stvski80085 211 #26 Posted May 22 (edited) As I said above agm would be your best bet for not having that happen. They do cost more though. Charge it however you want because you paid for it. I just know that having something charging all the time will reduce it's life. I get 6-8 years out of mine not leaving on a tender. I also buy AGM now instead of lead acid. If your getting off gasing that is a problem unless it's for a short time. It may have starting voltage but it does reduce the amp hours available over time. I can prove it but most will just buy a new battery every 3-4 years. On lead acid look up desulfication. Advanced systems can pulse and vary the voltage to clear off the crystalization. Steve Edited May 22 by stvski80085 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 51,330 #27 Posted May 22 19 hours ago, squonk said: cheap tender from Horror Fright o Save Old Iron had a thread on how to mod those for a better charger. 13 hours ago, squonk said: They used to say " Don't store a battery on concrete Yeah that was old school I think that myth has been debunked. 15 hours ago, 953 nut said: Leaving a battery tender on 24 / 7 / 365 is not a good idea Disagree Richard ... I've got cheapies on tenders and going on 10 years old now. Yeah ones not on tenders go about 5 tops. 2016 Kubota SxS always on a tender and still load checks good. Same with boat batteries. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 51,330 #28 Posted May 22 From the basement ... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stvski80085 211 #29 Posted May 22 16 minutes ago, WHX?? said: From the basement ... I can agree with that but most people are just buying off the shelf and plugging in. If you do as stated in that article I could see that. Most are happy enough getting 3-4 years out of it and buying another one. Also bigger tractor batteries can be of better quality. Lot of factors to consider. I've had one battery last 14 years and never on a tender. The average though is if off gasing then it's an issue unless for short periods. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 16,179 #30 Posted May 22 @WHX?? Some will disagree, but I never gave much credence to anything SOI had to say. @MikesRJ and I discovered that much of his info was plagiarized. Since SOI has evaporated into the ether, it kind of proves my point. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stvski80085 211 #31 Posted May 22 I also deal in a lot of lipo batteries and have done a setup on a lawnmower that worked and charged off the engine alt. I would never leave that kind of setup in a barn or outside because when they go up in flames good luck putting it out. I just did it as an experiment to see if I could. I then pulled it off because I prefer the weight and safety of a lead or agm. Steve Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikesRJ 558 #32 Posted May 22 19 minutes ago, rmaynard said: @WHX?? Some will disagree, but I never gave much credence to anything SOI had to say. @MikesRJ and I discovered that much of his info was plagiarized. Since SOI has evaporated into the ether, it kind of proves my point. Indeed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 59,184 #33 Posted May 23 21 hours ago, stvski80085 said: Advanced systems can pulse and vary the voltage to clear off the crystalization. That is why it is a good idea to get a bit of seat time on each one every couple of weeks rather than having then sit in the corner. When I was an operator at a power plant we had large battery banks that powered inverters for an Uninterruptable Power Supply for vital equipment. Every month each battery bank would be taken out of service and placed on a load to cycle the battery down and then returned to service on its charger. Cycling the batteries prolonger their life. 21 hours ago, WHX?? said: I've got cheapies on tenders and going on 10 years old now. Yeah ones not on tenders go about 5 tops. 2016 Kubota SxS always on a tender and still load checks good. Same with boat batteries. I just replaced the battery on the GT-14 which was new in 2009, it never saw a tender but never sat unused more than a couple weeks, just the luck of the draw. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 9,184 #34 Posted May 23 @rmaynard have battery tenders on my 3 units , never had any over charge , or any acid / corrosion issues , mainly use them over winter , for erratic usage , but my battery life has been , 5+ years on regular Walmart batteries , now and then, just have tenders plug in and cycle test / charge , no issues , pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 51,330 #35 Posted May 23 2 hours ago, 953 nut said: never sat unused more than a couple weeks, just the luck of the draw. Might be on to something there Richard. Dan says it's best if you just run them. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
