For 10 bucks (sometimes 5 bucks with coupon) you can “maintain” your charge with a trickle charger/battery maintainer from Harbor Freight. I bought a dozen of them (6 were by accident… long story, kind of). I’ve used them even in the frozen north, for months at a time, and they did the trick!
All you need is an AC outlet and a cord. Voila!
I’d make sure to start with a fully charged battery.
CSA
A lot of you are saying use a trickle charger or battery tender what do you think of the solar powered battery tender;s? I was going to get one a while back but never got around to it I think the way thing;s are now might be a good time to go for it.
They are good if you typically park outside, and if your “cigarette lighter” outlet remains hot when the ignition is shut-off.
Yes I park outside as I don’t have a garage and do get good sun one nice day;s on one truck the cigarette lighter remain;s hot on the other truck I would have to run another wire witch should not be much of a problem.
I was going to get one for my van that lives on the Sun Coast, where it’s sunny practically every day. It lives alone for half the year, without me.
However, I have a young woman who checks the van and takes it for a joy ride, once in a while. So, I was hesitant to leave a solar charger plugged in and having to explain a procedure for having the solar charger and driving the van. Instructions for chargers say to disconnect while starting.
So, I opted to just have her take it for a thrill ride (Old Dodge Caravan… Feel the thrill, impress your friends!!) once in while and it seems to work. It’s always charged up when I get in the driver’s seat. Besides, I get the van run up to operating temperature and the termites dusted off the brakes, too. Voila!
CSA
Yeah, but she can take seven friends at once. Feel that magic! I’m sure she does.
Not anymore. 6-27 foot distance apart.
Incidentally as CSA picked his tender up at HF for $5, I bought mine at Ace. Paid $41 for it. I wanted Schumer but all they had was the Tender Jr. that was $24 at the farm store. I figured I just made a contribution to the health of the local hardware store that I want to stay in business.
I have a 10 watt solar panel on the dash.
No “hot” cig lighter socket so I tapped into a line under the dash and added a connector.
After a few hours in the sun it brings the bat voltage up to 13.6V, even though this last month I’ve been driving about 2 miles per week.
That’s often a very wise move. Congratulations on money well spent. Up north, we lost our local hardware store. It closed, partly due to competition selling stuff from who knows where at ridiculously low prices. I have made similar purchase decisions myself.
A man has to ask, “What’s it worth to have a local retailer willing to stock many ‘slow moving’ inventory items just to have them available to me when an emergency situation rears its ugly head?”
And that’s not to mention a store with helpful employees, rather than employees who have never changed a light bulb or have never heard of push points (I had to go to my local store for helpful and easy access to finding these in stock, recently, for example.).
Support your local stores whenever possible.
Good for you @bing! I like your style, eh, Bud!
You’re the man!
Don’t ya know!
CSA
What goes on in Bradenton, stays in Bradenton! You go kids (These days it’s anybody younger than 55 to me)! Feel the magic in that!
*CSA
YEs , go out for a drive for 20 or 30 minutes and out on to the highway . It will save your car and your sanity !