On 1/25/2014 10:28 AM, True North wrote:
I bought an led side marker type unit and put alligator clips on the two wires.
I attached them to my boat battery to put a small constant drain on it.
Then at the first of each month u til spring, I'll attach the battery charger to bring the volts back up.
Also bought a battery blanket for the Highlander to supplement it's block heater.
When I hear it's going to drop to 15F or lower, I attach the extension cord.
If I plan on going out I'll throw the outside plug switch about 45 minutes in advance.



I'd be a little concerned about running your battery down too low
between chargings. A fully charged battery won't freeze (well, to a
point). A battery that is not fully charged is more prone to freezing
in the kind of single digit or below temps we've been having here.

I think that's what screwed me up. I started and briefly ran the
tractor the day before the storm just to move it about five feet.
I didn't let it run long enough to recharge the battery from that start.
It takes a lot of amps to turn over a diesel in cold weather.