Deltran battery tender. A good buy?

[central52]

I'm thinking of getting one of those battery trickle chargers from Deltran. I drive my 47 Plymouth once a week on the Wilbur Cross Parkway here in Connecticut for about 18 miles. Would this be enough to keep the battery charged? With winter around the corner, I'm concerned the battery might go dead even tho I still plan on driving it, for the exercise, on that 18 mile run. Ed P.

[oldmopar]

I would just disconnect the battery cable and then the day before you want to use the car put it on a tickle charger to top it off

[Young Ed]

I don't think you need one either. My cars are parked unaccesible for winter. I unhook the battery and it sits in the car for a good 5 months. In the spring I hook the battery back up and drive out of the garage. Only time I ever had an issue is this past spring when the float in my coupe stopped floating!

[Howard Tarnoff]

I have batter tenders for my cars and use them all the time. The battery stays healthier, including the Optima units. It is pretty easy to find a convenient drop point for the umbilical cable that comes with the unit if you don't want the hassle of using the clips on the terminal posts. In my 49 the batter is in the trunk and I have the connection for the Battery Tender in the spare tire well. Have been using these since 1999 and never been disappointed.

[Don Coatney]

I do not see the need for one of these. My car will sometimes sit for several weeks. I do not disconnect the battery cable. It has never failed to start for me.

[50 Deluxe]

I found my Battery would run down after a week or so of being left alone. I found this Battery switch at Wally World for about a buck. All you do is turn it to connect or disconnect the battery connection.

[central52]

Thinking of installing an original Borg working clock in my 47 coupe. Now, how would that affect the battery since it will be drawing a little juice all the time?

One of those battery tenders a good idea? Ed

[Don Coatney]

Thinking of installing an original Borg working clock in my 47 coupe. Now, how would that affect the battery since it will be drawing a little juice all the time?

One of those battery tenders a good idea? Ed

How many amps will the clock be drawing?

[JIPJOBXX]

I have one and well I think I could have saved 50 dollars as I never use it. I was having problems starting my old Dodge up but then someone here mentioned that my ground cable was not the right size. So I changed that out and I have never had an issue with that again.

[carls 49]

i don't think you need one. i only drive mine once a week or two year round. its always fine.

[central52]

I think the clock will draw two amps. I read somewhere that it has a 2 amp fuse. I drive it once a week about 20 miles. Keep the juices flowing. It always starts up after a little bit of cranking.

I'm just concerned it might bring the battery down a bit. Ed

[Don Coatney]

What did the new owners of these cars do??????????/

[BobT-47P15]

I've been considering a tender.

I don't start or drive the car on a regular basis, so that battery

can sit for several weeks unused.

I do have a master cutoff switch to prevent any drains while sitting.

My 6 volt batteries have been lasting maybe four years.

Don't know if a tender would help with longevity or not.

**Don, I think the new owners drove the car a lot more regularly than we tend to.

[Guest P15-D24]

We have extra fun cars which we only drive every 3-4 weeks. After having to replace two batteries last year due to sitting, I installed Battery Tender 800 waterproof units with quick connect pigtails. Work great and I also have them on my generator, quad, motorcycle and chipper. (all have battery starters) I also keep my 6 volt on one since it has been sitting for quite some time. Needless to say everything starts when I flip the switch!

[central52]

When using the battery tender, do you take the caps off the cells? Or leave them on all the time?

On my really old Woodward-Schumacher battery charger, it said to take the caps off when charging. When you see the water bubbling, you know that it's all charged up.

Deltran instructions don't mention this procedure. I e-mailed them last week, and I'm still waiting for them to respond. So, caps on or off? Ed

[Niel Hoback]

Caps are vented so it shouldn't matter, take them off if you. Bubbling just means its charging and will continue to bubble as long as its still charging.

[james49ply]

If you want a tender to keep battery up over the winter I highly recommend that you get a trickle charger that shuts off when charged, and will come on when battery drops. This type of charger is used by motorcycles and works excellent, have battery charged when you put it on and leave the caps on (prevents foreign stuff from getting in). it only charges when needed and at a low rate. It is a hook it up forget it (just remember to remove before driving.

[Niel Hoback]

Your initial post said you drive the car 18 miles once a week. Certainly that is enough to keep the battery charged. I drive 1 to 3 times a week, but not nearly that far and have no battery problems . You may be just looking for peace of mind which can be had by driving the car and gaining confidence in it.

Please don't take this as a smart aleck response, I just hate to see anyone wasting time and money on something they probably don't need. NO OFFENSE INTENDED.

[central52]

None taken. Any and all advice and information is appreciated. That's why I love this forum. Ed