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> Battery Tender - if it's good enough for them...
skaufmann
post Aug 29 2011, 10:38 PM
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Just a passing tip.

I bought a Battery Tender a couple weeks ago (easily found on Amazon) to keep my battery topped while I troubleshoot my alternator/wiring issue. Just this weekend while in LA, I took our New Zealander car nut guest to the Peterson Automotive Museum.

Besides a Bugatti Veyron, Elvis' Yellow Pantera he shot on multiple occasions because it wouldn't start (Fords...), and an elusive '88 Porsche 959 in the picture below, every car was hooked up to a Battery Tender hiding under each car. I was already very happy with the charger (price and reviews) so when I saw these cars all hooked up to one, I thought to myself that it was good enough for me.

Anyone in the market for one should definitely consider it. It's not full of bells and whistles, it doesn't even have a button or knob. It's a set-and-forget type of charger. Great for the non-daily drivers or for that battery sitting in you garage. It's very affordable too.

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jt914-6
post Aug 30 2011, 05:47 AM
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Been using a battery tender for years. Have one on the lawn tractor, 914, and Corvette. Sister uses one on the party barge. I used to have to buy a new battery for the lawn tractor every spring. After getting the tender, haven't had to buy a battery in four years. Yes, plug in and forget about it.....
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Cairo94507
post Aug 30 2011, 05:54 AM
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Which one are you using?
Thanks.
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type47
post Aug 30 2011, 06:15 AM
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hmmm, I bought a cheap Black and Decker one at the local hardware store. $20
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GeorgeRud
post Aug 30 2011, 06:51 AM
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The cheapest charger out there is the Harbor Freight one, but I started using the Battery Tenders as well. I think there are several good brands out there, and Battery Tender makes several models if you need to maintain several vehicles with the same charger.

These devices are real battery savers for those of us that need to store their cars over the bad weather months up north.
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rfuerst911sc
post Aug 30 2011, 09:41 AM
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Has anyone ever heard if Battery Tenders are bad on alternators ? I was recently told that by the head mechanic at Automobile Atlanta ( for what that's worth ).
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RON S.
post Aug 30 2011, 10:08 AM
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QUOTE(jt914-6 @ Aug 30 2011, 04:47 AM) *

Been using a battery tender for years. Have one on the lawn tractor, 914, and Corvette. Sister uses one on the party barge. I used to have to buy a new battery for the lawn tractor every spring. After getting the tender, haven't had to buy a battery in four years. Yes, plug in and forget about it.....




(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) Right on about the Battery tender.

I have 2 or 3 of them running all the time.

I have one on my 1995 Harley, and have only put 1 battery in it in 16yrs.

Well worth the 25 or so bucks for a unit.

Ron
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pt_700
post Aug 30 2011, 10:22 AM
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been putting my blackbird (motorcycle) on the tender every weekend (poor thing's mostly a commuter) after hearing stories about bikes with very old batteries that still work fine. i've typically had to replace mine after 2 years. current battery's already older than that.

never heard about them being hard on alternators. at the very least, they're good insurance for being able to start seldom used vehicles.
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Scott S
post Aug 30 2011, 10:57 AM
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We have them on every car in the collection - even the positive ground stuff. No issues on anything ever - no matter if it has an alternator or a generator. Our only rule of thumb is to make sure they are disconected prior to trying to start a car - but that is so we do not damage the actual charger, not over any sort of concern for the car.

The only time the 914 battery let me down was last fall when I forgot to plug it in. Prior to that, I went 10 years on a 40.00 "disposable" AutoZone battery.

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kerensky
post Aug 30 2011, 11:54 AM
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QUOTE(rfuerst911sc @ Aug 30 2011, 07:41 AM) *

Has anyone ever heard if Battery Tenders are bad on alternators ? I was recently told that by the head mechanic at Automobile Atlanta ( for what that's worth ).
I know that full-on battery chargers that can take your battery from dead to full in hours can be bad for the D-Jet ECU, but I'm skeptical about it damaging an alternator.

As for 'battery tenders' or 'trickle chargers' I think the current amount is small enough that they shouldn't hurt anything. Having said that, I'd probably install a battery cut-off switch just for my own peace of mind.
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underthetire
post Aug 30 2011, 12:48 PM
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I just buy the Harbor Freight "float Charger" when they go on sale for about 5 bucks. Been using them for years now, they work really well.

http://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-bat...rger-42292.html
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carr914
post Aug 30 2011, 01:39 PM
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QUOTE(rfuerst911sc @ Aug 30 2011, 11:41 AM) *

Has anyone ever heard if Battery Tenders are bad on alternators ? I was recently told that by the head mechanic at Automobile Atlanta ( for what that's worth ).


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skaufmann
post Aug 31 2011, 12:17 PM
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To refer specifically to what I was talking about, and the exact unit the Museum had every car in the Supercar exhibit, here is a link on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0.../dp/B00068XCQU/
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Scott S
post Aug 31 2011, 01:47 PM
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These are what I use. I hard wire the battery side pigtail using the provided terminal connectors. Then it's just a quick plug/unplug deal.

http://batterytender.com/automotive/batter...v-at-0-75a.html
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Ductech
post Aug 31 2011, 01:54 PM
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Battery Tender brand is all we sold at the Ducati shop
All I ever use for a trickle charge/ maintenance charger
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jt914-6
post Aug 31 2011, 04:18 PM
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QUOTE(Cairo94507 @ Aug 30 2011, 06:54 AM) *

Which one are you using?
Thanks.

I use the Battery Tender Plus....pn# 021-0156 It comes with a harness that has ring terminals that you put on the battery terminals...just plug and unplug as has been said.....
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BigDBass
post Aug 31 2011, 06:58 PM
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I have a Diehard trickle charger. I would like to use the ring terminal connector but they seemed the wrong diAmeter so I never really looked further. Sine I'm king of stupid questions, can someone tell me or post a pic of how to install the ring connector?
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pcar9146guy
post Aug 31 2011, 08:40 PM
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Here's what the Battery Tender Plus harness looks like. One ring terminal on the + post and one on the - post. The positive side has a fuse and the end is a two pole connector which connects to the tender. Plug & unplug with no alligator clips. This is on my "other " car..

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Dion
post Aug 31 2011, 09:18 PM
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I've had a Battery Tender on my 914 and GTI for more than 10 years. My Optima battery in the 914 lasted 8yrs with the Tender. No issues.

Dion
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Rand
post Aug 31 2011, 09:36 PM
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I use one. The cheap ass Harbor Freight one. It costs less than $10.

You can spend more for a special brand if it makes you feel better, or if you belong to a special garage with large budgets. But they all do the same thing... Not quite the same thing as a trickle charger. I suppose "float" is a better word. But I always cringe when someone pays bigger dollars for a brand when another product does the same thing for a fraction of the price and its the same thing under the plastic cover

Bikes, jetskis, cars in hard winters.... Yes, our batteries that are not used regularly need float charging.

Choose your poison, or buy a new battery.
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