Solar battery maintainer?

[deleriumtremor]

Bill my original battery died in 18 months. Most of my commutes are short and the battery never gets a chance to fully charge and the heat here kills everything. They gave me a new one under warranty and I bought the battery maintainer with my FordPass points along with the longer lead on Amazon and hardwired it. I ran the longer lead down the front and out the tow hook so now I can quick connect it. Plus there's a rubber boot above the tow hook so I tuck the end in there when not in use. I connect it at least 3-4 days a week and haven't had any problems since.

I have had identical experiences. I have never had the extreme heat issues you guys deal with, but on my previous GM truck, when I retired and my driving habits changed, I noticed my battery life changed as well (from like 7 years to more like 3 or less). It took a long time and some testing of charge status after short trips to figure out my battery was never getting fully charged and to make matters worse, the normal spool down time for all the gadgets, systems, lights that stay on after you leave, meant even worse discharge states when I would check an hour later.

That is when I decided to try the CTEK charger/conditioner. On the last truck my 18 mo old Napa Legend AGM battery which was heading south, got rehabilitated and I suspect I would have gotten a full life out of it, had I not subsequently made the change.

I think the newer Ford SW is better than the 14yo GM stuff I had before, but in my limited use in the Ranger, I see similar discharge states unless I use the CTEK. Time will tell if I get to 7 years, but for sure, I know it will be better than had I not used the CTEK charger/conditioner.

The pigtails leading out to the tow hook is a great idea. Right now mine goes up and out next to the drivers side window, but with the extra long pigtail I bought for the charger, I will be able to get to the tow hook area no problem. Great idea.

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[AzScorpion]

I have had identical experiences. I have never had the extreme heat issues you guys deal with, but on my previous GM truck, when I retired and my driving habits changed, I noticed my battery life changed as well (from like 7 years to more like 3 or less). It took a long time and some testing of charge status after short trips to figure out my battery was never getting fully charged and to make matters worse, the normal spool down time for all the gadgets, systems, lights that stay on after you leave, meant even worse discharge states when I would check an hour later.

That is when I decided to try the CTEK charger/conditioner. On the last truck my 18 mo old Napa Legend AGM battery which was heading south, got rehabilitated and I suspect I would have gotten a full life out of it, had I not subsequently made the change.

I think the newer Ford SW is better than the 14yo GM stuff I had before, but in my limited use in the Ranger, I see similar discharge states unless I use the CTEK. Time will tell if I get to 7 years, but for sure, I know it will be better than had I not used the CTEK charger/conditioner.

The pigtails leading out to the tow hook is a great idea. Right now mine goes up and out next to the drivers side window, but with the extra long pigtail I bought for the charger, I will be able to get to the tow hook area no problem. Great idea.

I though about running it out by the window like you did but I was afraid I'd end up scratching the hood or the side of the truck. This way I can connect it down low by the tow hook and rest the charger on the front tire. Also I see it when I walk out from the house and don't drive off with it connected. lol There's a few pics in this thread here on how I ran mine down.

 

[Joeiconic]

I use the Ctek charger as well. I generally drive my car to work Mon-Thurs and the Ranger on weekends. Since both vehicles are sitting for days at a time, I move the charger between the two of them when not in use. Simple to use and works great.

 

[deleriumtremor]

I though about running it out by the window like you did but I was afraid I'd end up scratching the hood or the side of the truck. This way I can connect it down low by the tow hook and rest the charger on the front tire. Also I see it when I walk out from the house and don't drive off with it connected. lol There's a few pics in this thread here on how I ran mine down.

I will check it out, thanks much. My weak link was how the pigtail to the battery is routed now. I haven’t backed out with it stil connected, but I did wrap the charger pigtail a couple times so the charger wouldn’t be sacrificed, but the other stuff is still an issue and I know one day I will forget, so out front like you did is perfect. Thx!

 

[AzScorpion]

I will check it out, thanks much. My weak link was how the pigtail to the battery is routed now. I haven’t backed out with it stil connected, but I did wrap the charger pigtail a couple times so the charger wouldn’t be sacrificed, but the other stuff is still an issue and I know one day I will forget, so out front like you did is perfect. Thx!

Just in case you forget you can buy one of these tags. Leave it on the dash tray and it'll remind you to unhook your maintainer. I've almost forgot a few times myself but the outlet is right in front of my truck and I saw it at the last minute.

https://www.amazon.com/Rotary13B1-R...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[ControlNode]

You can get one that plugs into the 12v outlet in the truck. Boom, no solar or electric outlet needed.

You need a 12V outlet in the truck that STAYS live, and not switch off after a few minutes, so hardwired is needed.

Ah, already covered what I was going to point out. THe OBD2 port is an option, I think it is always connected to 12V so that should be a charging option.

I have one from Harbor Freight on my old Durango that sits 2-3 months at a time and it always fires right up.

https://www.harborfreight.com/15-watt-solar-battery-charger-62449.html

This is the one I have in my Civic and it works fine. 84 Civic is old enough that the cigarette lighter is always energized. But, the 99 CR-V wiring didn't, so I added an additional accessory port in the back.

I like the one OP linked, That may be a good option for the car trailer's winch battery since it is IP67. I have other chargers from this company and they have been good, the big once did die outside the warranty.

 

[JesseS]

Just in case you forget you can buy one of these tags. Leave it on the dash tray and it'll remind you to unhook your maintainer. I've almost forgot a few times myself but the outlet is right in front of my truck and I saw it at the last minute.

https://www.amazon.com/Rotary13B1-Remove-Before-Flight-Chain/dp/B00XWIY7WO/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3LDVLEIJ2E8RH&keywords=remove+before+flight+tag&qid=1658707647&sprefix=remove,aps,136&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A3QQNYYEEM66HU&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMjFPUUE3TllXTjFGJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDUwMTAzM1I5SUJPM0JFQldNViZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjkxNjI0MlRGVjJLNlpXMjJLUSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Good Idea.... I almost backed out of the garage with mine plugged it, saw it at the last second. I actually have one of these in my Motorhome, to lower the TV antenna.

 

[deleriumtremor]

Just in case you forget you can buy one of these tags. Leave it on the dash tray and it'll remind you to unhook your maintainer. I've almost forgot a few times myself but the outlet is right in front of my truck and I saw it at the last minute.

https://www.amazon.com/Rotary13B1-Remove-Before-Flight-Chain/dp/B00XWIY7WO/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3LDVLEIJ2E8RH&keywords=remove+before+flight+tag&qid=1658707647&sprefix=remove,aps,136&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A3QQNYYEEM66HU&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMjFPUUE3TllXTjFGJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDUwMTAzM1I5SUJPM0JFQldNViZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjkxNjI0MlRGVjJLNlpXMjJLUSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Again, a great idea.

Thanks for the link, but I already have a bunch of them. I solo’ed when I was 16.

Now, where did I store all that stuff? Been a while since I was pulling them off in Preflight.

 

[SigOris]

I though about running it out by the window like you did but I was afraid I'd end up scratching the hood or the side of the truck. This way I can connect it down low by the tow hook and rest the charger on the front tire. Also I see it when I walk out from the house and don't drive off with it connected. lol There's a few pics in this thread here on how I ran mine down.

So what about snow, ice, and slush getting in the connector ? ?

 

[SigOris]

I will check it out, thanks much. My weak link was how the pigtail to the battery is routed now. I haven’t backed out with it stil connected, but I did wrap the charger pigtail a couple times so the charger wouldn’t be sacrificed, but the other stuff is still an issue and I know one day I will forget, so out front like you did is perfect. Thx!

I mounted a charger in our Polaris Ranger and mounted a 110vac outlet to the side and plug in an extension cord. I’m approaching double digits the times the Ranger unplugged itself. ?

 

[AzScorpion]

So what about snow, ice, and slush getting in the connector ? ?

If we get that stuff here I have bigger problems than the connector. ? ?

 

[halligan1201]

I've never seen these types only the plug in or alligator clip ones. Wouldn't you be drawing from the same battery you're trying to keep charged?

I'm pretty sure he was having a laugh

 

[AzScorpion]

I'm pretty sure he was having a laugh

I was having a blonde moment.

 

[subquark]

This is an old thread but wanted to add my two cents. The OP said that they could only plug in a tender for a few hours at a time.

I have found that my CTEK needs to be plugged in over night to fully cycle. I never timed it but it seems like it needs at least 6 to 8 hours (leaning more to 8 if I had to bet.

That said, if you could plug it in longer even just once a month or every six weeks, I think that would eventually benefit your battery since the CTEK "reconditions" batteries.

Good luck!

 

[AzScorpion]

This is an old thread but wanted to add my two cents. The OP said that they could only plug in a tender for a few hours at a time.

I have found that my CTEK needs to be plugged in over night to fully cycle. I never timed it but it seems like it needs at least 6 to 8 hours (leaning more to 8 if I had to bet.

That said, if you could plug it in longer even just once a month or every six weeks, I think that would eventually benefit your battery since the CTEK "reconditions" batteries.

Good luck!

Mine is the same David. I try to leave mine on the charger 2-3 days a week and the first day it takes roughly 6 hours to fully charge now. When I first bought my Tremor I hooked it up and it took a good 10+ hours to fully charge. Kind of strange because we just just drove it 1,350 miles from WA-AZ and you'd think it would've been charged from that.

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