Quickest way to charge battery

I have that same charger.  Bought at Batteries Plus a couple of years ago.  It handles all of my batteries great!  (2 X 6V, 2 X 12V AGMs and 2 X 12V wet cell).  I can't recall what I paid for it, but was well under $100.  I recommend it as well.

The CTEK is a great way to charge up.  Like others have said, the built in converter is a poor charger.  Your battery needs 14.4-14.7v to charge correctly, but the converter only supplies 13.7v.  It is capable of 35A, but the low voltage output negates any usefulness of it.

The other charger options like CTEK, Battery Tender, Battery Minder, and any other microprocessor-controlled smart charger will give your battery the 14.4v it needs.  And these are your best choice for charging and long term battery health.  The lame part is, they're slow.

If you really want the best of both worlds, you're going to need to spend some money.  The Xantrex 20A dedicated charger is an excellent choice for your group 24 or 27.  Two golf-cart battery setup?  40A is for you.  So are a myriad of other marine-grade battery chargers on the market, but these are all in the $300-600 range.

Another option would be to replace the WFCO 8735 converter with the Progressive Dynamics model PD4135, a direct replacement.  It offers true 14.4v charging and converter functions for your T@b.  It runs in the $120-150 range.

Let me know if you have any questions about these setups or any others you may have seen.  I'm not a vendor, but just someone who's researched this stuff more than I care to admit . I'd be happy to help.

JohnDanielsCPA - They have several models getting higher priced as the amps go up.
Ratkity - Takes 24hrs to fully charge...Is that from a dead battery? Or starting from what charge?
Ratkity - The builtin charger on the Honda requires a special cabel and the has no limits, it's a straight charger so you can overcharge from what I understand from a previous thread. Better off connecting a seperate charger with the stages.

What kind of charge rate does the average tow vehicle alternator put out?

The built in WFCO 8735 converter will output up to 35 amps charging a deeply depleted battery.  It is a good 3 stage charger that works well for most T@B owners.  Typically it runs 10 to 15 amp rate (bulk charge) during mid state of battery charge.  Voltage switches up to 14.4 - 14.8 and much lower amps (<3) during the final saturation stage of charging.  It takes a large external charger to get charge rates this high.
Most any generator will provide enough power to run the converter or any other charger to it's capacity.  Two or three hours should easily replenish 50 - 60 amp-hours using the on board converter.  Absolute saturation to 100% rated capacity of the battery will take much longer with any charger because the rate falls to 1-2 amps during the final stage of charging.
A couple hours of generator every day or two should keep up with conservative power use including the T@B's 12v refrigerator.

Oops, there's some misinformation out there-- The battery tender is capable of fully charging your battery.  At 1.25A however, it's very slow.  It is a true 3-stage microprocessor controlled battery charger with 14.4v charging rate.  It may take 2-3 days to fully charge if the battery is low, but it will fully charge.  Flooded lead acid batteries love slow charging, as long as it reaches 14.4v during the bulk charge phase (1).

No lead acid battery will get a full charge at anything less than 14.2-14.7, depending on the battery style.

There's literally hundreds of threads, over the last decade or so, with complaints about WFCO converters and their supposed 3-stage charging.  It is not possible for it to enter bulk charge mode (14.4v) with the default wiring in our T@Bs.  To explain why goes beyond the technical depth of this forum.  Please, I promise I'm not making this up--google for yourself--if you are dependent on your converter to attain a full charge, you're not getting it.  Watch your voltmeter or connect one to the battery during charging, and you'll see it never goes above 13.7 or 13.8!  WFCO converters are used by most RV manufacturers only because they can produce them quickly enough in China for everybody.  Almost all competitors are made in USA.

OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.

wizard - you say "with the default wiring"; does that mean it is capable if it is wired differently?

wizard1880 is correct, the WFCO converter that comes in our T@Bs is not very good.  My dual 6V system would not fully charge with the WFCO converter end I ended up using a battery tender junior to complete the job!  Yeah, it took over a week to top the batteries up but it worked

Excellent suggestions offered in this thread regarding external charges.  I would like to recommend the Pro-Logix PL2310 charger.  At $60 this charger does everything, and even has temperature compensation.  Selectable battery type, voltage, and charge amperage (2, 6, and 10 amp).  Also has float and exercise mode.  Amazon Link.

db_cooper said:

It really seems like replacing the converter is the most convenient way to get a full and quicker charge.  No carrying other chargers, and the price is similar to a quality quick charger. 

Bummer that the WFCO does not operate to spec. You'd think that WFCO would be subject to a recall or class action suit if the unit has never performed correctly unless "with the default wiring in our T@Bs" is the main issue.

I agree it makes more sense to replace the converter unless you want a smart charger for use elsewhere.
Progressive Dynamics squarely takes aim at the 8735: http://www.progressivedyn.com/pd4135_converter.html

On the other hand could you simply connect a $50 smart charger to an unused AC connection on the WFCO 8735 and have the smart charger service the battery instead of the WFCO whenever you're on shore power?

Very good distinction, boo. Until you and PXL said something about the Honda 2000i charger, I wouldn't have known since I opted to get the companion because I hate that adaptor plug. Speaking of which, I need to start it up soon. It's just too cold to go outside, turn on the heat in the camper and work!!