Portable jump starter

[toddhunter64]

I’ve noticed that the portable jump starters I see advertised look like the cables aren’t long enough to reach the negative ground bolt and the positive battery post. Is this true, or just an optical illusion ?? I’d like to carry one with me just in case, or possibly help someone out of a jam, but definitely want to be able to jump my own vehicle as well. Anyone have experience with these ?? There are dozens to choose from, but all of the cables look to be about the same length. Thanks in advance

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[TrailMaster]

I’ve noticed that the portable jump starters I see advertised look like the cables aren’t long enough to reach the negative ground bolt and the positive battery post. Is this true, or just an optical illusion ??

Optical illusion. I have two, the cables on both reach the positive and negative terminals easily.

 

[toddhunter64]

Optical illusion. I have two, the cables on both reach the positive and negative terminals easily.

Optical illusion. I have two, the cables on both reach the positive and negative terminals easily.

Ok, I get that they will reach the actual positive and negative terminals, but I thought I read somewhere that you weren’t supposed to use the actual negative terminal on the battery. I thought you were supposed to use the negative ground bolt that is attached to the frame. It’s located to the left of the battery. Maybe that’s what is supposed to be used when you use actual battery jumper cables.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

On the Hybrid, jump it under the hood, not under the back seat. My jump box reaches the positive post under the hood on the driver's side, and a nearby bolt on the truck body for the negative. But I haven't had to use it on my Maverick. I have used it on other vehicles though - the latest one was a friend's Lincoln Town Car. Worked great.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015TKUPIC

 

[RedRider]

The CAT jumpstart box that Costco sells has only 8" cables, which makes it impossible to actually use under the hood or in the cab. Its a really bad design.

 

[SLINGSHOT]

On a hybrid, hook the red cable to the under hood positive post and the black cable to shiny nut or bolt.
That is a VERY simplified instruction, but as long as the shiny spot is bare metal, it should work. Most jump boxes have lights to tell you if your hooked correctly. Just don't hook up to anything that is orange. 12 volts and 56 volts do not play nice together.

 

[RedRider]

Just don't hook up to anything that is orange. 12 volts and 56 volts do not play nice together.

You mean 400V instead of 56V, right?

 

[SLINGSHOT]

You mean 400V instead of 56V, right?

Looks like you are correct. Don't know where the 56 volt came from, but I checked and 400+ seems to be the right answer.
Thanks.

 

[Neils Bohr]

I’ve noticed that the portable jump starters I see advertised look like the cables aren’t long enough to reach the negative ground bolt and the positive battery post. Is this true, or just an optical illusion ?? I’d like to carry one with me just in case, or possibly help someone out of a jam, but definitely want to be able to jump my own vehicle as well. Anyone have experience with these ?? There are dozens to choose from, but all of the cables look to be about the same length. Thanks in advance

Did you ever get a portable booster and were the cables long enough? I just ordered one but the cables look too short to me too.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Did you ever get a portable booster and were the cables long enough? I just ordered one but the cables look too short to me too.

Neils,
I'm sure your Astro AI will be fine.
Here are the shortest leads from one of my old **Schumacher jump packs.
They are 18" long.

And here are the leads "connected" to the proper connection points to jump start a hybrid Maverick.
I hooked it up to the negative stud but I did not want to hook it up to the positive one, so I clamped it to a wire that was actually further away than the positive stud. They are nowhere near pulled tight.

**Never buy a Schumacher jump pack.

 

[Neils Bohr]

hmm let me see

says they should be about 18 inches span, but most of them look like 12 inch span in the pics. Seems the Noco ones are long enough. I ordered an Astro AI so I'll see if it has long enough cables when I get it.

 

[Ranko Kohime]

I'll do a +1 for NOCO, I bought the full size one for semi-trucks, (Edit: the 4250A) and it overspun the starter on a Buick LeSabre with the Series II V6.

A tip to make your jump boxes last longer: if they have USB ports, use them. Run them down, and charge them at least once a week. Lithium batteries don't like to sit.

 

[Suzukiridr14]

The CAT jumpstart box that Costco sells has only 8" cables, which makes it impossible to actually use under the hood or in the cab. Its a really bad design.

I made up a small (about 24") extension chord with alligator clips on both ends to use if I need it to reach the ground stud on the drivers side inner fender on my hybrid Maverick. Never needed to use it, my truck always starts. Also check with Amazon, you can get a 3000A jump box for around $30, that's equal to a NOCO which costs over $100.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

To date, I've jumped at least 4 different vehicles with the NOCO 40 portable jumper that I bought with my Ford points. Two of those vehicles were parked in such a fashion that it would have been nearly impossible to reach with my truck and traditional jumper cables. The NOCO is really a nice piece of kit to have. Three of four vehicles that I jumped went on to buy the NOCO. The one that didn't is a cheap neighbor.

 

[Backin15]

I received a Noco GB40 last Christmas, haven't had to use it other than to start my lawn mower once but it is nice to have. The leads are not very long, but long enough.
You are correct that it is recommended not to connect the negative to the battery but to a good ground, the main reason being that it could create a spark that could ignite flammable gasses.

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