Recommendations for a good battery charger. (Not cheap junk)

[toolslut6.0]

Looking for a good battery charger. Have had a schmacher pro series. Nice charger but when your starting c7 powered rogator sprayers in the cold, it just does not work. The cables are flimsy and the wheels are cheap plastic. Not happy with it. The price tag on it reflected that of a quality battery charger at around 300 dollars. It has 4 12v settings with 4 amp, 30 amp, 60amp and 300amp start setting. All input is good as long as its not something silly like harbor freight 30 dollar charger that works good on my lawn mower. Im trying to start heui diesel engine in the cold s

 

[Chevy350]

I have a Ctek smart charger, they have a few different models...been happy with it. It's small and and the clamps are small (not industrial jumper cable style) but it has been flawless and even detected a defective battery and confirmed when I took it back to the store and it was replaced under warranty.

 

[Superbec]

Ctek , about the best charger there is , nothing cheap about it , dust-waterproof, high quality silicon cables , all the bells and whistles you can think of ... def not cheap but it's not absurd priced.

 

[toolslut6.0]

Thank you for the replies. I just looked them up on amazon and flea bay but i domt see any with a jump start setting. Need a jump start feature with high amps (atleast 250 amp jump). Maybe I am not looking at the correct style of c tek chargers.

 

[zkling]

Sounds like you need a commercial unit. Buddy of mine has a shop and bought one of these, nice unit, not flashy, just works.

http://www.usabatterychargers.com/index.html

 

[toolslut6.0]

Those appear to be the perfect charger for me! Thank you for the great recommendation. Never heard of that company.

 

[gnxtc2]

Also look into Schumacher Electric

http://www.batterychargers.com/

Billy T.
[email protected]

 

[JimDon]

I also highly recommend http://www.usabatterychargers.com/Portable_Chargers.htm

I bought two. One for son, one for SIL. Have used them with the start feature and they are fantastic. These are old school, solid built, rugged, dependable. Will charge a battery that is so low those automatic chargers won't even begin to say they can be charged. Turned by old truck over in below zero weather when battery died.
Cheers,
Jim
PS I am not associated with Rizk industries whatsoever.

 

[WhiffySpark]

I like my snapon. It'll start my 45 ho tractor in the cold

 

[bob_the_builder]

What model of Snap on charger do you have?

 

[kblee27]

I have a few chargers.

And this workhorse is still working. Although you'd need to add cables and clamps.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMU7YPG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I had a ctek and xtreme charger died on me.

 

[WhiffySpark]

https://store.snapon.com/Battery-Chargers-6-12-V-Automotive-Battery-Charger-P823677.aspx

I brought it for my home garage. They have a plus edition now idk the difference

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

https://store.snapon.com/Battery-Chargers-6-12-V-Automotive-Battery-Charger-P823677.aspx

I brought it for my home garage. They have a plus edition now idk the difference

That's a nice one... we had a similar one before selling the shop. At home we got the old Snap-ON YA268, it does the trick (no fancy modes/electronics). I still use a CTEK for maintenance and topping off. The big guy is good for boosts and bringing a large battery up to charge quickly. However it lacks any electronics or charge "profiles", hence I still like using the small CTEK to finish off a battery.

 

[Tummler]

I had one of these, but sold it a couple a months ago:

http://dss7000.mobile.midtronics.co...ronics-gr8-series-diagnostic-battery-chargers

I used it for a year before selling it, and it was an absolutely wonderful charger. You can find used ones for sale on ebay, other auction websites, and craigslist for very reasonable prices (relatively speaking) every now and then. For example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Midtronics-...af89275&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=311467742628

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Midtronics-...200-Tester-GR8-1150-Combination-/311467742628

Mine required a code to change some of the settings. It was 0000 and written on a piece of tape on the unit. I don't know if all units have a code requirement or just the ones manufactured as a dealer special tool, which was the case with mine. Regardless, if you are considering buying one, you may want to verify that all settings can be accessed and changed without a code or, if a code is required, that the code will be provided with the unit.

 

[Danglerb]

Anything you can plug into a 120vac outlet that doesn't have a battery inside will be limited to about 200amp before it starts blowing fuses. All of the small pocket sized chargers I've seen tested will do 200 amps, so I am not sure what people are expecting the big box on wheels to do by magic.

For a real boost I think any corded charger still needs a battery of some kind, even if its just a drained but not damaged battery in the vehicle.

 

[ttpete]

You might do better with a beefy jump box that's kept charged. No extension cords to mess with.

 

[General Geoff]

Anything you can plug into a 120vac outlet that doesn't have a battery inside will be limited to about 200amp before it starts blowing fuses. All of the small pocket sized chargers I've seen tested will do 200 amps, so I am not sure what people are expecting the big box on wheels to do by magic.

For a real boost I think any corded charger still needs a battery of some kind, even if its just a drained but not damaged battery in the vehicle.

Are there any corded jump boxes that use a bank of supercapacitors?

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I bought My Associated built SnapOn commercial grade charger for over thirty years ago, and it has earned it's keep..

I know of people who burn out a wheeled bargain charger about every other year.. They, for some unknown reason, simply go buy another similar charger. Look up the duty cycle on that engine start rating. Not uncommon to see a couple or a few seconds on then several minutes off.... This info is in very tiny print on SOME of the Schmacher wheeled chargers I have looked at.. Very low duty cycle on that setting, and the 40 or 60 amp boost duty cycle isn't much to crow about; either. Regardless of the brand You consider, take a good look at the duty cycle ratings on the boost and engine start settings.