# Charging trolling battery thru plug



## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

does anyone see an issue with using an extra battery tender male end and attaching to the off-the-boat charger and pluging into the female plug on the boat to charge the trolling motor battery?


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

12v or 24v?


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

12v


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## Whiskey Angler (Mar 20, 2015)

I don't foresee any issues. The charging current (5-15 Amp) is likely much less than the plug and plug to battery wiring are sized for (40-50 amp). Make sure the inline fuses/breakers are still incorporated into the charging circuit.

Good idea!


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## mtoddsolomon (Mar 25, 2015)

So i'm having a little trouble understanding how to make this work. I'm going with the Battery tender TM plug, can anyone send a diagram and what I'd need to charge through that plug?


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

I don't have a diagram or any pictures, but maybe I can describe it better:

The battery will be in a cradle under the front deck, too far forward to pull out every time to charge with the normal spring clips from a charger - I have an open front bulkhead, no hatch there. I was trying to see if I can wire a second male plug (the side that you would normally wire into the trolling motor wires) onto the battery charger leads. You would then simply unplug the trolling motor, and plug in the charger (with the same plug that you have on the trolling motor leads) into the female end that's mounted on the bulkhead.


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

I can't think of any problems doing it with a 12v system. Your charger should have all of the safety features needed, although additional ones should be in the boat anyway for when you're using the TM. I definitely think it's a good idea. I like keeping my charger off of the boat and just hooking it up when needed.

You might want to have another simple connection between the charger and the Battery Tender plug, so you can switch between the Battery Tender plug and alligator clips -- then it can be used for whatever else you need. I use mine for either the TM batteries or the house batteries, plus I can hook it up to the truck, car, or any loose spare battery I have in the garage.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

bryson said:


> I can't think of any problems doing it with a 12v system. Your charger should have all of the safety features needed, although additional ones should be in the boat anyway for when you're using the TM. I definitely think it's a good idea. I like keeping my charger off of the boat and just hooking it up when needed.
> 
> You might want to have another simple connection between the charger and the Battery Tender plug, so you can switch between the Battery Tender plug and alligator clips -- then it can be used for whatever else you need. I use mine for either the TM batteries or the house batteries, plus I can hook it up to the truck, car, or any loose spare battery I have in the garage.


Great idea! Don't want to limit my options to just that plug


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## LowHydrogen (Dec 31, 2015)

yobata said:


> Great idea! Don't want to limit my options to just that plug


Not sure the amperage you're going to be seeing but I have an adapter setup kind of like what you're describing to change the end on my charger. I used an adapter that came with my motorcycle battery maintainer to make it interchangeable with my other bike and boats, and a set of alligators for general stuff. Similar to this.. https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tend..._18?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=J7957CYK6KHKEJGTFF3Y Makes it way easier to just plug in rather than trying to get to the battery on my bikes. I don't have one but they sell other stuff like a usb charger adapter...could be cool in certain situations...boat camping etc... Interested in seeing how you set it up, post the details when/if you do it.
LH


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

No issues....BUT maybe you could just hook your battery charger to the terminals on the back side of the TM receptacle.

I've only seen Battery Tender plugs sold with a receptacle for like $50.


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

MariettaMike said:


> No issues....BUT maybe you could just hook your battery charger to the terminals on the back side of the TM receptacle.
> 
> I've only seen Battery Tender plugs sold with a receptacle for like $50.


Yeah, I actually just run the leads with alligator clips into my hatch and clip them directly to the battery (not the back side of the receptacle, but similar idea). It's not quite as slick as having another plug, but it's almost as easy and it doesn't cost any extra.

It might be worth the extra cash for you, though, if it's difficult to get to your battery terminals.


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