Portable Jump Starter

[ArlyA]

Here is me recharging our TACK LIFE T8 Pro. It just sat in our trucks tool box for years, so I was impressed how little power it had lost. It was still at 95%

 

[blehmann]

I had quite a few Cabelas Club points built up so I bought the best one (???) in their catalog at no cost to me. I think it is a Schumacher. It charges my cell phone quickly. I haven't needed it for a big engine yet but winter is nearly here and the JD 4230 is booger to start in winter. It won't be long and I'll know if free was cheap enough.

 

[bmaverick]

A few Christmas's ago, I got one of those Stanley jump starter bulking types. It is the 600 for V6 engines.
Well, even fully charged, it will not jump start a V6 3.8L in mild cool weather. The Stanley 1000 will do it.
I see these all over the places in Walmart and the farm box stores.

After reading this thread, I too would like a hand held compact device. This Stanley rolls around in the trunk and rattles too much too. I will not be getting another one.

 

[gstrom99]

I just bought two of these. One for me, one for the daughter/SIL.

Amazon.com

 

[MTGreen]

I went through 2 of the MicroStart XP models over the years. Batteries swelled and burst in both of them after different summers when I lived in AZ.
Now I have a super capacitor based unit with NO battery to find discharged or swelled up. I've used it half a dozen times so far for truck and tractor. Works great as long as you follow the directions.
The concept is that you charge up the capacitors over a few minutes using the residual few volts on your discharged battery or from an alternate source such as a USB etc. It tells you when it's fully charged, then you push a button and crank the engine -it discharges into your dead battery over 10 seconds or so and it cranks like a fresh battery during that time. I don't have anything that requires extended cranking so I don't know how well it would work after 10 seconds. If you don't have the residual volts in the battery it's beyond starting anyways for most modern vehicles

This is the one I have:

1000A Battery-less Jump Starter - Rescue Mate

OzCharge Rescue Mate Battery-less Jump Starter. Best New Safety Product of 2018. Standard in jump starter technology. No requirement to keep the Rescue Mate charged up best battery car charger.

www.ozcharge.com

 

[HAR]

I have a NOCO GB40 and used it for about 3 years, and decided that I wanted the 12VDC feature, so I upgraded to the NOCO GB70. Both work great. I started a Chrysler TC van with a totally dead battery in one try with the GB40 at 25F with no problems. The GB70 has been really handy as I can use it as a back up charger for electronic devices, as well as have the 12VDC feature. I keep the GB70 in my rig, and the GB40 in my wife's car. Showed her how simple it is to use. Just need to periodically get some draw on the battery and recharge, as they recommend that.

 

[LittleBill21]

remember not to leave them fully charged in the summer, I generally won't charge them over 80%, which is still like 15+ plus jump starts with mine

 

[ArlyA]

remember not to leave them fully charged in the summer, I generally won't charge them over 80%, which is still like 15+ plus jump starts with mine

Its been in our truck for years, started out fully charged.

 

[LittleBill21]

Its been in our truck for years, started out fully charged.

hot sun and full charge generally causes lipo to puff up and increase premature failure. There is a reason they have a storage charge value, ever notice how every lipo you buy new is never fully charged?

 

[Gregster613]

I just bought two of these. One for me, one for the daughter/SIL.
View attachment 837348

Amazon.com

I've had one of these for about 2 years. Actually even used it once. It worked even though it had gotten very low on charge. I'd forgotten about it being under the truck seat and had never juiced it up! I now try to check it every six months or so. But...my memory isn't what it used to be anymore, so we'll see how that goes. It did do its job when needed though!

 

[oldpilot]

I have a Weego 44S, and it's a wonder. Haven't needed it to start my tractor, but it has fired up my Subaru Legacy and my zero-turn lawn mower in seconds.

 

[Nam Tran]

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.

 

[johneking]

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.

I too have had a few "Jump Starters" and really didn't like the size of the first two or three -- just too big for my storage between uses.
I found one that I still use that had a "BOOST" button on it and the circuit inside crapped out so I cut it open, removed the circuit board and direct soldered the wires together -- BOOM, works great.
I have wanted a NOCO one {the big one} for some time -- but then there's that $400 price tag -- along with a few posts where people have had problems and didn't get good customer support.
I like NOCO due to the fact they have a phone number and when the one I have finally bites the dust, I'll buy one of theirs probably.
Here's my final comment -- my "garden tractor/Cyclone Rake" set up doesn't get used often enough to keep the battery charged so I bought a small solar panel and keep it plugged in when not in use. This has kept the battery charged just fine.

 

[ArlyA]

If the jumper pack doesn't fit in the smallish tool space in our truck, then it has very limited value to us.

 

[alpha&omega]

I have both the Jump ‘n Carry and the NOCO Genius 5. Each have their own uses and have served me very well. The Jump ‘n Carry is a heavy sumB, so be aware of that. The nice thing about the NOCO other than its size, is that it will bring a dead battery back to life, where most chargers don’t have that capability. It also serves as a trickle charger which is nice to have on hand so that my tractor battery doesn’t freeze during cold winter nights.
I do know someone that had an issue with their Jump ‘n Carry, but come to find out their boosters failure was the result of improper usage/storage, caused by “said individual” not wanting to read the instructions.

 

[JimmyJ321]

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.

I bought a Hulkman (?) off Amazon. I have been very pleased with it. Make sure you can recharge it from you car cig plug. I have used it on multiple vehicles and it started them. I even got froggy one day and tried to start a class 8 duel battery lumber truck. It turned it over several times, but it just wasn’t enough. The papers that came with it say it has a 3-4 year battery life. I’ve had mine 3 years now and it still works fine. Buy a case for it as it comes with a couple different charging cords and it will keep everything together.

 

[rgr33]

I have the Audew, bought it about 3 years ago.
At one point or another, it has jump started just about every battery on the place.

It’s amazing how this thing packs so much power in such a small package.

My dad had several of those larger jumpers when he passed, used them for his golf cart, none of them worked any longer when we cleaned out his garage

 

[Tim in SC]

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.

This guy has a lot of good information and does online tests for you to see.

 

[California]

Project Farm's reviews are the place to start when choosing a jump starter. (It is also power block for charging your phones during a power outage).

Based on Project Farm's earlier video I bought this model. It has served me well for cars and for my 24 hp tractor - from no click, to cranking like mad after attaching it and waiting a minute for it to transfer some energy to the battery.

It's the size of a VHS video. The carrying case containing it, cables and the phone charger that re-charges it, will fit in your (empty) glovebox.

I got this from Amazon three years ago, $80. It still works like new. Today Walmart has it at that price. But see Project Farm's latest reviews before choosing one now.

Imazing Portable Car Jump Starter - 2500A Peak 20000mAH (Up to 8L Gas or 8L Diesel Engine) 12V Auto Battery Booster Portable Power Pack with LCD Display , QC 3.0 and LED Light - Walmart.com

Buy Imazing Portable Car Jump Starter - 2500A Peak 20000mAH (Up to 8L Gas or 8L Diesel Engine) 12V Auto Battery Booster Portable Power Pack with LCD Display , QC 3.0 and LED Light at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[ArlyA]

I check his video when shopping for some tools.