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I'm on my second Deltran Battery tender. The first one was the Battery Tender Junior .75a that lasted about 4 years before it shot craps. The second is a Battery Tender Plus 1.2a. It's about 2 years old and working good so far. I have an old Schumacher 1.5a that I've had for about 7 years for my riding lawn mower and a couple of el cheapo Harbor Freight $5 float chargers that I used before I bought the Battery Tenders. Both HF's are over 10 years old and still work.
How can they not if they're going from 110 volts to 12? It has to be converted some how.
They still have a transformer, it's just a lot smaller. The older ones transformed 60 Hz, 120 vac down to a lower ac voltage and rectified it to dc. Newer ones have electronics that switch the input side at a high frequency, which allows the use of a much smaller transformer. Contrary to above statements, this is a more reliable design architecture than the old approach with the bigger transformer. If the newer ones are less reliable it's because they screwed something else up.
They still have a transformer, it's just a lot smaller. The older ones transformed 60 Hz, 120 vac down to a lower ac voltage and rectified it to dc. Newer ones have electronics that switch the input side at a high frequency, which allows the use of a much smaller transformer. Contrary to above statements, this is a more reliable design architecture than the old approach with the bigger transformer. If the newer ones are less reliable it's because they screwed something else up.
Today, Switching Power Supplies are very popular. The idea is to rectify the a.c. first, conventionally. The D.C. is then gated (switched) to provide the regulation.
Personally, just from experience I'd go with the Battery Tender brand. I've been using one of those for a number of years, know multiple people who use'em as well and no issues. I use mine in the winter when the bikes going to be sitting multiple months, or in long stretches of bad weather where I won't get to ride it for 5+ days. Ran the pigtail to the battery and then used a black zip tie to connect it to the frame near the rear wheel, simple plug in and unplug situation that way. Most I talk to who use one are getting about 5 years out of their batteries. I got about 6 before i needed to throw a new battery in, slow crank and after 2 days sitting didn't have enough juice to kick her over anymore unless it was on the battery tender.
YUP! I agreed 100%. I have the exact Batter Tender pictured here and have been using it for the past 13+ years and I've never experience a single issue and it still works flawlessly. I recommend this brand to everyone I know who's look gin for one. Very well made products.
Imagine the calamity there would be today without a reasonably cheap, efficient and (almost) user-safe device like the float charger! In today's World, batteries to crank small engines are extremely(?) popular - the market for them is gigantic! My father is a mechanic and at times reflects on 'the-way-it-was'! One reflection of his I recall was the way a trickle charger left unattended would 'boil' a battery resulting in the release of explosive gas. It wasn't a real problem at that time because trickle chargers were generally used by experienced personnel and the use was generally limited to automotive batteries maintained in garages. Today? Not so much! Today, for some, topping up the cells with distilled water would have been a significant and dangerous challenge! I'm sure the lawyers would have a field day. Today's society files suit when coffee served to them from a drive-through isn't double cupped resulting in a scald! Yeah, without the float charger? FUBAR!
I have Deltran, Battery Tender and a variety of mystery brands from various sources - they all seem to work pretty well and provide good service life considering the original cost.
The Harley-Davisdon branded ones are, as correctly stated by others, not manufactured by H-D but, from what I have heard, make your bike go faster, sound better and be more attractive to the ladies!
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Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
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