Ever tried one of those Jump Starter packs??

They've been around for a while now, but some of the newer ones are pretty surprising. You know, the ones you use for jump starting a vehicle with a dead battery. I'd been looking at getting one for a while. The old style usually had stuff like an air compressor and some other gizmos on them, and I didn't really want that. Those ones were pretty heavy too. Then I started seeing some of these really small Lithium Ion packs. All they are is just a rectangular battery case about 1.5" thick and about 7" long and 4" wide. I wondered if they really worked. Well, I am happy to report, not only do they work, but they work GREAT!

Like I noted, I'd been looking at getting one for a while, but I wanted one which was big enough to jump start my truck or one of the tractors. I finally wound up finding one which was a 4000 Amp peak current device (the biggest one I could find). Over the past couple of weeks we've had some real cold stretches and the batteries in all the diesels were struggling. Our New Holland skid steer loader was really struggling and the wife wound up totally killing the battery one morning trying to get it started (it was about -17F below zero). Battery was completely dead. Normally, I just fire up the generator and put the chargers on the equipment, but I couldn't even get the genset started, and that thing always starts! Then I figured I'd try to start my truck and jump it from that. No go either! (and we're running anti-gel in everything too).

Well, that same day the starter brick showed up. Couldn't use it right away because it's real specific about giving these things a full charge for at "least" 24 hours, if not 48 hours. So, I charged it that day and took it out the next day (which was even colder) and hooked it up. BOOM...skid steer motor fired right up (and that's a big bore 80hp diesel too)! Battery pack was still showing an 80% charge, so I took it over to my truck and hooked it up. BOOM! Truck started right up too! Amazing! Unit was still showing a 75% charge so I decided to give one of the tractors a go. Started that right up too.

Color me impressed! I am so impressed I bought one for the wife to put in her car.

Anyone else tried one of these things?

I got one as a Christmas gift (Type S), gave it a full charge and tried it.

It would not start my jetta. I guess it's better as a door stop or phone charger.

a reply to: mikeone718

Huh, that's weird. What kind is it?

The one I got is made by some Chinese outlet called Gooloo. It was rated pretty well, and had a lot of ratings too. So I gave it a whirl. Thing works awesome.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
I had a dead battery had to get a jump and the guy jumped me with one the I bought a new battery and a jump starter, I haven't had to use it on my jeep but I used it to start my brothers van they work great

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

These are a must in my business. Just bought my second one as the first crapped out after 4 years. Costco has great deals on them. I bought the CAT brand for $100. Mine has the compressor on it.

They also have the slender ones that you bought with no compressor.

Cold weather plus one of my limos has a draw that will kill a brand new battery within two weeks, if it’s not used.

They are a lifesaver.

a reply to: KKLOCO

Yeah, I already had a compressor, and I've got a ton of lights, so I didn't need any of that. Just wanted the jump starter only so that's what I got.

How many amps are the ones you have?

I watched a video on social media that purported to show a guy jump starting a car using the battery pack from a cordless drill.
I have no way to determine if it was real.... but I have a very hard time believing it.

I have one. I've failed a few starts, mostly when it had been sitting too long, but it usually works.
I think you have to charge it every month, or after using.

definitely paid for itself. I keep it in the back of my truck.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

1000 amps. Yours is definitely more efficient. I have a large compressor as well. I liked the all in one option as batteries aren’t my only issue. Needed to have something compact that could do everything.

a reply to: ElGoobero

Yes, they lose power through time. I found that my last one needed to be charged every couple weeks. Especially, if it was left out in the cold. The newer they are, the longer they hold a charge.

a reply to: ElGoobero

Yeah, the one I have says you should charge it about every 1-2 months, and definitely after using. I agree, they totally pay for themselves, even if you only use one once!

About the only complaint I have about the Subaru's we own is, periodically they'll get a dead battery for no apparent reason. The wife and I work at the same place, so I figure if I put one in one of the Subies and put the big one in my truck, I'm all set.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I picked one up about a month ago, 2000A Imazing brand.
Only used it once so far on my truck that had been sitting for a couple months and it worked perfectly.
I also bought a motorcycle pigtail connector for our Harley’s, last fall my wife’s bike wouldn’t start for some reason after I moved it down the driveway.
Pissed me off because I had to run an extension cord down there and take the seat off to get at the battery for a regular charger and then had to wait 30 minutes for it to charge.
Hopefully I won’t have to use it for our bikes but I have it just in case.

I keep one in my camping pack and have boosted quads with it numerous boosts actually without charging.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

a reply to: Athetos

Yeah, I jumped the skid steer, my truck and a tractor (oh, and my generator too) with it before I charged it. All fired right up with no battery issues. I thought that was pretty darn good for such a small thing.

I use the noco genius boost, gb150.
It is 2000 amps, have had it for 4 years? Jump maybe 3 cars a day with it. Best one i have owned so far, even jumps an 86 countach, which really surprised me. I havent had a car this wont jump, except the Maserati ghiblis, those WILL NOT JUMP, have to put a new battery in if it dies.

The noco is kind of expensive, but i need reliability and efficiency for my job.
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I got one of the “FatMax” ones a while ago... came in handy this morning when the truck wouldn’t turn over...

a reply to: neomaximus10

Aren't those Lambo's 12 cylinder motors?

That's pretty impressive.

The one I have turned over an 8 cylinder diesel after starting a completely dead 6 cylinder diesel. I thought that was pretty good.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


The black one at napa.

www.napaonline.com...

This is the one in my truck,
this is the one you'll see in the corner of every mechanic shop.
This is the same one the AAA tow trucks carry.

honestly I'm thinking about buying a second one for my second truck.

its lead acid I assume- based on the weight and how fast it charges/discharges.
Best I've ever touched. I've only charged it with the regular charger it came with once- now I just use the cable it came with to plug it in to the 12v round plug in my truck for a few days after using it. Havent seen that charger plug since 2018.

I've used this to start flat dead v8 trucks, and to give my old diesel backhoe that little extra oomph it needs to start in the snow. I regularly use it to charge my stupid cell phone, but that requires a 12>5v adapter because it doesn't have usb built in.
A mechanic I know passed away last year, and he had the same thing- but I think his was an 8500 and not a 5500. That one is my fathers now but I've got my eye on it.

About forteen years ago I bought a jumpack 660 and I have been using it for all that time. It is not quite as strong anymore, I can only start maybe three cars on a charge now compared to maybe ten per charge when I bought it. It wasn't cheap, about a hundred eighty when I bought it, but it has been real good. I got it through cornwell. I guess that now the price has dropped and they are nowhere near as good as they used to be for starting multiple times. Also the battery only lasts about three years now on ones friends have bought. When I bought mine, two other people bought one too, and theirs are still working good too. Mine would start a diesel ford truck if the batteries were not completely drained on the truck.

I wonder if they still have the jumppacks with the bigger battery in them, Cornwell special ordered theirs with a better battery. I suppose I could order a new battery someday, maybe for it's sixteenth birthday I will buy it a new battery.

Buy one with the big cables and the big lugs on the battery and they work better. I think mine has a capacitor built in.

Yes they are, you have to be careful jumping diesels with jump packs, i burned one up doing that, you are supposed to wait a few minutes between jumps.

I did not wait, jumped a dump truck diesel 6 times in 3 minutes cuz dumb butt didnt know how to drive a stick, it just blew the thermal fuse in the jump pack, easy fix, but hey 400$ pack, i had them warranty it new jump pack!!

This was with the noco i talked about in my post above. They have come a loooong way with the lithium jump packs.
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk