Maintaining chassis battery
Moderator: bfadmin
- Mel Wilbur
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:39 pm
Maintaining chassis battery
The LSL trik-l-start appears to be a good answer for maintaining the chassis battery. I cannot give a personal report on this item as mine is still in the mail but I have been using two of their products (Toad-Charge and Flame-out) for several years with no problems. Note: as a safety precaution, the Flame-out turns off power to the refrigerator for those of us that travel with it running on lpg, whenever the engine is shut down for refueling. This is no longer offered as most of the newer models have this feature built in.
I contacted the General Manager of the company who offered a $10.00 discount for Leap'n Lions club members. This offer is good for 60 days and limited to the Trik-l-Start, Toad-Charge, and the Lil-Stanker. Unfortunately this was an afterthought so I paid full price for mine. I bought a lottery ticket but didn't win that either. Check it out - http://www.lslproducts.com and check their FAQ and Generic Installation sections for more information.
Any club member interested can contact me for the club discount code.
I contacted the General Manager of the company who offered a $10.00 discount for Leap'n Lions club members. This offer is good for 60 days and limited to the Trik-l-Start, Toad-Charge, and the Lil-Stanker. Unfortunately this was an afterthought so I paid full price for mine. I bought a lottery ticket but didn't win that either. Check it out - http://www.lslproducts.com and check their FAQ and Generic Installation sections for more information.
Any club member interested can contact me for the club discount code.
Last edited by Mel Wilbur on Fri Jan 20, 2012 6:48 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Mel & Connie
- Mel Wilbur
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:39 pm
I use the Deltran Battery Tender Junior, less cost than the Trik-I-Start, and works like a champ.
http://batterytender.com/automotive/bat ... 0-75a.html
Bill
http://batterytender.com/automotive/bat ... 0-75a.html
Bill
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Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo
Escondido, CA
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo
Escondido, CA
- Mel Wilbur
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:39 pm
- Dallas Baillio
- Posts: 1181
- Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:52 pm
I too use the Deltran battery tender. I discovered I can attach it to the chassis battery and run the electrical cord between the hood and fender near the windshield and into the BF through the passenger side door. I then connect to a wall outlet inside the motor home. Since I have the three stage converter, I keep my BF hooked to shore power all the time.
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
coach battery
I found that the easiest way was to install a small, cheap battery disconnect on the coach battery. I start up the coach every month to run the generator and that takes care of recharging any coach battery self discharge.
For those of you who are or want to use the Deltran battery tender, a nice option is to purchase a cigarette lighter adaptor. Here is a link to one on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-De ... B003CJ927I
With this adaptor, you can easily charge your chassis battery. Just plug the battery tender into an outlet in the couch near the front, and plug in the adaptor to one of the 12 volt sockets on the dash. Very easy.
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-De ... B003CJ927I
With this adaptor, you can easily charge your chassis battery. Just plug the battery tender into an outlet in the couch near the front, and plug in the adaptor to one of the 12 volt sockets on the dash. Very easy.
Thanks for the link Biil. A shame that they did not include the cigarette lighter adapter with the Deltran Battery Tender.Bill Dodgen wrote:For those of you who are or want to use the Deltran battery tender, a nice option is to purchase a cigarette lighter adaptor. Here is a link to one on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-De ... B003CJ927I
With this adaptor, you can easily charge your chassis battery. Just plug the battery tender into an outlet in the couch near the front, and plug in the adaptor to one of the 12 volt sockets on the dash. Very easy.
Bill
Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo
Escondido, CA
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo
Escondido, CA
Maintaining Chassis Battery
It appears that we are talking about two different scenarios here:
1. Those who want to maintain the battery while the vehicle is in storage
2. Those who want to maintain the battery while camping and AC power is
available.
I accidentally ran down my battery by leaving my GPS unit plugged in. I
also like to run the dash mounted radio. I chose the Trik-L-Start because
it's fully automatic and supplies up to 5 amps to the chassis battery.
The small trickle chargers supply less than 1 amp...not enough to run the
radio or other items plugged into the 12 volt dash outlets. They are fine
for a vehicle in storage but hooking them up and supplying them with AC
each time you stop can be a hassle.
1. Those who want to maintain the battery while the vehicle is in storage
2. Those who want to maintain the battery while camping and AC power is
available.
I accidentally ran down my battery by leaving my GPS unit plugged in. I
also like to run the dash mounted radio. I chose the Trik-L-Start because
it's fully automatic and supplies up to 5 amps to the chassis battery.
The small trickle chargers supply less than 1 amp...not enough to run the
radio or other items plugged into the 12 volt dash outlets. They are fine
for a vehicle in storage but hooking them up and supplying them with AC
each time you stop can be a hassle.
1999 24RB
Sam,Sam Ryan wrote:So, in effect, these trickle chargers charge the Ford battery(ies) (in the case of the diesel Born Frees,) by plugging them into the dashbord power outlets? The 110 power sockets charge the Ford battery by plugging them into the dashboard power outlets? That's new technology to me. I thought the power outlets on the Ford dashboard only supplied power, not received power.
The cigarette lighter style outlets in the dashboard are connected to the plus and minus 12V DC wiring to the engine (chassis) battery. So plugging a trickle type charger into the outlet would be the same as connecting the charger to the battery with alligator clips. One major difference would be the outlet wiring is only designed to carry about 15 amps, maybe lower. There is a fuse which would blow if you had a high current charger plugged into the dash outlet. Most small portable battery chargers don't supply more than 6-10 amps.