Good jump starter for truck

[Kodiak]

Pity these smaller units moved away from lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries. There was one company that made one but then they stopped years ago. I always regretted not getting one and now I know of only one large unit that uses LiFePO4.

LiFePO4 is a little heavier and little more expensive but significantly safer with slower discharge and 4x to 5x the recharge cycles.

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[Calson]

The problem with these batteries is that they will not charge at tempertures below 10 degrees. They have BMS built-in to protect the battery so it will block current at very low temperatures.

I spent $3,000 in 2021 to replace the two FLAT batteries in my motorhome with lithium-phosphate ones and doubled the house battery bank capacity and reduced recharging time by half. Not a good choice for a starter battery where deep discharging only occurs when there is an electrical failure with the vehicle.

 

[scott011422]

I use a DSR109. No batteries to keep charged. Runs on big supercaps with a buck\boost drive. As long as there is enough power to turn on any lights, plenty enough to charge the caps. Does 800 CCA as low temp as you want to go. As long as I precharge it, Works with no battery at all.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I use a DSR109. No batteries to keep charged. Runs on big supercaps with a buck\boost drive. As long as there is enough power to turn on any lights, plenty enough to charge the caps. Does 800 CCA as low temp as you want to go. As long as I precharge it, Works with no battery at all.

Basically a fancier version of the Autowit SuperCap unit I have.

 

[Monochrome150]

Get the Big noco one that can jump the superdutys and you'll make alot of friends in winter time i tell ya

 

[Calson]

Bought the Hulkman 85 directly from Hulkman. Thanks for making me aware of this company as they no longer sell on Amazon, which I can well understand the way Amazon games the system, and so did not come up on my searches.

 

[FordPrefect]

Y'all made me look, and I found three-year-old Microstart in my motorcycle tool bag that was fine when I charged it last year, and is completely fried (will not accept a charge) now. Found a five-year-old Microstart (same model number, completely different design) in my truck tool bag, and it seems just fine. I think the brand has gone downhill over time.

Time for at least one replacement, then. I do like that supercapacitor concept. For anyone that is interested, I found the Autowit for a little less. I have never ordered from Wellbots before but it showed up today and looks great, so I think I can recommend them.

https://www.wellbots.com/products/autowit-jump-starter-supercap-2

Shipping was free and it arrived in four days. Sad to see that I couldn't use the first-time-buyer discount they were waiving around because that required a bigger spend, but otherwise I'm satisfied.

The product is a bit larger than I'm used to for a jump starter. In the case it is about 12x6x3. Seems really well-made though, and flexible. I look forward to not having to keep it charged up, something I'm not great at. @Porpoise Hork thanks for mentioning it.

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