Portable Jump Starter

[Duds13]

It's been a while since I've purchased something like the "jump and carry," a portable battery pack for jump starting cars and what not. It appears that in this era, there are tiny jump starters, small enough to fit in console of a truck and are USB-rechargeable. I'm skeptical of anything I see sold on Amazon these days, assuming it's just some Chinese crap. Am I right in being skeptical, or has anyone used such items with success?

What I'd jump start most often is just a small Kubota garden tractor, gas engine. But, if such a product could also jump start actual real vehicles, that'd be grand.

Get a Hulkman

 

[ArlyA]

As others have mentioned, these little power packs are very small and can start most dead engines. Lots more handy that cables ever where. Seems we have only ever used ours to start other peoples engines. Go figure.

 

[gstrom99]

I need one. Maybe two - good Christmas gift(s).

 

[EddieWalker]

I've bought two different NOCO brands based on their reviews on Amazon. First one worked great for about a year to jump my zero turn and my tractor. Then one day, it wouldn't hold a charge anymore and it was useless.

I liked it so much when it worked that I bought another, slightly bigger one with a ton of great reviews. This one only lasted a few months before it stopped holding a charge.

I gave up and bought new batteries for the zero turn and tractor, and then bought a trickle charger for the zero turn. I've never had a lawn mower battery last more then two years, but I just finished year three with the trickle charger on the mower and I bet it will be good for another year!!!

 

[2manyrocks]

In my experience, lawn mower batteries won't make it through the winter unless they are kept charged. For me, I use a solar panel charger because there is no other power at the barn where I keep my mower.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I have tried these two below and ho yes the work... I put the bottom one on a gas 2500 ford at -40 ish not plugged in and it barely turn before putting it on and with it, it would turn like nothing but it didn't start... the claws started to melt... the other one on top is very good as well probable would choose that one over the bottom one, the bottom one is more for phones and ATV, UTV.

 

[deserteagle71]

Several years ago I bought one of these. And several times now it has saved my butt when my vehicle battery suddenly died. It has NO PROBLEM starting my truck or even my old John Deere diesel. I live and travel some very remote country; I make sure it is with me in whatever vehicle I am in.

Antigravity Micro Start XP-10 Portable Power Supply Jump-Starter, Complete Kit - Walmart.com

Arrives by Thu, Nov 30 Buy Antigravity Micro Start XP-10 Portable Power Supply Jump-Starter, Complete Kit at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[Snobdds]

I've bought two different NOCO brands based on their reviews on Amazon. First one worked great for about a year to jump my zero turn and my tractor. Then one day, it wouldn't hold a charge anymore and it was useless.

I liked it so much when it worked that I bought another, slightly bigger one with a ton of great reviews. This one only lasted a few months before it stopped holding a charge.

I gave up and bought new batteries for the zero turn and tractor, and then bought a trickle charger for the zero turn. I've never had a lawn mower battery last more then two years, but I just finished year three with the trickle charger on the mower and I bet it will be good for another year!!!

The problem with these smart chargers is, they need to sense volts to provide volts. So if the battery is super dead, the boost pack won't sense enough volts to provide any boost.

That is their only downfall. I get it's for liability issues and they don't want to be sued for putting volts to a battery that will explode. But they should be upfront about this one downfall.

I keep a few dumb chargers at the ranch just to jump super dead batteries, like those left in equipment that only gets started once a year.

So those boost packs might still be good. It was a super dead battery that was the problem.

 

[Minsid]

Some must have overrides for that as I saw one successfully used when there was no battery in the tractor.

 

[ArlyA]

The problem with these smart chargers is, they need to sense volts to provide volts. So if the battery is super dead, the boost pack won't sense enough volts to provide any boost.

That is their only downfall. I get it's for liability issues and they don't want to be sued for putting volts to a battery that will explode. But they should be upfront about this one downfall.

I keep a few dumb chargers at the ranch just to jump super dead batteries, like those left in equipment that only gets started once a year.

So those boost packs might still be good. It was a super dead battery that was the problem.

In project farm testing, he hooked them up to vehicle cables to jump start with the battery out. How did that work?

 

[sea2summit]

The problem with these smart chargers is, they need to sense volts to provide volts. So if the battery is super dead, the boost pack won't sense enough volts to provide any boost.

That is their only downfall. I get it's for liability issues and they don't want to be sued for putting volts to a battery that will explode. But they should be upfront about this one downfall.

I keep a few dumb chargers at the ranch just to jump super dead batteries, like those left in equipment that only gets started once a year.

So those boost packs might still be good. It was a super dead battery that was the problem.

I’m sure that’s true of some but I don’t think they all sense at the battery. They sense demand, probably the resistance across the poles.

 

[Snobdds]

In project farm testing, he hooked them up to vehicle cables to jump start with the battery out. How did that work?

The boost pack is the battery at that point and is it's not sensing any dead or shorted cells.

Put a dead battery in there and it won't work.

 

[Snobdds]

I’m sure that’s true of some but I don’t think they all sense at the battery. They sense demand, probably the resistance across the poles.

It a safety feature to not put power to a shorted out cell, causing that acid to blow.

 

[ArlyA]

So if your battery failed out in the field, you could disconnect the + cable on it, connect your power pack and get home?

 

[LittleBill21]

Most have an override, my taklife one does, and so does my nocco charger, both will fire up with no battery or low battery present, my taklife also provide a 12v cigarette lighter for my air compressor to blow up air mattress, etc, i love it have it 5 years 0 issues

 

[Snobdds]

So if your battery failed out in the field, you could disconnect the + cable on it, connect your power pack and get home?

It will be able to start the engine since the boost pack is sensing it's own power. But you should not leave it in place of the battery. You just have to hope the ECU dosen't run off of battery power instead of alternator power.

 

[2manyrocks]

The Mahindra 3525 I used to own had a warning label not to run it without a battery connected to the alternator circuit. I was never sure why they had that particular warning, but it makes me wonder what would go wrong if you tried to disconnect a totally dead battery and then run a tractor or UTV off a portable jump starter? Mine is charged by a USB charger like you charge a phone with. I'd think something bad would happen to the jump starter if it were charged by alternator power, and I'm guessing something bad could also happen to an alternator that didn't have a battery that could handle its output power?

 

[not2old]

It was probably my 1967 Volvo with an alternator that had a warning not to disconnect the battery while the motor was running as it would fry either the alternator or the regulator. I've made it a practice not to do that to any vehicle just in case.

 

[sea2summit]

The boost pack is the battery at that point and is it's not sensing any dead or shorted cells.

Put a dead battery in there and it won't work.

Mine works fine with no battery at all.

 

[deserteagle71]

The boost pack is the battery at that point and is it's not sensing any dead or shorted cells.

Put a dead battery in there and it won't work.

Went through this a few days ago with my Microstart XP-10 I referenced in my post ^. Tried to start my truck and it was totally dead. Hooked the Microstart to the leads connected to the battery, touched the "jumpstart" button and the truck fired right up.

Then I had to go buy a new battery...the 7-1/2 year old one in the truck would not take a charge at all.