Winter battery maintenance

JaxDad wrote:
Our tractors run 4D and 8D batteries, big honkin’ FLA batteries.

They typically get parked about this time of year until around Easter.

Most are never touched or have any charger on them that whole time. Some of those batteries are well over 10 years old.

The 2 tractors we do use in the wintertime have a cheap 6 or 10 amp charger on them plugged into a cheap lamp timer that powers the chargers for an hour a day, around 3 or 4am usually.

No need to make stuff complicated.

On older tractors this was what we do. On our newer tractors the parasitic draw will drain the battery down after a month or so. One of the newer tractors has a built in switch so you can shut the battery off. On the other one we have to put a battery maintainer on it.

Our tractors run 4D and 8D batteries, big honkin’ FLA batteries.

They typically get parked about this time of year until around Easter.

Most are never touched or have any charger on them that whole time. Some of those batteries are well over 10 years old.

The 2 tractors we do use in the wintertime have a cheap 6 or 10 amp charger on them plugged into a cheap lamp timer that powers the chargers for an hour a day, around 3 or 4am usually.

No need to make stuff complicated.

My batteries have sat disconnected outside for 6 months each year through the winter for 9 years now with no maintainer and have not lost capacity.
I must have some pretty special batteries that can do that. :B

I agree with Fisherman, my batteries are 10 years old and still going. I credit the battery maintainers with the long life. I have antique cars and also keep maintainers on them and have very good luck with long life batteries in them too!

Veebyes wrote:
Bring them home. Mostly so that somebody does not want them more than you. There is no need for a maintainer. Every month, maybe two, give them a charge enough to bring up to full charge. Wet cells in good condition will only lose about 10% charge per month in storage.

I find it amazing the amount of info people put out there when it comes to batteries. Idle batteries, ie, not being on a maintainer do sulfate and once that happens the batteries loose capacity. Your money, quit trying to hose others that like to keep their equipment in good shape.

Bring them home. Mostly so that somebody does not want them more than you. There is no need for a maintainer. Every month, maybe two, give them a charge enough to bring up to full charge. Wet cells in good condition will only lose about 10% charge per month in storage.

Here is the page for my Power Center:
https://wfcoelectronics.com/product/wf-8955-55-amp/

In the manual it says:
Three-Stage Smart Charging
In order to maximize battery life, it is best to charge batteries slowly, keep them topped off with a trickle-charge when the RV is not being used. The 3-Stage “smart” charger continuously measures the battery voltage output and regulates the amount of charge using three modes of operation; Absorption, Bulk and Float modes.

So, it sounds like I’m good with that? It sounds like just keep the RV plugged in and it should maintain the battery?

If you have a fully charged good battery just disconnect the negative post and recharge in spring. I have done this every year for the past 14 years. I just fully charged my batteries both chassis and my 2 6v GC house batteries this week when I winterized and will recharge in April. No need to keep a charger on all year. A fully charged battery will not freeze over the winter and has a very slow self discharge in cold weather.

So a few of you mentioned leaving them in place on the trailer with the trailer plugged in, to let that do the job of the maintainer. Could somebody elaborate? I haven't gotten to look into the inverter/power system much, but I do have some electrical understanding.

I keep all of my batteries that are not used much on battery maintainers, it seems like they last a lot longer if kept fully charged at all times! I do not take them out in the winter.