Topic: Trickle charger issue

[krksquared]

I've been using a Harbor Freight Automatic Battery Maintainer #59000 (the one they sell for around $10) on my bikes. Only problem is with my CB400F. After a period of time (maybe a month or so), a couple of cells or so are rather dry and the battery won't start the bike. I suspect the charger isn't tapering the charge properly but I haven't had time yet to make any measurements. Anyone here have a similar experience. My other bikes seem to be ok so it might just be a problem with the specific charger. Then again, I better check the batteries on my other bikes too!

[MauiK3]

I use a battery tender on sealed batteries
No issues
I think it’s your charger

[C317414]

I also think it's the charger.  I use Battery Tender and Yuasa battery maintainers for long term storage of all my bikes, car, truck, and small boat, without any issues.

[newday777]

I've been using a Harbor Freight Automatic Battery Maintainer #59000 (the one they sell for around $10) on my bikes. Only problem is with my CB400F. After a period of time (maybe a month or so), a couple of cells or so are rather dry and the battery won't start the bike. I suspect the charger isn't tapering the charge properly but I haven't had time yet to make any measurements. Anyone here have a similar experience. My other bikes seem to be ok so it might just be a problem with the specific charger. Then again, I better check the batteries on my other bikes too!

You are correct, it's the HF product. They are junk to begin with. Stop wasting your money on their tenders. Yours isn't the first I've seen and also read about of the past 15 years on goldwing forums and also having worked at a trike shop that used them as multiple bikes parked long term awaiting projects. The owner of the shop was an OCD type A engineer but got far behind many times and decided cheap was OK to do on battery tenders...... It doesn't work.

For my own research I went with the Schumacher 3 amp maintainers with desulfication mode to shake off the plates with a quick reverse shot in maintenance mode to give longer battery life. I have 4 of them and leave them on the batteries over long term storage. I get 3-5 years out of yuassa batteries.
Remember though, that wet cell batteries need to have water level kept filled.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-Electric-s-6V-12V-Battery-Charger-Maintainer/528968839

[Stev-o]

Some things are best not saving a few dollars on: tires and battery chargers.

I have the Yuasa Smart Shot, have had it over 10 years

[Alan F.]

I agree, the best way to be cheap is to find your best deal on a quality product.

About 12 years ago i received a coupon in the mail from the local Toyota dealer for 10% off in their parts department. One day while having a recall upgrade perfomed (for free) I browsed the shelves of waxes and cleaners, I spotted a row of Battery Tender Juniors & paid about $28 for one with the coupon.

[krksquared]

Yep. I checked things after an overnight charge (~14hrs) and found the battery/charger at 13.88 volts. Would probably go higher if I let it. Don't know where the trickle is but at that rate the electrolyte will warm up enough to evaporate. Will junk the HF stuff. Half tempted to design my own but probably not worth it if I can find something I can rely on. Will checkout the Schumacher product. it's just that the HF stuff is tempting when you have a fleet :-)

[Alan F.]

Trickle chargers without automatic controls are good in a pinch but topping off the electrolyte and monitoring progress really are key. These aren't "float chargers" or "maintainers" but they'll work on a battery that's still capable of taking a charge if you keep a steady eye on them.

I have a NAPA unit that I use if I've got an AGM that my Battery Tender Junior won't detect. I'll throw the "dumb" charger on it for an hour at a time until the 'Tender Jr. can detect it and continue charging fully.

[willbird]

Yep. I checked things after an overnight charge (~14hrs) and found the battery/charger at 13.88 volts. Would probably go higher if I let it. Don't know where the trickle is but at that rate the electrolyte will warm up enough to evaporate. Will junk the HF stuff. Half tempted to design my own but probably not worth it if I can find something I can rely on. Will checkout the Schumacher product. it's just that the HF stuff is tempting when you have a fleet :-)

I bought a NOCO Genius at MaoMart, friends wax poetic about them so I took their advice and got the 5A one. They have settings for different battery types, in my case it was/is an AGM battery.

Bill

[Bodi]

I have a battery tender. I left it connected for a month or two and found the 400F battery halfway to dry on all cells.
Since then I connect it to a bike once a month until the green LED comes on steady. Still have to top some cells up a but in the spring but that's reasonable.
I don't think any charger should be connected all the time. Maybe gel cells or AGMs are different?

[RAFster122s]

Had a battery tender wallwart style go bad 9n me that was left charging a gell cell battery that was 3 months old and it killed the battery when I discovered it a couple months later. I wasn't happy to lose a $100 battery. I haven't bought another Battery Tender brand since.

[PeWe]

I charge every month or 2 during the winter. 24-48 hours.  If bike is not used, a 24hours charge once a month.
I read that AGM batteries need higher charging voltage, 14. 8V.  Not long time at lower charge.

So the bike with AGM battery can get a few hours AGM mode charging even after a ride.
Bike charge it mostly 14.3-14.5V.

GEL need less, around 14.1V. Also read on Internet.

My charger is CTEK 5A charger.
EU version of this
https://smartercharger.com/collections/car-battery-chargers/products/ctek-mxs-5-0

https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/mxs-5-0-uk

[Alan F.]

I agree, the idea of connecting a charger for winter storage is appealing but it's not a good idea. Charging at regular intervals for short periods of time is the way to go.

[willbird]

I agree, the idea of connecting a charger for winter storage is appealing but it's not a good idea. Charging at regular intervals for short periods of time is the way to go.

The thing is there are so many opinions about this. Some folks say that throwing a charger on every month, any charger is "the best way to ruin a battery". Hard to sort the wheat from the chaff really. Even finding out the best way to charge say an AGM battery designed and sold to drop into our bikes will leave you with 2-3 contrary answers.

Back in the 70's and even up to now IMHO with a flooded lead acid battery it seamed like 2 seasons was the best outcome we could hope for, and IMHO that second season often left me kick starting the bike the final month before there was anything frozen on the road. My dad always swore that the vibration inherent to most MC of the day was the root cause of that shorter than automotive battery life.

Bill

[Alan F.]

Agm batteries shouldn't need charging, just bring them indoors when temps dip below freezing and throw them back in the bike in the spring.

[HondaMan]

Agm batteries shouldn't need charging, just bring them indoors when temps dip below freezing and throw them back in the bike in the spring.

Aye.
When I had my shop, we had a large unheated quonset hut on the back of the building where we rented space to the guys (and only one girl, back then) who wanted their bikes parked out of the elements. SOP was to pull all of the batteries, which were ID'd and stored on shelves that were at least 3 feet off the (very cold!) winter floor inside the shop (which was about 50 degrees during the winter months). We had 3 trickle chargers of .25A (12v) or .75A (6v) rate, and we'd rotate them from battery to battery each day, along the 3 shelves, until the owners came back for their bikes, somewhere around 30-40 bikes each year. This meant the batteries each got at least 1 day in 10 with a small charger on them. It kept most of them alive and well, and none dried out.

BUT - those were also all 'wet' lead-acid batteries, so your performance may vary...

[Alan F.]

Oh I miss my old 1/4 amp trickle charger. I might need to build one someday, I doubt we'll ever see them commercially available again.

That's a lot of bikes Mark. I can't imagine the amount of insurance storing so many bikes would require today, but back then it probably wasn't even an issue.

[HondaMan]

Oh I miss my old 1/4 amp trickle charger. I might need to build one someday, I doubt we'll ever see them commercially available again.

That's a lot of bikes Mark. I can't imagine the amount of insurance storing so many bikes would require today, but back then it probably wasn't even an issue.

I might have some of those old transformers for the 1/4 amp chargers: I'll look tomorrow. I had about 20 of them left when I moved to Colorado, and the box has just moved along with me...

Yeah, the insurance thing: we only had to have fire insurance for the stored bikes back then. It was only $200-$350 per month, depending on how many bikes were there each month (we had to count and report them). I'd bet today this would be 10x that figure? But, we made enough $$ from the monthly storage rate to pay my other 2 shop guys and me our 'base rate' of $7.50/hr (excellent wages in 1973!), but only part-time in winter, 2-3 days per week between November 1 and March 15. I'd bet no one does THAT today, either...?

[Scootch]

I have 4 of those exact Harbor Freight maintainers that I have used on various vehicles and battery types over entire winters. I have never had an issue with any of them or the batteries they were hooked to.

Intuitive user interface with tri-color LED indicator for charging and operation status
Easy access reference guide on the maintainer body
Built-in indication for reverse polarity, bad battery, short circuit, and incorrect battery voltage
Auto shut-off when fault is detected
Microprocessor controlled for intelligent, safe, and efficient battery maintenance

For use with standard lead acid batteries, AGM, gel

[MauiK3]

When my wages working on submarines reached the $8.00 hr. range I was able to purchase a very small house. I was thrilled.

[Alan F.]

HF still has that one for $10

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/battery-tools-accessories/battery-chargers-maintainers/12v-automatic-battery-maintainer-59000.html

[C317414]

All batteries loose charge when not used.  AGM batteries tend to loose charge at a slower rate than flooded lead-acid. 

A modern, multi-stage battery charger/maintainer is very different from the trickle chargers of old.  The practice of connecting a battery to a charger for a certain amount of time, and then disconnecting it is not necessary with a modern, multi-stage charger.  These chargers are designed to bring a battery up to 100% in stages, then reduce to to a float/maintenance charge.

All my bikes, my boats, as well as my RV are hooked up to multi-stage battery charger/maintainers when not being used.  Moreover, my truck and car are also hooked up to one, when stored 4-months out of the year,  I have never had a problem with battery life, losing excessive electrolyte due to evaporation, etc, when using a name-brand, modern battery charger/maintainer: Battery Tender, Yuasa, OptiMate, etc.

For example, my oldest motorcycle battery (Yuasa flooded lead acid) was 9 years old, and going strong when I replaced it with a lithium iron phosphate battery (required for e-start conversion on my Commando).  My large boat's battery bank (6ea golf cart batteries), was 8 years old, and also going strong when I sold the boat last year.