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?