portable jump starters

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phillyFX4

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Jul 11, 2003
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Phila., PA
anyone carry one of the portable jump starters on the market ?, my truck is 6 years old and has been thru 3 batteries and I'd like NOT to get stuck on the beach surf fishing, the local garage starts at $300. for an emergency call to the beach.....do the small ones that you plug into your cigarette lighter work ?
thanks
 
My best advice to you is to avoid the plug in lighter ones and instead go for the biggest CCA power one you can afford. I have a nice one that has 600CCA, plus it has 110 and 12V outlets, an air pump and a work light. I think I paid $85 for it from Sportsmans guide but have seen the same unit in stores. Also keep it charged if you store it in the truck. They use regular lead acid batterys so they can't go too far like an AGM without maintaining them. I will say that mine say for 4 months and jumped a car easy though.

Here is mine:


http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/gu...r.aspx?a=873637
 
Thinking about getting a CT one on sale, 1000 CCA and AGM.

Has light and air pump. My Fit battery can't really be relied on past 2 years in our climate especially if you go and do outdoor activities a lot.

Maybe I'll pick one up today, like 90$ can't go wrong.
 
I bought the one that Costco carries for $60+ and it has be used around 5 times in 3 years. Has an air compressor and lighting. Very good unit. Recommended.

I purchased a couple of the $35 units from Pep Boys as gifts a couple of years ago. Very good as well according to my nieces. They delayed buying batteries for their cars because they said it was so easy and fun to just jump start them. I finally just bought the batteries for them as well.
 
You really want one that is a heavy as you can easily carry. I would forget the 12V compressor. It costs and takes up space in the unit. I got one with a built in charger. It just needs the cord attached. I prefer that. External chargers get lost or used for something else. I just tie the cord for mine in a knot around the handle.

It needs to be charged monthly. Also if the unit is out in the cold below zero, it may not have a much juice as you would like.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
3 batteries in 6 years? What kind of batteries are you buying?


first 2 were Motorcraft, this last one Peps best line, whatever their called these days :-)
the dealership replaced the first one with a used one I think under warranty.....
 
For those familiar, how easy or HARD is it to crack the case to replace the batteries in them when they go bad.Do they build these with no screws and plastic tabs that are a bear that you end up breaking the case if you try, or it's doable with *taping knifes* and all sorts of slim tools to pry them.

That has been my one 1 reservation on buying them.
Never needed a jump in the last 10 years except for the 1 time I got carried away with leaving the radio on while washing the car.
 
I bought a Black and Decker unit, used it often when my Expy had electrical problems, basically anytime it rained or snowed something shorted and killed my battery. It was so dead that the starter wouldn't even click. No problems starting it each time. Before I got the car fixed, I will guess that the portable jump starter was used about a dozen times over a 4 month period. I used it a couple of times last summer on the water when my pwc batteries got a little weak. I last used it a week ago to help boost the battery on a car which was sitting outside in -13 deg F weather and hadn't been started for about a week.

It sure has paid for itself.

http://blackanddecker.com/power-tools/JUS350B.aspx
 
Do you have a problem? Shoe circuit, intermittent draw or bad alternator diode?

Get to the bottom of why the battery is going bad.

If it has been going flat a lot, I'd recommend replacing the battery after fixing any other issues.

So if I were you, I'd just buy a new autocraft silver battery, charge it fully, and bring it either with jumpers or tools to do a quick swap.

This way you have true peace of mind, and a fresh battery for the future.
 
^ What JHZR2 says. Make your own jump box. If something is small and weighs less than 60 lbs it is not going to do as good a job. May as well get a battery that fits the truck, though something $36 after coupon is also tempting.

When buying a portable one be wary of ratings, 1000 amps could be peak cranking amps or warm cranking amps or something.
 
the first battery was obviously bad, replaced after 1 year with a used one which has lasted about 4 yrs., I replaced it with a bigger battery than stock 65 - 850 96 months pro-rated .....
it's been 4K miles and no problems yet .....
I fish a lot at nite after most garages close so I need to be ready.
 
I've carried one for a few years now -- I'm on my second. I've used it a handful of times to jump vehicles (I much prefer to use this if someone needs a jump rather than hook them up to my car) and I've also used it with a separate 12 volt compressor (plugged into the cig lighter port on the jumper pack) to inflate the tires on our horse trailer without having to tow it near a power socket or real compressor.

The new jumper pack I have has a compressor built in, but it's loud, weak, and has a really poorly fitting clamp-on inflater nozzle, so I just keep using the Slime one I bought a few years back which is far superior. I wouldn't specifically seek out a jumper pack with a compressor built in again.
 
Good info about ditching the built-in compressor, the unit I'll look for on sale would be around 500 Amps to keep it handy and cheap, so if it stops holding a charge I don't have to throw away built in compressors as well.

I have a small cigarette lighter compressor that I have used for YEARS that still works great and has a built in tire pressure gauge that fits in the top of the spare tire anyway.
 
Just buy a new one when it finally dies. First couple uses will pay for itself with interest.
Originally Posted By: chefwong
For those familiar, how easy or HARD is it to crack the case to replace the batteries in them when they go bad.Do they build these with no screws and plastic tabs that are a bear that you end up breaking the case if you try, or it's doable with *taping knifes* and all sorts of slim tools to pry them.

That has been my one 1 reservation on buying them.
Never needed a jump in the last 10 years except for the 1 time I got carried away with leaving the radio on while washing the car.
 
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