Trolling Motor Battery Charger

[CAGE RATTLER]

Looking for recomendations for a decent charger for a 35AH AGM battery.
I definately want a smart charger. Was looking at some schumacher chargers but there is so many different versions its getting a little confusing.

Whats everyone else using?

I have a Battery Tender Junior for my small battery for FF but at 750ma its going to be way to slow for larger batteries.

[john from md]

Smart chargers are not cheap. Don't waste money on chargers like Schmacher makes as they don't cut it. You need a smart charger that desulfates when it charges. The best buy for up to a 50ah battery is the Batteryminder 1500. You can get it for $49 plus $6 shipping from Northern tool supply. There are other units like Ctek and NOCO genius but I have experience with batteryminders in the aviation world and I don't have as much experience with the others.

Regards,

John

[CAGE RATTLER]

Thanks for the reply John. I guess we are the only ones with battery chargers.
1.5 amp is a little smaller than what I'm looking for. The BT jr had it topped off overnight so I guess I'll stick with that for awhile.

I have some old manual chargers but have been wanting to upgrade them for awhile.

[john from md]

You can get a Batteryminder 2/4/8 amp but it is about $90. You can get a CTEK 3.5 or NOGO Genius 4.3 for about $85.

I have a 50AH battery and the 1.5 will charge it from a 50% depletion state to full overnight.

Regards,

John

[buzz]

Smart chargers are not cheap. Don't waste money on chargers like Schmacher makes as they don't cut it. You need a smart charger that desulfates when it charges. The best buy for up to a 50ah battery is the Batteryminder 1500. You can get it for $49 plus $6 shipping from Northern tool supply.

Really?
I wasn't going to chime in because I thought I was one of the ones who cheaped out on a battery charger. But $49? That's about what I paid. Figured that was cheap. Mine has a 6v-12v switch and a current switch for 2-10-JumpStart. Got it at Pep Boys.

I was under the impression that the good ones were $100 and up.

[john from md]

Here are some links. I was a little off on my prices. The reason I like the Batteryminder is that it has full time desulfation.

http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-Multi-12-...s=ctek+charger


http://www.amazon.com/BatteryMINDer-...=batteryminder



http://www.amazon.com/BatteryMINDer-...=batteryminder

[buzz]

Cage Rattler, I just did a little digging and found that part of the confusion out there is the use of the term "smart charger".

Most battery charger companies use the term to mean that you can set the charger to a high amp setting to fast charge the battery and when its done it will switch to the low amp trickle charge. But most boaters use the term to mean "float charger". A Float Charger will not only trickle charge, but it will monitor the battery to prevent over-charging and thermal runaway. You can leave a float charger connected and running the whole time your battery is not being used since it turns itself on and off as necessary... whereas a standard trickle charger should be turned off when it reads that charging is complete.

Funny thing is that float chargers are not very expensive. Sure, some are... but those are the ones that have fast charging capabilities also... and we don't want those. Fast charging shortens the life of your battery and is an absolute no-no for gel cell and AGM. You can get a good low amp float charger for somewhere between $20 and $40 like the Deltran Battery Tender Jr.

...good info ==> http://www.batteryfloatchargers.com

[dsiekman]

I've got a buddy who maintains battery backup (UPS) systems. When I was faced with the same question he suggested the Westward 1jyu8a. Grainger used to stock it but I'm guessing there's a new model. I wanted one charger that would do everything from charge my FF battery to jump my lawn tractor.

[CAGE RATTLER]

After taking my trolling motor for a test run I hooked it up to the battery tender junior and its been charging for 25 hours now and still not finished charging.
Needless to say, I definately want something quicker and just found this charger that looks like it will definately do the job and also has the pulse desulfation mode.

Schauer Charge Master CM6A Automatic Charger Desulfator: 12 Volt, 2/4/6 Amp

http://www.batterymart.com/p-cm6a-sc...esulfator.html

$45.95 and free shipping seems like a good deal.

anyone want to buy a slightly used Battery Tender Junior?

[john from md]

I couldn't find too many reports on these units. They appear to be Chinese kockoffs though.

Regards,

John

[CAGE RATTLER]

John whats your opinion on the CTEK 4.3? Looks like its one of their newer chargers and has an 8 step program compared the 4 step of the 3300 and is only a few bucks more. Its 4.3 amps and also has a 0.8 amp setting for smaller batteries like we use for our FF's.

http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-93-56-864.../dp/B006G14FK8

[john from md]

CTEK makes a good charger. It is supplied with many high dollar European automobiles. Make sure you buy the US model as they have different voltages in Europe.

John

[buzz]

Well thanks to this thread, I've upgraded to a CTEK MUS 4.3. Hooked it up yesterday and have never felt better about my deep cycle battery.


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[john from md]

Good job! I have both my boat and yak batteries charged and waiting but I need 60 degree water temp before I venture out.

John