battery tender over winter

U

ugabulldog

Member
Is the only advantage of a using a battery tender over winter to keep batteries charged? In other words, would it be the same to not use one, remove battery and just charge a dead battery once with a battery charger in the spring or is the latter bad on batteries to let them run down in the first place?
 
If you keep the battery charged over the winter with a battery tender, the battery will likely be good in the spring to start the mower. If you don't charge the battery all winter, it will likely be dead in the spring, fail to take a charge, and need replacement. I don't charge mine continuously over the winter, but rotate the tender every few days between my tractor and the two mowers. A week on the tender every other week is sufficient. Cold weather and hot weather coupled with lack of charging destroys batteries. When you mow every week or so in the warm months, the battery gets charged by the alternator.
 
Agree, when a battery is just left, sulphation begins. Thus the beginning of a downhill decline.

I use Battery MINDers* with ambient temp compensators. They can adjust the float level by the surrounding temps.

And I rotate my chargers as well.
 
7394 said:
Agree, when a battery is just left, sulphation begins. Thus the beginning of a downhill decline.

I use Battery MINDers* with ambient temp compensators. They can adjust the float level by the surrounding temps.

And I rotate my chargers as well.
Click to expand...

I NEVER have an issue with my equipment .. :laughing:..:laughing:

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I generally run my tractor 2 or 3 times a week, in the Winter...mostly doing some chansawing in the woods, etc. Whenever I am out in the shop for any length of time, I hook up a trickle charger to the mower battery, and bring the battery to full charge. At least once a week, I start the lawn tractor up, and let it run for several minutes....that way, between keeping the batteries charged, and running the units several times during the Winter, all I have to do is turn the key when I need to use them. I usually get several years out of a battery before they show any signs of wearing out.
 
never liked battery tenders.
With modern batteries, if left to go dead flat they are very hard to recharge.
I use a standard battery charger & a 7 day timer.
Batteries get 15 minutes from a regular charger once a week.
Mower batteries do not get removed as we mow all ear round.
Motorcycle batteries get removed and all joined together then connected to a single charger.

Finally all batteries will self discharge, some just do it slower than others.
A pressure valve regulated battery usually will go several years.
However mower owners are cheap so mower batteries will generally fully self discharge is a couple of months.
 
In this area of the country we recommend using a battery tender constantly. The cold takes the batteries down real fast. Using a tender on the tractors means they will be ready when needed. If the unit will not be used for more than a month, we recommend removing the battery and storing where temps do not get below 40 degrees and trickle charging for 24 hours every four weeks. Never store on concrete as they will discharge twice as fast.
 
ok, I see the battery tender is better than not using one, what about disconnecting and storing inside house? would this keep battery form going bad just as good as the tender?
 
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