Trickle Charger for Ford Diesel

15 dollars at Harbor Freight. I use two of them on the truck in the winter and one on the car all summer. Work just fine.

Solar for the truck with panels amounted on the garage roof.

A guy on a tractor forum I'm on just lost his machine to a HF trickle charger. I'd spend a few bucks more and get something better like a deltran.

They make float chargers specifically for your needs. If the batteries start in good condition one should be able to keep both topped off. For about the same price you can buy a smart charger that will bring up a battery that is partially run down and then go into the float mode when the battery is fully charged. I use one of the smart chargers on an old tractor that has a bad generator. It stays on any time I'm not using it and floats most of the time but brings the battery back up after I have been using it.

I also have several vehicles that I don't use in the Winter. Instead of using float chargers on them I just top off the charge with my smart charger mid Winter and in the Spring. Sometimes just the Spring when I forget. Works for me.

Read what charger does as wording is often misrepresented.
Trickle chargers are design to keep the battery topped off overnight. They have low amp, but high voltage and left for long time will boil your battery dry.
I have been using THOSE HF maintainers since when they sold for 4 bucks, what makes about 25 years.




But everything in this life is subject to failure, so having maintainer on, you should check it once a month.
For 3-6 month dry storage I found disconnecting battery clamp the easiest and really foolproof way to go.

I use a Schumacher, hard mounted in truck.
SE-1-12S-CA Fully Automatic Onboard Battery Charger - 1.5 Amps.
Been in use since Feb 2016. Maintains both batteries in our 01 7.3.
Mines outside so added a NOCO Genius GCP1 Black 13 Amp 125V AC Port Plug so I can close the hood.

Maintainer
AC port

The "Turns on and off as needed"
is a red flag, but you know that already?

I have this Deltran battery tender hanging on the wall in my garage where the truck parks. It’s connected to the truck at all times because it may sit there for a few days or a few weeks before I drive it again.

5 Amp Power Tender Plus

I also have a Deltran two-bank battery charger that I plug our two cars in to whenever we are out camping with the truck.

1.25 Amp 2-Bank Battery Tender

Yes they’re a little spendy, but you can find them on Amazon for less.

:):)

I like Schumacher chargers. I have several for my bikes and ATV. but these 1.5a chargers say do not use on larger truck batteries as it may never reach charged state.

Now I just throw a 15a charger on my truck every couple weeks when it sits during the winter.

Just get any decent quality battery maintianer. This can range from a little plug in one, to a hard wired marine type charger/maintianer.
Cheap one will work fine and it'll keep 2 batteries topped off indefinitely. Used one for years on my boat until I wired in a single bank marine charger.
Have a couple maintainers I move around on under used equipment, mowers, wheelers etc. super simple. Go to Autozone 2 minutes later you have a maintianer.