Float charger or Truckle charger?

[SonofaSierra02]

Float charger or Trickle charger?

I am parking my 2002 Sierra for an undisclosed amount of time (probably around 2 years) while I drive a 1998 Park Avenue to save money and keep the miles off my truck (only 65,000 on it as of now!). I put a somewhat expensive Optima battery in it less than a year ago and would like to make sure it does not go bad from sitting. I was wondering if any of you had experience with using a trickle or float charger and what your recommendations are? Thanks for your time and I look forward to your input.

 

[rdm1465]

Based on what you said. Parking the truck for 2 years. I would be more worried about other things besides just the battery. Make sure that you have fresh clean oil in the engine. Hopefully, you will start it once in awhile to help the seals and gaskets stay wet. Jack the truck up and place it on jack stands (for keeping the tires from getting flat spot). Fresh anti-freeze too. You can get a Battery Tender. I never used it, but have heard good things about it.

 

[dirtclod]

I use battery tenders and like the 750ma (3/4 volt). It supplies a slow charge when needed. I feel that the slower a battery is charged, the safer the process, because a slow charge means less heat is developed and less acid boil over.

 

[Bill325]

The automatic float charger is the best bet. If your truck runs on gasoline, put fresh fuel and fuel stabilizer in the tank. It will be ok for two years , but no longer than that. Run the truck for 20 minutes every 2 weeks or so, and if you have an automatic transmission, put it in forward and reverse gears to keep the valve body functioning. Park the vehicle inside a garage if at all possible. Parking it outside will lead to surface corrosion on the engine, corrosion of the brake disk surfaces, and dead mice in your ventilation system, to name just a few things. If you have to park outside, park over concrete or asphalt , and not dirt.

 

[SonofaSierra02]

rdm1465; that is some good advice. It has fresh oil in it, but I like the idea of flushing the antifreeze and putting it up on jack stands as well. I just put some nice tires on it not too long ago and I would like to preserve them as best I can.

dirtclod; What brand tender did you go with and how are you liking it? I saw some smaller ones that can actually be mounted on the fender well that seemed pretty legit.

Bill325; It is a gas truck and it has about 1/8 of a tank of gas with stabilizer in it currently. I cannot park it inside a garage, but I do have it over a concrete driveway with tarps covering it. Do you have any recommendations as far as brands or voltage to use with a float charger?

 

[dirtclod]

I'm sure there are a lot of good ones out there. Mine is a Deltran Battery Tender Junior. I found it on line for under $30 delivered. I bought 2 of them over 3 yrs ago and both are still going strong.

 

[Bill325]

As dirtclod advises, Deltran seems to make good products. Griot's Garage also sells good products, and my favorite small charger came from them. Be willing to pay a little extra for a good charger. Some onboard chargers are sealed from the weather, and designed to be left in the vehicle. Avoid chargers from Harbor Freight. I've also had bad luck with two chargers made by Schumacher , and they're making chargers for a whole lot of retailers now days, sold under different brand names.