anyone recommend a battery charger

[eddie]

would any of you folks recommend a battery charger that would do all the basics for the pick-up, the orange tractor and several other machines with starters and keys that rely on a good charge?

thanks...
eddie

 

[stuart]

For a battery charger, I don't see much difference between brands and models aside from the maximum current available. Remember that this only indicates what it CAN provide, not what it will actually do, when measured with a proper amp meter.

Going back to old school devices, there was a simple 'float' system whereby the charge rate would drop off as the battery voltage came up close to charger voltage. There was a risk of 'overcharging' (boiling) the battery, so modern units have a bunch of messy electronics. End result is that if the battery is too low, you get no charge. Have to hook it up to a booster battery for a while (back to the old float system) for the flat battery to get enough charge to be recognized by the charger.

The way around that was to get a charger with a 'start' capability. This bypassed all the electronics, and allowed the full 10 or 50 or 100 amps to flow. Old style units with 'start' were also good because you could crank the engine in 'start' mode and get it going NOW, if that was important. 100 amps plus what the battery could provide was often enough.
Modern units with 'start' only allow full current for about 10 seconds then shut down to cool off to 3 minutes. I have one of these and dislike it very strongly. I bought an older technology unit a few months later, and while it is not so bad, it also clicks into 'overload' mode much faster than my unit of 10 years ago.
Whatever you buy, check into the electronic 'safety' features that may limit the flexibility of the unit.

 

[eddie]

thanks for the intel Stuart...thats what I was hoping for, some pros and cons on the functionality of charges. Is there such a thing as a simple trickle type of charger any more?

eddie

 

[avi8tor]

For a battery charger, I don't see much difference between brands and models aside from the maximum current available. Remember that this only indicates what it CAN provide, not what it will actually do, when measured with a proper amp meter.

Going back to old school devices, there was a simple 'float' system whereby the charge rate would drop off as the battery voltage came up close to charger voltage. There was a risk of 'overcharging' (boiling) the battery, so modern units have a bunch of messy electronics. End result is that if the battery is too low, you get no charge. Have to hook it up to a booster battery for a while (back to the old float system) for the flat battery to get enough charge to be recognized by the charger.

The way around that was to get a charger with a 'start' capability. This bypassed all the electronics, and allowed the full 10 or 50 or 100 amps to flow. Old style units with 'start' were also good because you could crank the engine in 'start' mode and get it going NOW, if that was important. 100 amps plus what the battery could provide was often enough.
Modern units with 'start' only allow full current for about 10 seconds then shut down to cool off to 3 minutes. I have one of these and dislike it very strongly. I bought an older technology unit a few months later, and while it is not so bad, it also clicks into 'overload' mode much faster than my unit of 10 years ago.
Whatever you buy, check into the electronic 'safety' features that may limit the flexibility of the unit.

Wow - and I thought I knew about battery chargers - excellent info Stuart

 

[ipz2222]

Sturat covered the batt charger veery well. I will add that for a trickle charger, you can use a charger from many of your electronic thingees, calculator, computer, drills.... . I have several form 250 ma to 600 ma, 12 to 18 volts. I have 4 rideing mowers, 3 boat batteries, 1 motorcycle and the L235. I was buying 2 to 3 batteries a year untill I started useing these as trickle chargers. I bought 1 batt last year and none this year. YOu can find these chargers at flea markets for $2 to $ 3 a piece. buy extras in case one does't work. Oh, you 'll have to buy some alligator clips at Radio Shack to go on the ends and use vom to see which wire is positive.

 

[eddie]

thanks for the information ipz...i probably already own a couple of those little units

 

[stuart]

I had forgotten about those little guys. I bought a portable booster battery to jump start the lawn tractors. It came with a small powerpack. Interesting that while the powerpack is rated at 13.5 volts, the no load voltage from it reads 19.5.
I guess at .5 amps the excess voltage is not really an issue.
I put the powerpack away, as I use the 'real' battery charger to recharge the booster battery.

 

[Boogity]

I just found out about a week ago that those plug-in-the-wall-outlet transformers are called "wall warts". Kind of fitting but still a strange name. I have one from an old AT&T answering machine that the output is 14VDC @ 800ma and it does a great job of float charging my lawnmower and tractor batteries. I haven't had a dead battery for years since I started using it.

 

[eddie]

IPZ2222...thanks again for the tip on using those little thingees to charge batteries, I made one and it worked just fine. I have five batteries around here so will maybe make one or two more, especially for the winter months. Cheers and thanks again.