The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Battery maintenance for winter.

What do you do to keep your battery in tip top shape. The '48 sits for 2 or 3 weeks at a time during the winter. I'm thinking battery maintainer. What say you?

A fully charged battery has no problem with sub-freezing temps- - - -just don't let a discharged one freeze. A maintainer that will keep the specific gravity up without overcharging and/or boiling the cells dry is the best option other than taking a 30-minute drive every few days. Just starting the engine without running above idle long enough for the battery to replace the starting load actually does more harm than good, particularly with a 6 volt system.
Jerry

I have been using a solar charger the ones that go on sale for about 10 bucks and are 4 inch wide by about a foot long.clip it on and hang it up in the window of the garage were the sun shines.my truck sits for about 5 months . I do take the battery out of the truck.I also put one on the quad and boat battery.

My 10+ year old 6v Optima battery sat all winter connected to my 1954 Suburban for at least 10 years in a non-heated (often subzero) NY garage (42 degree latitude) .

No trickle-charger, no charge in the Spring.
Started every April/May.

The NC winters will be a little easier on that old battery.

After fellow stovebolters diagnosed me as a battery abuser, I have gotten into a regime of plugging up a low amp charger after demands have been made on the battery. I bought a little Noco Genius and I am very happy with its performance, and I have had no battery issues.

I also have found the Noco easy to use. Here is an article from the motorcycle help site I edit that talks about some of the charger choices.

Ninja 250 FAQ

My classics seldom sit longer than a month without some exercise but when they do my Optimas are always ready. They are amazing and well worth the extra bucks.

The yard dog does sit for months at a time and I keep a Battery Tender Junior on it's lead acid battery.

I have used a disconnect switch on a battery terminal when traveling for more than a month (but I don't think it's really been needed to prevent battery drain-down).

My truck is parked undriven from about November to March every year, much like the motorcycles I have had for over 25 years. Winter here sometimes drops to -20 to -30 degrees Celcius for days if not weeks at a time (-5 to -20 Fahrenheit) and my garage is not heated. My batteries seem to last about 6 years or so, and this is what I do:

First, I make sure the battery is fully charged going into Winter with a battery charger before parking it. Then, on a nice day over winter, maybe around Christmas, I put the charger on it again. Charge again come spring before starting.

As long as the battery does not become fully discharged and frozen it should perform normally once recharged. Unless there is a draw (like a clock) I don't bother to remove or even disconnect the battery. I used to take the battery inside over winter, but eventually found this was of no benefit at all.

All the suggestions are ones I have used for years. Just thought maybe there was something new out there. Think I'll pick up another battery maintainer today and call it good. Thanks guys for the input.

That's a pretty good stress test Stove....thanks for chiming in.

Thanks Allen. I don't know much about old trucks, but when it comes to winter battery maintenance I feel like I have good experience to share!