I own a2014 F-150 XLT with the 3.5 turbo It only has 5000 miles on it. It does not get use much in the winter months ,i use my older ford trucks, Can i hook a battery maintainer up to the battery with out disconecting the battery. Dave

 

I have one of these on all my vehicles:


I got a heavy duty extension cord, and have it neatly zipped up inside of the bumper.

 

That's a clever idea, mounting it in your vehicles, Manual.

Badblue, I have a Battery Minder (that's the brand name) connected to my batteries in all my vehicles and my trailer too, since I don't drive them every day and my truck only gets used when I'm going on a trip with the trailer or hauling something. They have a permanent connection to the battery with a quick disconnect between the batteries and the device, so I just unplug two plugs whenever I want to use a vehicle or the trailer. The Battery Minder applies "desulfating" action to the batteries while maintaining the charge. Just don't use a standard "trickle charger" (which will boil the battery electrolyte) and you'll have a fully charged battery without taking it out of the truck.

- Jack

 

Yes it is.

I even have one on my Kubota diesel tractor. It's much cheaper to run the maintainer than the block heater in that case.

There are times when I use my ham radios in my truck, and I know I put a good dent in my battery. I just pull in and have the maintainer take care of charging it back up to 100%.

I also have an expensive Deka Intimidator AGM battery in my F150 (because of the radios), and I want to make that sucker last as long as possible for the price I paid for it.

One of these days I will hook one up to my Kill-a-watt meter and record daily and monthly usage and post it. I bet its only a buck or two a year to keep it maintained.

 

I have a battery tender (actual brand name) hooked up to my mustang. It comes with a 18" pigtail with two ring terminals on it that hooks directly to the battery in the vehicle. I bought a 10' extension cord for it so when I park it long term, I can just plug it in under the hood and drape the cord outside the car and plug the other end into the charger itself which is bolted to the wall. I can then maneuver the car into position and throw the cover on and walk away. Last year I parked it on Oct. 31 2017 and pulled it out mid Feb to do my header install and it started right up like it had been parked for about 2 hours.