Harbor Freight trickle charger

[Survivor]

If monitored for water level in the battery, will a Harbor Freight trickle charger work to keep the battery up?

Harris

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by Survivor

If monitored for water level in the battery, will a Harbor Freight trickle charger work to keep the battery up?

Harris

I wouldn't trust anything they sell. How about a Battery Tender? They have proper 3 stage charging.

[travlineasy]

I can highly recommend the Pro-Sport-20 Plus Prosport Battery Chargers 20, Outputs, 12/24v, 20a Capacity

Gary

[mdbee]

Buy something electrical from Harbor Freight????

I buy a few cheap tools there, don't mind if they break if it's a one time use. (most last pretty good) But something electrical no no no, not for me.

LOL I remember them selling push in fuses that wouldn't blow. Well, not at the listed amps. (there was a recall) wonder how many things burned up before the recall? wonder how many people never heard of the recall?

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by Survivor

If monitored for water level in the battery, will a Harbor Freight trickle charger work to keep the battery up?

Harris

Ask a guy named Joe Myerson over on the Cape Dory Forums. He had a HFT trickle charger & killed both of his batts this winter...

The products from Battery Minder or Battery Tender seem excellent and are well trusted in the motorcycle crowds. I have a very old one this still performs just great, though can't recall if it is the "Tender" or "Minder" brand, and I used it to maintain my old garden tractor battery then our convertible battery.

As for HFT I have one on sitting on my bench that does NOTHING and was DOA. I bought it myself and spent my own heard earned $4.00 for it, and got what I paid for...

[g0twind]

Another vote for the Battery Tender. I use one on my marine and one on my car battery over the winter. They are a float switch which will turn off when fully charged.

[SEMIJim]

I wouldn't trust it. HF is good for... well, things that don't matter, basically, but little else, IMO.

I bought one of these GUEST ChargePro 6A Portable Battery Charger on sale for about half off at WM two or three seasons ago. Made up a harness that connects all three batteries in parallel. (Two from Abracadabra, one from Shazaam!) All three are group 24 batteries and all are in good condition and are new or relatively new. I make sure they're each topped-off individually, then harness them together and clip the charger on. Works like a champ all winter, thru sub-0F temps. My batteries are in fine shape come spring.

Inexpensive maintenance/insurance, in my view.

I guess, when I eventually up Abracadabra's house bank to a pair of group 27 batteries I'll have to buy another.

Jim

[Flybyknight]

You have a fine Catalina 27, and you want to buy Chinese!
I know the guy Main Sail was mentioning above.
What he said was putting it mildly.

Dick

[RhythmDoctor]

It seems to me that, as sometimes happens on Sailnet, in the quest for perfection, everyone advises the guy to hit a flea with a sledgehammer.

It seems to me that if you're pulling a battery off a boat for long-term storage, and that battery is fully charged, a float charger is good enough - a simple tool for a simple job. Why pay 5-15x that for a 3-stage charger when 2 of the 3 stages will never be needed?

I agree that HF stuff is cheap. Who else makes a decent float charger that you can recommend? And can someone who has the Guest portable charger tell me what country it was manufactured in?

By the way, I read the Cape Dory forum a few weeks ago. While my recollection of the specifics is hazy, at the time it sounded to me more likely that the battery went dead due to incorrect connection of the float charger than equipment malfunction.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by Powerguy

Try a Powermax converter charger. Pm3-35. Great 3 stage charger

Powerguy,

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest you just MIGHT be a plant from the manufacturer.

You have a total of SIX posts all recommending the Powermax line of products and have dug up some older posts which often indicates you are doing keyword searches for specific words relating to battery chargers..

If you are from the manufacturer and affiliated in anyway PLEASE follow the forum rules...