Battery Jumper cable recommendations?

[Abe Froman]

So our set of jumper cables have gone missing.
Not that they ever were used, nor taken out of the bag in 10 years.
Does anyone have a recommendation and a link they like to share?
They don't have to be the very best, or EXPO sexy; but should be good serviceable quality.
We live in BFE, so I don't really have a place to check them out in person.
This is normally the kind of thing I'd buy on sale at Sears.

 

[Happy Joe]

My best set was made from 00 welding cable... no issues starting other vehicles even when their battery is missing/flat, also no issues welding with batteries (cheap commercial cables can melt).
My second best set is an antique (US made) pair purchased at Sears (when buying cables make certain they have copper conductors and I look for a minim wire size of 4 gauge; be wary of any thing chinese as they often have tiny conductors (have seen them as small as 10 or 12 gauge and hidden by very thick insulation to fool the public.
Thin chinese cables can be used to charge a non starting vehicle from a running vehicle but that means wait time.
When looking at/for cables look at the clamps where the wires attach and get the cables with the thickest copper/lower gauge number (8 ga. is much preferable to 10, 6ga. is preferable to 8. 4 ga is the minimum that I look for in commercial cables but is very hard to find). Note; for occasional civilized/in-town use; 6 or 8 gauge cables will likely work for patient people...
Get cables with heavy all metal clamps if possible; one old set has plastic clamps that have softened and distorted from over heating in use.
Get cables that are at least twice as long as your widest vehicle is wide (preferably ~4 feet longer than your vehicle is long) to make it easier to jump or connect to vehicle in awkward situations (beats having to remove a battery and carry it to another vehicle for charging before reinstalling it to start the vehicle). Note; the longer they are, the thicker/lower the gage number should be to minimize voltage drop.

Enjoy!

 

[jschmidt]

Get a glove box jump box. At half shoebox size and about $60-80, you'll imagine it won't work, but it will. And you can also use it for emergency cell phone power.

https://www.amazon.com/Guluman-Portable-Starter-16800mAh

 

[Ducky's Dad]

Lithium jump pack is a good idea, especially in BFE. My cables are HD tow truck cables, fat wire and long length (20-24 feet) for odd situations. Try places like Tool Topia, NAPA, or even Amazon.

 

[reidbailey]

+1 on the batter pack. I have a NOCO and highly recommend them. Easier. Safer. More convenient. Plus saves the load on your vehicle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jschmidt]

"Cold Cranking Amps"

 

[LR Max]

X2 on the small portable starters. Initially I was like, na man. This ain't gonna work.

Used it to jump my friend's 1997 D90 with a 4.0 V8...twice. No problems. Worked great. Easier than trying to find someone to provide a jump.

 

[Abe Froman]

Thanks for the responses so far.
I'm now researching the portable jump packs.
I guess I never thought they could actually work.

 

[Borrego60]

Lithium jump pack is a good idea, especially in BFE. My cables are HD tow truck cables, fat wire and long length (20-24 feet) for odd situations. Try places like Tool Topia, NAPA, or even Amazon.

Love the Nappa battery cables with the quick connect blue plugs.

 

[LR Max]

I guess I never thought they could actually work.

Same here. I'm glad I'm wrong!

 

[Warn Industries]

I personally have a Blue Fuel jumper pack that I got at NAPA a couple of years ago. It has worked well. Also has flashlight, USB, and a couple of other things.

However, I just got a demonstration from the WARN battery rep showing the Noco Genius, and I was thoroughly impressed. If I were to do it again, I'd go with the Noco unit. It's likely more durable, more powerful, and the same price.

Andy

 

[Happy Joe]

I have seen several friends use those jump packs...
My only question is;
...Will they still work after being ignored and bouncing around unused in a trunk for 8 years. I usually see a minimum of 8 years of life from a (often used) starting battery and replace them before a non-start issue; batteries will usually tell an aware person that they are getting weak.
...jumper cables work when needed (usually to help others, including field welding)... pack and ignore.

Enjoy!

 

[Scoutn79]

For cables look for quality. Don't go to Walmart.
Good ones will likely cost over $80 for a 16' set (last ones I bought 10+ years ago maybe $100 now) Get at least 2ga and ones with a true rubber, or similar insulation, that will still be flexible when below freezing (NO PLASTIC the can crack when uncoiled as well as just be a pain since they won't want to flex) with good strong thick gage clamps.
I found mine at a tow truck supply company.
Darrell

 

[Ducky's Dad]

I have seen several friends use those jump packs...
My only question is;
...Will they still work after being ignored and bouncing around unused in a trunk for 8 years.

The Chinese lithium-ion jump packs have become pretty generic, and most of them claim to hold their charge for a year. I have one in each vehicle and generally charge them a couple times a year, or whenever I think about it, just to be sure. I also charge the one in my main truck before I head to the boonies. I have used various packs to start engines up to Dodge and GM 5.7 gassers. They do work, but sometimes I have had to leave the pack connected for a couple of minutes before the starting battery could turn the engine over.

 

[Kerensky97]

Depends how often you'll plan on needing a jump start and how much of a load your engine draws. You can get by with a $15 set of cables from the auto parts store, but the low gauge and short length can cause issues. With low gauge cables you should connect the batteries and let them sit (with the good engine running) to help charge the bad battery before giving it a start so you have the battery+jumpers sending power to the starter. And with the short length it may be difficult to get the two batteries close enough to reach.

Upgrade to the $30-40 ones, partially for the large gauge, but mostly for the longer cables so the vehicles can be parked side by side, not just nose to nose. Or if you're driving a big-rig get the thick gauge cables because your starter is going to draw a ton of power.