you should know by now, what we bought 20 years ago..or more ?, is most likely made in china now !!!!..lol. you can't buy good products these days..of all ppl mrb..you should know this by now ?!..lol.

OH trust me SHade I know NOTHING is made like it used to be, lots of expensive junk made today more than ever!

as for brands of tenders, I am leaning towards a BatteryMINDer brand tender, BUT the crazy part is, if you read up on them, they have different maintainers for different battery types
there really ISN"T a one tender fits all deal, which is WHY I stated before, the NEW AGM battery's are not made to be on the OLD school tenders from all I have read up so far on them
its easy for the older tenders to OVER charge them and ruin the newer batteries we have today

these BatteryMINDer seem to cover more info in there information than the other brands and seem to get the best reviews too
but also cost more , or one's I have looked at

there is even a difference in AGM and Optima batterys so NOT all sealed battery's are the same
so heads up guys?

I also think my next tender/maintainer will be set up on a timer, to turn on and off, just a few hours a day, this way if one ever goes bonkers, it will have some down time between charging LOL and not just cook away as the old one did on me!

the battery jr's will work on all batteries..but !!!..you must get one close to your amperage !. they work on agm, wet cell, all of them. been using them for many years now, not one problem out of any of the ones I own and use today.

 

[hz_350]

Dang! I can get a Yuasa or Varta 14Ah for a Honda or whatever for about £30, batteries run expensive over there then shady?!
Maybe I could start up in business shopping batteries to the US lol

Yuasa over here 12ah is $150 from yamaha battery place wanted $190 and $150 for a katana

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[LedFTed]

my moto-classic agm, seems like a good battery so far, it was made in vietnam. as far as chargers go, you have to match a charger to a battery, not a battery to a charger.
i was tought this a long time age, with horses. it was match a rider to a horse, not a horse to a rider. this conversation, now makes, what i was taught a long time ago make sense.
some times ya need a 10 amp jockey to charge the horse, sometimes, a 2ma amp. if ya over charge the horse, it quits working. thanks for something i been waiting for 37yrs. ta understand... :smile

 

[Jeepwm69]

Back in the 90's I started buying Optima Red Tops. First one I bought lasted 7 years or so in my tan Jeep, and saw HARD use (winch, lights, hard starting). I loved the things. Had them on three Jeeps, two tractors, two pickups, and a 4runner.

The last two I bought in 2009 didn't last a year. Bought them both on the same day and both were dead within weeks of each other.

Optima sold out to Johnson Controls, who moved production to Mexico. Started using crappy, impure lead, and while they look exactly the same as the old ones, they are no longer the high quality batteries they used to be.

Most batteries are made by 3-4 manufacturers, and just have different stickers slapped on them.

Now Odyssey have take the place of Optima. Great quality batteries made by a small company with great quality control. Unfortunately you're looking at $200+ for an Odyssey.

I've started running Deka. They're made by East Penn and are still made in the US.

I'm still running some Optima Red Tops from the mid 2000's, before Johnson Controls moved production to Mexico. I keep tenders on them and they still crank.