fcremc

My truck sits a lot. 2012, XLT 5.0. My question is about how long would I have to drive my truck to keep the battery at full charge? Just curious. I do have a good trickle charger but since the is no alternator gauge I have no idea of what condition my battery is in.

WorkinHorse

How often is it not in use? Are we talking every 4 or 5 days, every two weeks, or once a month? I would say possibly running it down the highway for 20 to 30 minutes would do the trick, then again, it's hard to really every get your battery charged to 100 percent, however it should keep it running okay. Seeing as you have a newer battery from being a newer truck, I can't see why you would have too many problems charging it on a decent drive.

sgtpatiolantern

I rarely drive mine, but when I do it usually gets a couple hours of use. There is no way to really know it's charged enough other than it starting unless you test the battery. The Mustang I had before it saw the same type of service and the original battery lasted ten years. I would throw a trickle charger on it quarterly to keep it topped up if you are concerned. Aside from that, batteries benefit from more use not less. After extended periods they will lose energy. I think the ten years I got out of my Mustang battery was more luck than anything else. I can't see the draw of the newer vehicles with more complex electronics being easier on a battery.

SUPERLOOP

If you are concerned about it, buy a Battery Tender. They work as advertised.