Trickle charger thread for Dale & Don

[tdskip]

Have it it guys...

(for the record - I use them heavily. Slow charge is my preference since they seem to be easier on the battery, but I don't have empirical evidence on that).

 

[Brosky]

Tom,

You may not have the empirical data, but the battery guys do. That is why Optima approved this unit, along with it's "smart" charging capabilities.

And so do certain charger manufacturers.

CTEK Home Page for USA (Made in Sweden)

 

[Tinster]

Man, I am so confused, I can't stand it.

We drive Wendy's Jeep almost every day, I drive my
own Jeep almost every day,the Triumph TR6 about every
other day and use my fishing boat maybe twice a week.
I disconnect the boat battery after every use.

All three are are about 800 to 850 cranking amps.

What purpose does the trickle charger make?

confused,

dale

 

[DNK]

For us folks in the frozen north where our cars sit for 3-4 months.

 

[Brosky]

Dale, as Don says, if we could drive these things every day, we wouldn't need chargers.

And half of the threads on this forum would not be here. The biggest problems are when these cars sit too long. The more you drive them the better.

I know that you may find that hard to believe, but it's the truth. That and not tinkering toooooo much.

 

[DNK]

Then we wouldn't have anything to talk about.

 

[Brosky]

Well, we could talk about you torturing your poor cat with the lime skins, but that would make the SPCA mad, so we'll let that one go by.

 

[Opa]

this is what i've been using.Seems to work pretty well. $35.00 up here in Canada.

 

[dklawson]

On our cars that sit, I have... Harbor Freight specials. They are cheap and they work. With all trickle and float chargers though you really need to look at the fluid level in the cells perhaps every month or so. The electrolyte level will go down over time.

 

[Tinster]

So OK- Amos is almost a daily driver , except when it rains,.
Do I need to hook up a trickle cell charger?

thanks,
dale

 

[Brosky]

Dale, no you do not.

Doug & Casey,

Remember that I have an Optima battery and need to be careful with which charger I use. This will work for mine and all others, but other chargers may not be good for my Optima battery.

 

[Opa]

yer right on Paul....but for those with standard battery,nothing to fancy is required.Just be sure it has the auto shut off/start up feature to keep from over charging.

Dale up here in the great white north, my TR usually sits in the garage from Nov to about late April.

 

[myspitfire]

Hi Dale;...As i always have said no man is(on) an island....My stint in the service at Ramey AFB,I always worried about bad PR RUM & Cameleons :cz,NEVER about charging MY BATTERY ;-)Thats one of the reasons i named my Triumph 'WhiteLightning'It runs well on 20% alcohol.

 

[Tinster]

Dale up here in the great white north, my TR usually sits in the garage from Nov to about late April.

Opa- and here in the tropics- my car is usually on jackstands, broken down and
being repaired from late April until November. I guess it evens out.

I spent an enjoyable year designing hurricane upgrades for
the old Ramey air base. The fighter plane excort pads are
still very visible.

enjoy,

dale

 

[dklawson]

Doug & Casey,
Remember that I have an Optima battery and need to be careful with which charger I use. This will work for mine and all others, but other chargers may not be good for my Optima battery.

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that you should use what I'm using. I only suggested the HF float chargers for those who have more traditional batteries and want to keep them in shape with a smaller investment. I have been pleasantly pleased with the HF float charger... some of their stuff is absolute junk you know.

 

[sail]

Well, we could talk about you torturing your poor cat with the lime skins

i thought that was his photo.

 

[Brosky]

Doug,

No problem, wasn't taken that way.

 

[mgb4tim]

I've used HF float chargers for a couple years - motorcycle, riding mower, triumph