The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Portable Jump Starters

Had to jump my daughters car today, and was thinking maybe a portable jump starter might be more handy than jumper cables. The up side would be not having to worry about damaging the electrical system on the vehicle supplying the power (or possibly both vehicles) if using jumper cables. So far, I have never had a problem, but it does cross my mind once in awhile. Especially with the complicated electrical systems on the newer vehicles.

What is the consensus, anybody have one and if so, are you happy with it?

John

Short answer, great to have. But... be sure it's adequately sized, and not used on something with a very heavy draw. Friend melted the cables off his trying to jump a diesel with twin DEAD (bad) batteries.

The Auto Auctions swear by them. 2-3 running around on golf carts jumping dead batteries all day long.

We've had everything from the small pocket sized deal to a truck cross box sized deal. For heavy trucks, I use the big box all day. For passenger cars, We've used the pocket size until we melted it trying to work on a medium sized diesel. For the most part, we use the small carry boxes.

I bought a very big DeWalt “power station”
It will jump-start just about anything, and will crank for a long time compared to many others.

It also has a tire pump, and 120v power outerlets, and USB power outlets
2800 “peak” amps
1000W Inverter, 120 PSI Air Compressor
It is heavy.

Overkill, maybe, but it has come in handy for me and my neighbors.

I have used them and they work. I left my headlights on in my '69 1/2 ton for 8 hours. I hooked up the magic box and left it on for about 5 minutes I guess and it started!
I have found that you need to leave them on for a while before you try to start the engine.
They are kind of like chiropractic care and acupuncture. Don't ask how they work. They just do.
Carl

What brand/part-number, Carl?

How dead was your battery?
Did lights still work?

It looks to be useful (in your situation).

some small portable generators feature a battery charging capability (and cables for it). This Yamaha 2KW portable can charge 12V at 8 amps. Maybe not great for a quick jump start, but still a pretty cool feature.

I don't recall the part number. I don't have it any longer.
The battery was so dead that the headlights would not shine.
I drove home once it started (30 minutes) and shut it off, then started it right back up.Work fine, last long time.

I got a small cheap one from NAPA that's adequate for boosting a Corolla, a RAV, and even a Chevy V6.
About 9" long, 3" wide, and 7 or 8" high.
For a truck - a bigger and heavier one, weight-wise and amp-wise, with a lot more oomph.

BTW, don't try and boost a completely dead battery, you're askin for trouble.
Leave a charger or booster pack on it for half an hour or so, then check it with a meter. If it shows even a little its OK to boost.
If it still shows "0" the battery's toast just like a frozen one, so chuck it....uh....I mean take it to the recyclers.

I sure like tc's idea so I'll check the prices.

I have used one, and need to buy a new one with lithium batteries. Read and follow the instructions about keeping the unit charged. Otherwise you will have 2 dead batteries.

Just searched in length for a good jumper and came across some very impressive systems with great reviews, but of course they are for 12 volt systems only!

I read the multitude of threads with regards to jumping a 6 volt system with a 12 volt battery, but I honestly want to stay away from it. Leave it to me to screw it up!

I contacted NOCO, Schumacher and some others directly and nobody appears to have a tool to jump a 6 volt system. I will just buy a second 6 volt battery.

(Shed where I'll keep the truck does not have power)

Andy, did you check with Tractor Supply??? There are lots of 6 volt tractors still out there and maybe, just maybe they have what your looking for............if you get an extra 6 volt battery be sure to keep watch on it...or a battery tender on it.

I had a dead battery and needed a jump in my 54 3100. A guy getting gas next to me offered his jump starter. Before he pulled it out he told me not to laugh. It was one of the NOCO. It was only 8.6 inches long and 5 inches wide. He said he has jumped CAT 9's with it. It about spun that 235 out of the engine bay. I was so impressed I bought one. I have used it several times and it put the old style ones to shame. NOCO GB40 Genius Boost Plus 1,000A Jump Starter. Expensive but worth it. About $100 at Walmart. Lithium jump starter rated at 1,000 Amps (7,000 Joules) for up to 20 jump starts on a single charge. Ultra-safe and mistake-proof design with spark-proof technology and reverse polarity protection, which allow it to safely connect to any battery. I don't know if that applies to 6 volt or not. With it being a lithium battery it holds a charge for a very long time. I had it in my AD for probably 6 months. I thought I better take it in and get it charged back up. I plugged it in and it was almost full charge still. It also has a usb port to use as a charger for your phone or tablet. You can charge it with a usb cable. There are different brands out there of similar design. I know they carry a different brand at Home Depot and Lowes but I did research and there are tons of great reviews for NOCO and I am sold on it. I have gone through several of the old style ones and they always seemed to be dead when I needed them.


If you have a battery that is so dead it does not want to even jump start with cables you can start it with this thing. If it doesn't have enough juice to start it will actually start charging the battery. A neighbor had a car that hadn't been started in months. Completely dead. First attempt it would not jump. I let it sit there a few minutes and tried again. Fired right up. He wanted to know all about it and said he was getting one.

I did and actually contacted another company “Wagan Tech“ to see if they might have something.
Yes- I would keep the second battery on a trickle charger.

NOCO said no to 6 volt and they have nothing for it. I was very surprised

Anyone ever measure the voltage coming out of those jump boxes? I am guessing that it is significantly higher than 12 volts. Otherwise how could it possibly work so well?

I've had to rebuild some of my medium size jump boxes and they are just 2 12v batteries. Car systems can take some over voltage as alternators charge at 14 +/- volts. My DSR charger charges to 13v per the digital read-out.

With regard to this thread: does anyone know if it is feasible to use one of these jump starters as a permament replacement for a lead acid battery? Some of these are very reasonably priced, and considering their size and weight, might be a good alternative for a conventional 12V battery, especially a lithium model. Would they work? Would they last? Will it recharge on the vehicle? Does anyone know?
Thanks, Dave

I suspect that's not a good idea.
Your questions are good ones, and might not have favorable answers.

Along similar lines you can buy lithium automotive replacement batteries, which would be a proven solution.
https://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/braille/product_series/green_lite

So, on our dragster, we use a blower starter that is driven by 3 ea. Group 31 12v batteries. I believe during the golden age, these starters were adapted from airplane motors. Ours is driven at 36v. Those Group 31's can normally be found in heavy trucks, wired in a 12v configuration for starting diesel engines. They are some heavy son-of-a-guns! Most people starting dragsters these days have gone to a triple pack of 12v batteries that are about 1/3 the size of a Group 31. And weigh much much less. These batteries do quite a few starts before they have to be recharged. They might work on a daily basis as long as they an keep up with the amperage draw. Here is an example of those smaller batteries. http://rcdengineering.com/product/12-volt-battery-for-48-volt-battery-pack


No surprise, they want a ton of money and it's not like you can go down to your FLAPS and get a replacement when you need one.

An example of a blower starter. https://www.goodvibrationsmotorsports.com/RCD-Blower-Starter.aspx


My starter battery pack. http://www.bunchobikes.com/gerberracing1.jpg

transportable vs "Portable" Jump Starters