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John VB 11-19-2009 17:37:22 151.213.43.128 343862 Report to Moderator	I have three lawn mower batteries. Would it work to wire the three batteries in parallel then use one battery tender (float charger) to keep them charged over the winter? Just wondering. Thanks. [Reply]   [Send Email]
John VB 11-21-2009 04:33:15 151.213.43.128 344003 Report to Moderator	Re: Battery tender question - Not JD related in reply to John VB, 11-19-2009 17:37:22   Thanks for the replies guys. These batteries are at my mom's place. I want to set them up in the fall and don't want her to have to be switching chargers and batteries during the winter. I will also check out what Harbor has to offer.   [Reply]   [Send Email]
John T 11-20-2009 08:45:56 66.244.97.31 343919 Report to Moderator	Re: Battery tender question - Not JD related in reply to John VB, 11-19-2009 17:37:22   Sure it "can" work HOWEVER I'm in Geralds camp on this one and I would simply rotate it now n then to the different batteries. Wired in paralell batteries can (subject to several things) react to and work with or against each other which you dont have to worry about if you tend them seperately. To each his own, either can work so its simply a matter of choice, opinion (to which all are entitled) and personal preference. Id do it as posted, youre free to do as you please. Best wishes n God Bless Ol John T (Too long retired EE and rusty as an old nail lol)   [Reply]   [No Email]
jdemaris 11-20-2009 09:05:52 67.142.130.19 343923 Report to Moderator	Re: Battery tender question - Not JD related in reply to John T, 11-20-2009 08:45:56   Yes, mismatching batteries of differnt capacites and/or ages can be a problem. I go though this often with large battery banks. But, when someone has a $4000 battery bank hooked in series or series-parallel, and one battery goes bad . . . it make little sense to replace all the batteries. Usually all that is needed is to charge all the batteries by themselves first. Then check nominal voltage. If closely matched, they'll be fine. If you have a blooper with a low nominal voltage, don't hook it in. These battery tenders to a great job of extending battery life. They monitor voltage and never let it drop below 13.5 which greatly prevents sulphation. If batteries had to be charged independently, a lot of diesel pickup truck owners (and tractor owners) would be in trouble - running single alternators and dual staring batteries.   [Reply]   [Send Email]
John T 11-20-2009 09:54:42 66.244.97.31 343929 Report to Moderator	Re: Battery tender question - Not JD related in reply to jdemaris, 11-20-2009 09:05:52   Yo JD, Dont some of the modern "smart" chargers also de sulphate by using a high frequency shock/pulse?? I would guess it takes more quality then a cheapie Wally World unit to do that but I havent looked into it lately. Your thoughts??? John T   [Reply]   [No Email]
jdemaris 11-20-2009 10:46:16 67.142.130.16 343937 Report to Moderator	Re: Battery tender question - Not JD related in reply to John T, 11-20-2009 09:54:42   Yes, I've got many. I've got a bunch of tractors sitting up in northern Michigan along with a Ford diesel truck. Many batteries that spend most of the year doing nothing. I bought some pricey Shumacher 1.5 amp battery trickle chargers that are high frequency. Around $40 each and work great. I have one hooked to four batteries in parallel, and the other for two in parallel. Afterwards, Harbor Freight starting selling no-name equivalents for $14 each which is amazing. I've got half a dozen and they work great. 1.5 amp, high frequency and with permanent mounting brackets if you want them attached to a tractor, car, or truck. They work every bit as good as the Schumachers - and for all I know, they may come from the same Chinese factory. My mini-motor home is a Chevy K5 4WD diesel with six batteries and I don't drive it in the winter. I've got three of those tenders hooked to it. One tender per each set of two large batteries. Two starting batteries and four large deep-cycle batteries with over 500 amphours. They run the on-board 6000 watts worth of inverters. I did find that a 1.5 amp tender cannot work on four big batteries. It stays on all the time. They work by charging to 14.8 VDC, then turning off, and then coming back on when battery volts drop below 13.5 VDC. Problem is . . . with a large bank over 200-300 amp hours, and even new batteries - 1.5 amps can't get them above the 14.8 VDC threshold. One warning - those high frequencies do a number on any AM radio that's withing 300 feet. But, only wheh the chargers are actually charging.   [Reply]   [Send Email]
Gerald J. 11-20-2009 08:23:56 75.253.112.175 343915 Report to Moderator	Re: Battery tender question - Not JD related in reply to John VB, 11-19-2009 17:37:22   You could if they are the same age and have the same density electrolyte at full charge. Else they will charge unevenly. It would be easier to just move the battery tender from one battery to the next every week or ten days, or even less often. Gerald J.   [Reply]   [No Email]
Loren NC 11-20-2009 08:21:08 75.201.85.132 343913 Report to Moderator	Re: Battery tender question - Not JD related in reply to John VB, 11-19-2009 17:37:22   I am not familiar with battery tenders, but I do know about hooking up batteries in parallel for charging. I worked for a couple of years in an automotive battery factory and would hook up several lines of 36 batteries each every night. I am not sure why you would want continuous charge on batteries over a long period of time, but on the other hand don't see how a trickle charge would hurt them either. Might save youself some bucks if you charged for a few hours every few weeks instead of continuously.   [Reply]   [No Email]
jdemaris 11-20-2009 06:13:48 67.142.130.37 343906 Report to Moderator	Re: Battery tender question - Not JD related in reply to John VB, 11-19-2009 17:37:22   It will work fine. I've got several 1.5 amp battery tenders hooked to much bigger battery banks and they are keeping up. On one setup, I've got one 1.5 amp tender hooked to three large tractor batteries in parallel. Works fine. My only complaint is some of these newer tenders claim to use high-frequency charging. Well, when they actually come on to charge, it knocks out all AM radio reception for 300 feet. But, they only cost $14 each, so it's still a bargain.   [Reply]   [Send Email]
Dave (in IL) 11-20-2009 05:19:52 66.116.41.3 343903 Report to Moderator	Re: Battery tender question - Not JD related in reply to John VB, 11-19-2009 17:37:22   good idea. I don't see why not but we will see what other comments are.   [Reply]   [No Email]