Need jumper cable recommendations

[Dean2]

OK, i am going to jump in here

Using a Jump Box usually gets the dead vehicle going & there is NO chance that you can harm the running vehicle doing it that way.

Another thing,

The procedure for using jumper cables to jump another vehicle mentioned above:

1. RED to DEAD: Connect the red clip to the positive terminal on your dead battery.
2. RED to DONOR: Connect the red clip to the positive terminal on the donor vehicle's working battery.
3. BLACK to DONOR: Same car! ...
4. BLACK to METAL: Back to the dead battery.

was the preferred method, before vehicles became computerized

The change that was made after vehicles were equipped with computers, was step #4

the Jumper Cable going to the running vehicles Negative connection should go to the running engines FRAME, ( not the battery )

Personally, i don't care to put my face over my battery, when i am jumping someone & that would be where your face is while connecting to the frame.

A neat trick, is if your Radiator Support is hard mounted & made of metal

Drill a hole near the top of the Radiator Support, fairly close to your vehicles Battery. Then insert a bolt & a nut, maybe 9/16ths" through that hole & on the front side side of the radiator support, thread on another nut.
Next tighten the 2 nuts solidly together.

Now the 4th step would to clamp your Negative Cable to the new Bolt.
You are protecting your own body, because your face is not over your good battery.

I know that some people may disagree with this method, i think that it is a very safe option.

Have a Good Day !!

Black to metal was always the way we did it, long before computers. You always went to a ground on the patient vehicle. Any metal spot will do the job, you don't have your face over the patient or donor vehicle battery doing this and there is no need for a special bolt to attach to.

 

[gofishn]

If your old cables were good, and decently thick so they would carry some amperages, why not put new ends on them?

 

[zrock]

like has been said before get a jump box. mine stays in the truck all the time and maybe every 6 months ill plug it in to top up the charge not that it needs it and one a year ill pull it out turn the flashlight on and use the usb port to drain the battery and give it a full charge

 

[Pudge]

like has been said before get a jump box. mine stays in the truck all the time and maybe every 6 months ill plug it in to top up the charge not that it needs it and one a year ill pull it out turn the flashlight on and use the usb port to drain the battery and give it a full charge

Ditto. And what’s nice about the jump box, besides servicing yourself without bothering anyone, you can help others out without ever lifting your hood, or driving up close to another vehicle.

 

[Truck Fun]

If your old cables were good, and decently thick so they would carry some amperages, why not put new ends on them?

Felt the cost of new ends would be better applied to buying something new.

 

[turkeybird56]

OK, i am going to jump in here

Using a Jump Box usually gets the dead vehicle going & there is NO chance that you can harm the running vehicle doing it that way.

Another thing,

The procedure for using jumper cables to jump another vehicle mentioned above:

1. RED to DEAD: Connect the red clip to the positive terminal on your dead battery.
2. RED to DONOR: Connect the red clip to the positive terminal on the donor vehicle's working battery.
3. BLACK to DONOR: Same car! ...
4. BLACK to METAL: Back to the dead battery.

was the preferred method, before vehicles became computerized

The change that was made after vehicles were equipped with computers, was step #4

the Jumper Cable going to the running vehicles Negative connection should go to the running engines FRAME, ( not the battery )

Personally, i don't care to put my face over my battery, when i am jumping someone & that would be where your face is while connecting to the frame.

A neat trick, is if your Radiator Support is hard mounted & made of metal

Drill a hole near the top of the Radiator Support, fairly close to your vehicles Battery. Then insert a bolt & a nut, maybe 9/16ths" through that hole & on the front side side of the radiator support, thread on another nut.
Next tighten the 2 nuts solidly together.

Now the 4th step would to clamp your Negative Cable to the new Bolt.
You are protecting your own body, because your face is not over your good battery.

I know that some people may disagree with this method, i think that it is a very safe option.

Have a Good Day !!

GT, U read the post wrong. #4, means ground to the frame, etc on Dead Battery Vehicle, not to battery.

 

[Truck Fun]

Update. I've at least got a new set of jumper cables; 4ga 20ft. Too much of a chance I will need them at some point. Interested in a jump box but I want to do some more research first.

 

[turkeybird56]

Update. I've at least got a new set of jumper cables; 4ga 20ft. Too much of a chance I will need them at some point. Interested in a jump box but I want to do some more research first.

I have a set of Made Cables, the wires came off of a Ground Unit for Acft, and added clamps. I also have a Lithium Battery Box that I carry when I am concerned with the battery and carry with the Motorcycle on a long trip, just in case.!!!

 

[gofishn]

Felt the cost of new ends would be better applied to buying something new.

find out what wire you have. new ends for 8gauge is slot cheaper than buying 8 gauge

 

[Chopper2006]

If the cables were ok but you didn't like the clamps, foot the bill for some quality clamp replacements and continue onward.

 

[Mb7640]

@Truck Fun , I just keep a set of generic jumper cables in my tool box. I have no idea what their rating is for. I should probably go figure that out.



On a related topic, has anyone tried these Autowit Supercapacitor Starters on a Hemi? I'm intrigued. They're much preferable to a jump box that needs to be kept charged to be useful, but I'm sure they have other drawbacks (although I can't think of any).
thats what I have but only used it once to help someone jump his bike at a gas station. Works great

 

[Wild one]

Little tidbit for you guys hooking up jumper cables to running donors,Turn the F'ing donor car off,never hook booster cables up to another running vehicle.

 

[danielmid]

Just added a jump box to the wife's Durango, GBX45.

 

[BossHogg]

Little tidbit for you guys hooking up jumper cables to running donors,Turn the F'ing donor car off,never hook booster cables up to another running vehicle.

What is the reason? I've never had an issue with the doner vehicle having a running engine nor have I ever heard of an issue.

FYI, there are two types of jump boxes and jump starters. The labeling is used interchangeably but you should be aware of the differences. I learned the hard way.

One type will transfer its stored power into the car's battery giving the battery the ability to crank the engine. This is fine as long as the battery is simply discharged but not failing, for example, a bad cell. If the battery is failing, it is not possible to put power back into the battery.
The other type does not charge your battery but can directly provide the power to crank the engine.

You can discover the type of jump box you have from the instructions. If the instructions tell you to connect to the battery and push a button and wait for a time period or until a light comes on, this is the type that transfers power to the battery. It was the type I had when I had a battery failure. Luckily someone came along that had the type that had the power to directly crank the engine albeit I had to pull one lead off the batter to get it out of the circuit so the battery would stop robbing the power.

Project Farm (on YT) has several videos demonstrating the two different jump starter types. Here is one of them;

Which Car Jump Starter Is Best? Let's find out! NOCO GB40 vs Duracell vs Audew

Jump start a car using the best portable car battery jump starter. Compared 8 jump starters, including new supercapacitor car battery jump starter made by A...

www.youtube.com

 

[LouM]

I need to make a new pair also, my old ones the rubber is cracking and starting to fall off the wire I've taped them in several places.
I use #2 welding cable with good clamps (getting harder to find) and they are about 25 ft long. I also have jumper or booster boxs which ever you wish to call them.
However when starting a cold hard starting diesel on a very cold day that has been sitting for a while boost boxs will not do the job.

 

[Wild one]

What is the reason? I've never had an issue with the doner vehicle having a running engine nor have I ever heard of an issue.

FYI, there are two types of jump boxes and jump starters. The labeling is used interchangeably but you should be aware of the differences. I learned the hard way.

One type will transfer its stored power into the car's battery giving the battery the ability to crank the engine. This is fine as long as the battery is simply discharged but not failing, for example, a bad cell. If the battery is failing, it is not possible to put power back into the battery.
The other type does not charge your battery but can directly provide the power to crank the engine.

You can discover the type of jump box you have from the instructions. If the instructions tell you to connect to the battery and push a button and wait for a time period or until a light comes on, this is the type that transfers power to the battery. It was the type I had when I had a battery failure. Luckily someone came along that had the type that had the power to directly crank the engine albeit I had to pull one lead off the batter to get it out of the circuit so the battery would stop robbing the power.

Project Farm (on YT) has several videos demonstrating the two different jump starter types. Here is one of them;

Which Car Jump Starter Is Best? Let's find out! NOCO GB40 vs Duracell vs Audew

Jump start a car using the best portable car battery jump starter. Compared 8 jump starters, including new supercapacitor car battery jump starter made by A...

www.youtube.com

Once the cables are properly hooked up,then you start the good/donor car,you should never hook the cables up while the donor car is running.

How to Jump a Car: Simple Steps to Revive Your Car Battery - Driving Academy | Driving-Tests.org

Knowing how to jump start a car is an essential skill for every driver.

driving-tests.org

 

[Dinky]

I like to have a set of cables in all my vehicles. Jump boxes are awesome but something else I need to maintain. Same with co2 tanks to air up I still prefer on board air. Install it and test it every once and awhile but it's always there ready to go. We have a jumper box at our shop but all trucks have jumper cables. I bought some the other day and for $50 the quality it's great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07GDB7S7F/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[GTyankee]

I just read that Dinky's cables are Copper Clad ??

I have several sets of cables, most of the cheaper cables were given to me
I keep them for people that come to my garage door hoping to borrow cables.

My better cables i keep in my trucks tool box or i may lend them to close friends, like the ex Baja Mexico Policeman that lives directly across the street

If your cables get quite warm while jumping some ones vehicle, you should consider getting heavier gauge wire.
Also you need heavier gauge wire as the length of the cables increases

 

[Dinky]

I just read that Dinky's cables are Copper Clad ??

I have several sets of cables, most of the cheaper cables were given to me
I keep them for people that come to my garage door hoping to borrow cables.

My better cables i keep in my trucks tool box or i may lend them to close friends, like the ex Baja Mexico Policeman that lives directly across the street

Yeah lots of stuff is that way and aluminum is used a lot in powerlines now because it light weight. Also I bought some copper sheets the other day, Market on grade 1 copper Is $7.50per lbs 2 months ago it was $9.50 and this time last year it was $11lbs lol. Grade 1 copper was on big shortage since covid.

 

[bm02tj]

Never have good car running when you start dead car or voltage spikes could kill your electronics turn off as much as you can ie radio ,gps etc