Sunshine, Grain Runs, and the Dreaded Click

** Click **

That’s got to be one of the most annoying sounds in the world.

Key in the ignition. Turn it. And… ** Click ** .

Not a rumble. Not a roar. Not even an enthusiastic attempt.

Just a dead battery and a vehicle that apparently has no intention of going anywhere.

Over the past year, this kept happening to practically every vehicle I own. Not because I’d left the lights on. Not because I’d been playing the radio out in the driveway.

But because I just wasn’t driving them enough.

My usual travels? Groceries once a week. Grain store once a week. Walmart once a month. The bank, pharmacy, and other stops as needed.

Takeout? That’s why they invented delivery.

I love my farm, and it keeps me plenty busy. I don’t need to drive somewhere to find something to do. There’s usually someone standing at the fence reminding me I already have something to do.

And a gym membership? Please. Around here, the workout comes with hay dust and an audience.

Parked Doesn’t Mean Off Duty

The trouble is, while I’m happily not going anywhere, my vehicles aren’t entirely taking the day off. Even parked, some of their electronics keep quietly helping themselves to battery power.

Security systems. Self-diagnostics. That little key-shaped icon on the dash that flashes continuously.

Little power thieves. No manners whatsoever.

Then comes the day I actually need to go somewhere.

I turn the key, and the battery sticks its proverbial tongue out at me.

“You think so?”

Now, I do have a battery charger. What I don’t have is a garage for these vehicles, which means every dead battery turns a simple errand into a production.

Drag out the extension cord. Lug out the charger. Hook everything up. Wait a few hours, or maybe even overnight. Put everything away.

Then, perhaps, go buy groceries.

This gets old fast. Especially when it’s snowy and icy, and I need to move the cars so I can clear their parking spaces.

Nothing like having a vehicle refuse to move while you’re trying to shovel out its accommodations.

Taking the Cars Out for Exercise

One suggestion was to take each vehicle out regularly for a decent drive.

But driving around just to convince my cars they still have jobs? Burning gas, using up time, and adding another chore to the list?

I already exercise the animals. I wasn’t looking to add the cars to the rotation.

There had to be a better way.

My first thought was a battery disconnect switch. Shut off the connection while the car’s parked, and stop those little power thieves from helping themselves.

That’s what I did with my oldest vehicle.

The clock’s never right, but at least it starts. I can live with a vehicle that doesn’t know what time it is.

Half the time, neither do I.

The other two however were more complicated. Disconnecting their batteries could reset information needed for their emissions inspections.

So those batteries needed to stay connected. And charged.

A Bright Idea. Eventually.

Enter the battery maintainer, commonly called a battery tender. Instead of rescuing a dead battery after the fact, it helps keep the battery ready to go, feeding it a trickle charge as needed to keep it up to snuff.

Wonderful!

Except the plug-in kind needs somewhere to plug in.

But… there’s no power in my driveway.

I spent far too long trying to figure out how to run more than 100 feet of extension cord without interfering with the snowplow, the tractor bucket, or tripping the mailman.

None of those scenarios seemed likely to end well.

Then the light bulb finally came on.

Solar!

Was there such a thing as a solar battery tender?

Why yes, Virginia, there is! Ask Amazon!

Now I’ve got one hooked up to each of the two vehicles whose batteries needed to stay connected, with the panels positioned to catch the sun.

A little sunshine. A little less driveway drama.

Milk, Grain, and a Willing Engine

With my setup, I do have to disconnect the tender before driving away. But that little chore beats dragging a charger and an extension cord through the snow just because I’m running low on milk.

Or grain.

Around here, someone’s always running low on grain.

If your (or a friend’s or relative’s) vehicle spends more time parked than prowling, you can find the battery disconnect switch and solar battery tender I use in my Amazon store. They’ve helped make my occasional departures a lot less eventful.

Because when I turn that key, I’d much rather hear an engine than one tiny, aggravating ** Click ** .

---

Click to Read Previous Issues of This Newsletter

.

Click to Subscribe to This Newsletter

You can also subscribe by clicking on the “Subscribe” button on the top left of previous newsletters.

---

Like what you read here? You can help keep the barn lights on by sharing this newsletter with a friend who loves farm life, pets, or homesteading.

If you’d like to do a little more, a voluntary donation or a visit to my Amazon store for your own farm or pet needs helps keep the newsletter going strong.

And if you reply to the newsletter email (or use the contact button above) and tell me what you’d like to read next, that helps too!

---

.