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Trickle Charger Vs Battery Tender

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Drumboy said:
What's the difference?
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First off Battery Tender is a brandname and most are float chargers. Float chargers are basically the same as a trickle charger but know when to stop and start charging based on battery voltage so cannot overcharge or damage. Trickle chargers can overcharge if left connected for extended time.

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I use a leftover power converter from an RV
 
The one board trickle charger on my boat used ruin at least one of the two batteries every year. Likewise the standard equipment battery charging system in an Airstream motorhome was equally as bad about ruining the coach batteries. Most trickle chargers put out low amperage, around 1 amp or less, but most never shut off. The battery tender brand charger cuts back to a very small float charge and doesn't overcharge. I have battery tenders for 4 years on the same boat and a variety of motorcycles and two garage queen cars and haven't bought a battery in that time frame. There may be other chargers that work as well, but I have had excellent performance with the Battery Tender brand.
 
Yep - anything that is variable and knows when to shut off, or full-charge, or whatever, is really a good purchase. If they're good they stop altogether when they need to - but you're paying a bit for that hardware intelligence.

For me (I'm usually brain-dead) I don't want anything I have to personally monitor...
 
I have a "battery tender" and after about 3 months of being left alone it will cause a loss of water in the battery to the extent of not having a "fully" charged battery. I think the way to alleviate that is to put the "charging/float" device on a timer[what a concept!] so it only is on a few hours a day which is really all that is needed to keep a battery up to snuff. Just my .02
 
I have a Battery Tender Jr. It has charge and maintenance mode. Once it is fully charged it will go into maintenance mode and only charge the battery if it detects that it needs it. I keep it plugged in all year round as heat is hard on a battery, too.
 
Battery Tenders are a good product, and are certainly better than an unattended trickle charger. BatteryMinder is a better product, does constant current, switches to constant voltage, compensates for temperature and desulfates as well. Covers the gamut from flooded, to gel, to absorbed glass mat, each of which requires different settings for optimal care. (One of the few chargers that will not void the Hawker Oddesy warranty).

John
 
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