Battery Tender: Which to buy? Don't want to mount it to engine bay
#1
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Battery Tender: Which to buy? Don't want to mount it to engine bay
Which battery tender on the market is super easy to use, doesn't require mounting to the engine bay, has a long warranty, and doesn't take tools to remove from the posts?
Both cars are garaged separately and I would ideally hope I can just plug a tender into each wall, put the tender on the ground, and run cables under the popped hoods.
The cars are only driven once every month or two, but I don't want to mount a tender under the hood of either car and don't want to buy something that will have difficulty hooking up to the side posts on the batteries. I'm concerned the alligator clamp kind may not have anything to grip onto. My mom and sister need to be able to understand how to use them, so I need some tenders that aren't very technical, and they need to be easy to remove.
Advice?
Both cars are garaged separately and I would ideally hope I can just plug a tender into each wall, put the tender on the ground, and run cables under the popped hoods.
The cars are only driven once every month or two, but I don't want to mount a tender under the hood of either car and don't want to buy something that will have difficulty hooking up to the side posts on the batteries. I'm concerned the alligator clamp kind may not have anything to grip onto. My mom and sister need to be able to understand how to use them, so I need some tenders that aren't very technical, and they need to be easy to remove.
Advice?
#2
Kleeborp the Moderator™
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I personally use a Deltran Battery Tender Plus for my Camaro - it's about as simple as it gets as far as hooking it up, includes both alligator clips and ring terminals to hook it to the battery (I use the ring terminals on the side posts on the battery). It doesn't matter which method you use to connect it to the battery, and both have a quick disconnect within about a foot or so of the end so you can quickly unhook it from the tender without having to remove the ring terminals (or alligator clips) from the battery.
The tender sits on the ground next to the car in my garage, and I just pop the hood and hook it up when I get back from driving it every time. I've been using it for 6-7 years at this point, and just picked up a two-bank tender for my truck and lawn mower batteries.
The tender sits on the ground next to the car in my garage, and I just pop the hood and hook it up when I get back from driving it every time. I've been using it for 6-7 years at this point, and just picked up a two-bank tender for my truck and lawn mower batteries.
#3
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I had no idea they had a quick disconnect on them! I did read that the rings were too small to fit the side posts though, is that outdated information???
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I have been using the ones from Harbor Freight that are like 8 dollars LOL. Got one on my Camaro and T Type and both batteries hold a charge. Just like posted above I just sat them on the ground crack the hood and plug back in after a drive.
#7
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Can someone please help me? I purchased two Battery Tender Pluses and sure enough, I can't figure out how to get them hooked up with the rings. I don't want to hook them up with the alligator clips.
For the '95, I got the positive ring on the bolt for the positive cable after filing the inside of it a tiny bit, but when I go to tighten the bolt onto the battery, the plastic on the battery and the plastic on the ring comes into contact and makes tightening the bolt impossible. It's like the ring needs to have a longer neck because it simply won't fit. The alligator clamp method looks so ghetto and they barely hold on, so I don't even consider that an option.
Can someone please post pictures of how they did it? I'm extremely frustrated.
And also, I've been researching on google for the past hour, and everybody seems to be hooking their tenders onto both ports on the battery, why is that? It says in the instructions that you should hook the negative portion to a heavy gauge piece of metal on the car.
I would really appreciate seeing pictures please.
For the '95, I got the positive ring on the bolt for the positive cable after filing the inside of it a tiny bit, but when I go to tighten the bolt onto the battery, the plastic on the battery and the plastic on the ring comes into contact and makes tightening the bolt impossible. It's like the ring needs to have a longer neck because it simply won't fit. The alligator clamp method looks so ghetto and they barely hold on, so I don't even consider that an option.
Can someone please post pictures of how they did it? I'm extremely frustrated.
And also, I've been researching on google for the past hour, and everybody seems to be hooking their tenders onto both ports on the battery, why is that? It says in the instructions that you should hook the negative portion to a heavy gauge piece of metal on the car.
I would really appreciate seeing pictures please.
Last edited by Brangeta; 12-25-2011 at 01:49 PM.