“Battery Tender Junior” Automatic Smart Battery Maintainer

OK, maybe you don’t have a battery in your snowmobile, but most everyone has a battery from a sled, ATV, watercraft, motorcycle, car, truck, or some other seasonal vehicle that sits unused for months at a time. And most everyone knows how batteries that sit unused for a while go downhill pretty quick. They either need to be kept in service or maintained. You know how you’ve replaced batteries that weren’t that old? No, you didn’t get gypped - you’re just lazy. You try to remember to give the batteries in storage a charge every now and then (at least once a month), but how often does this get done? Everyone is so busy and they forget.

This is where the “smart” Battery Tender Junior comes in. This little device is a fully automatic two-stage lead-acid battery charger. You hook the terminals to the battery, plug it in and walk away. Really. It makes sure your “good” battery stays good by keeping it charged, maintained, and always ready to go; without the fear of boiling and destroying the battery. It trickle charges the battery until a full 14.4 VDC is reached, then automatically converts to a “float” charger and constantly monitors the battery voltage. When the Battery Tender Junior senses the battery voltage is below 12.6 VDC, the charger resumes charging back up to 14.4 VDC. A two-color LED indicates if it is in the “float” mode (green light) or in the “charge” mode (red light).

This thing really works, and it’ll help you get the maximum lifetime out of your batteries. It basically keeps your battery “in-service”, but one notch better with its constant attention. It’s spark-proof, reverse polarity protected, and comes with a two-year warranty.
What it really boils down to is that once a vehicle is parked for a few months, who really takes the time to properly maintain the battery? We use them for our sled batteries in the summer and watercraft batteries in the winter and haven’t had to replace a battery since.

The Battery Tender Junior sells for between $20 and $30; less than the cost of one new battery. Most powersports dealers either stock them or can order them from one of many distributors (like Parts Unlimited). Bigger units are also available for multiple-battery management. For more information visit www.batterytender.com.