Gary Lewis Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 I saw this advert on Facebook that caught my interest: Energizer 1 Gauge 30' Kit. Part of the interest to me is that I already have wiring from my aux battery to connectors like those at the front bumper. So I wouldn't have to add anything, just connect when needed. But at ~$100 it got me thinking of what I could do myself. I already have a 10' jumper that allows me to run the winch if it is installed on the trailer, and I have left over 2/0 cable. So all I'd need is another connector and the alligator clips. The connector is $18 from Amazon, and some pretty heavy duty clips are $36 from Century. So for ~$53 I could have a set that plugs into my 10' jumper. It isn't 30' long, but then who needs 30' jumper cables? Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce moose4x4 Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 The only drawback I see is the 2/0 cable will be rather bulky. And you wouldn't have that fancy carrying case. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 25 or 30' is pretty common with tow trucks and flatbeds. Sometimes a vehicle is nose in to a parking space or you need to pull up behind or ahead, where you just can't get your plug close to their battery. Jump start calls are pretty much a thing of the past, but that's why you find these 30' long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 25, 2021 Author Share Posted June 25, 2021 25 or 30' is pretty common with tow trucks and flatbeds. Sometimes a vehicle is nose in to a parking space or you need to pull up behind or ahead, where you just can't get your plug close to their battery. Jump start calls are pretty much a thing of the past, but that's why you find these 30' long. Yes, 2/0 would be bulky on the end. And then there's the carrying case. As it turns out, they have a model called ENB125 and while it is "only" 25' long it comes with a carrying case. Best of all, it is only $51.98, inc shipping. It doesn't come with the pigtail to connect to the battery, but I don't need that, so is a good fit for my use. As for jump starts being pretty much a thing of the past, not so in my driveway. The other day I tried to start Blue and got nothing but clicks. So I put the "little" charger on it and came back a few hours later to be greeted with more clicks. I then put the big charger on it, the one with a 50A setting and a 200A boost. Hours later more clicks, even in boost. Luckily it was sitting outside of the garage and I could get Big Blue close enough that the 10' jumper cables would reach and I got it started that way. But the battery was soooooo bad I didn't really want to drive it and wound up just replacing it - and the new clamp and connectors made that a breeze. However, had Blue been sitting in the garage it wouldn't have been easy to get close enough to it to get the jumper cables to reach. I'm not 100% sure Big Blue will fit through the garage door as Blue just barely fits, height wise. And I'd rather not jump it off Janey's GLK as its battery isn't that big. So I'm seriously considering the 25' set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machspeed Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Yes, 2/0 would be bulky on the end. And then there's the carrying case. As it turns out, they have a model called ENB125 and while it is "only" 25' long it comes with a carrying case. Best of all, it is only $51.98, inc shipping. It doesn't come with the pigtail to connect to the battery, but I don't need that, so is a good fit for my use. As for jump starts being pretty much a thing of the past, not so in my driveway. The other day I tried to start Blue and got nothing but clicks. So I put the "little" charger on it and came back a few hours later to be greeted with more clicks. I then put the big charger on it, the one with a 50A setting and a 200A boost. Hours later more clicks, even in boost. Luckily it was sitting outside of the garage and I could get Big Blue close enough that the 10' jumper cables would reach and I got it started that way. But the battery was soooooo bad I didn't really want to drive it and wound up just replacing it - and the new clamp and connectors made that a breeze. However, had Blue been sitting in the garage it wouldn't have been easy to get close enough to it to get the jumper cables to reach. I'm not 100% sure Big Blue will fit through the garage door as Blue just barely fits, height wise. And I'd rather not jump it off Janey's GLK as its battery isn't that big. So I'm seriously considering the 25' set. Curious??? Why would you want to purchase and carry around something like that when you could purchase the likes of this: https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GBX45-UltraSafe-Powerbank-6-5-Liter/dp/B0924V8SPC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=28ZENL6ZY65KH&dchild=1&keywords=battery+jump+starter&qid=1624624692&s=automotive&sprefix=Battery+%2Cautomotive%2C219&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFBRkZBV1VHRU9FNlImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxMzI1OTczVUQyREFOTVNYTzhEJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyNjI4MzZBTjJOWU9ERzlQTlgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Yes, 2/0 would be bulky on the end. And then there's the carrying case. As it turns out, they have a model called ENB125 and while it is "only" 25' long it comes with a carrying case. Best of all, it is only $51.98, inc shipping. It doesn't come with the pigtail to connect to the battery, but I don't need that, so is a good fit for my use. As for jump starts being pretty much a thing of the past, not so in my driveway. The other day I tried to start Blue and got nothing but clicks. So I put the "little" charger on it and came back a few hours later to be greeted with more clicks. I then put the big charger on it, the one with a 50A setting and a 200A boost. Hours later more clicks, even in boost. Luckily it was sitting outside of the garage and I could get Big Blue close enough that the 10' jumper cables would reach and I got it started that way. But the battery was soooooo bad I didn't really want to drive it and wound up just replacing it - and the new clamp and connectors made that a breeze. However, had Blue been sitting in the garage it wouldn't have been easy to get close enough to it to get the jumper cables to reach. I'm not 100% sure Big Blue will fit through the garage door as Blue just barely fits, height wise. And I'd rather not jump it off Janey's GLK as its battery isn't that big. So I'm seriously considering the 25' set. Jump start calls are pretty much a thing of the past.... Nobody calls a tow truck for a jump on a bitter morning anymore. You've got a lot of newer vehicles that will be immobilized if their battery goes dead, and you need a dealer specific interface to set them right. A few have override where you can get the wheels unlocked to get it on the truck, but more and more you just have to put on dollies. Don't get me started with vehicles that need the battery registered to the vehicle for it to function. 🔥 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 25, 2021 Author Share Posted June 25, 2021 Jump start calls are pretty much a thing of the past.... Nobody calls a tow truck for a jump on a bitter morning anymore. You've got a lot of newer vehicles that will be immobilized if their battery goes dead, and you need a dealer specific interface to set them right. A few have override where you can get the wheels unlocked to get it on the truck, but more and more you just have to put on dollies. Don't get me started with vehicles that need the battery registered to the vehicle for it to function. 🔥 Well, with the code they give I got the total price, inc shipping, down to $52 so I ordered the 25' set. That will let me put the other set in Blue, and I know that there's a good chance that our daughter and family will want to borrow him in the near future so that's a bit of peace of mind since the SiL specifically asked for a set the last time they borrowed it. John - Why not that NOCO Boost X GBX45 1250A 12V UltraSafe Portable Lithium Jump Starter? Two reasons. First is price. At slightly more than 1/3 of the price the jumper cables appear to be a good deal. They won't ever fail to hold a charge. Second, I'm not sure I trust that little battery pack to do the job. I have a Stanley Simple Start lithium booster and keep it plugged into the inverter in Big Blue so it is always hot. And it did nothing to start Blue, although to be fair the battery in Blue was really bad. In fact, the only way I did get it started was via the jumper cables off Big Blue. So for the price difference I'm going with the sure thing. Jim - Yes, I'd forgotten about batteries being registered to the vehicle. That's a HUGE pain. We ran into that when shopping for the Subie's replacement. The guy at BMW explained that it took a specific battery for their vehicles. That and a few other glaring differences to the MB helped us make up our mind. I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to swap batteries on Blue. The new wedge-style connectors were so easy to remove and perfectly clean. And the wedge-style clamp to hold the battery in was simple. Only a 10mm wrench was needed. In fact, the hardest part was lifting the battery out as the nice people at Ford either removed the handle or bought a battery w/o a handle - even though there was a place for it. And so far I've not found any presets that were lost in the ordeal.  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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