Several years ago I was in a group of two vehicles travelling on a remote and isolated 4WD track when we came upon a stranded vehicle. The driver had a defective battery and had been attempting to reach "civilization" when he stalled the vehicle engine whilst negotiating a section of very deep ruts in the dirt track. The defective battery in his vehicle meant he couldn't restart his vehicle engine and was stranded.
We were able to assist by jump starting his engine connecting his battery to one of ours. With his engine now working he headed in the opposite direction planned on carefully continuing the end of the track and the nearest town for a replacement battery in one day.
The incident confirmed to me the importance of preparing for all eventualities when travelling solo in remote locations.
For several years I've been considering how I might restart our diesel 4WD if the battery were to fail somewhere remote whilst travelling solo. Until today a 12V battery 'jump starter' has been an expensive item. But then it's only expensive if you don't need it!
Today, whilst doing some online research into another subject, I noticed the nationwide 4WD Supa Centre chain was holding a post Christmas sale and were advertising a 12V lithium Jump Starter for $69.95. That was a surprisingly good price when other brands sell upwards of $400+.
The nearest store is in the adjacent suburb and I made a quick trip to examine their device before purchasing one.
The documentation claims a fully charged device can make up to eight attempts to restart a vehicle before it's discharged. The specifications also state it can start a diesel 4WD.
What do you get for your money?
The device comes in a hard plastic protective carry shell
Inside is the charger and a number of cable accessories
The jump starter can also be used as a power bank to recharge small portable devices (eg, mobile phone) and has an inbuilt torch.
A set of jump starter leads, 240V charger, 12V charger and a usb cable with multiple leads.
I almost cried when I noticed the store had their 12V 120Ah lithium battery on sale at $399. Last year I bought mine from them at a discounted price of $550! The price of lithium batteries appears to be falling.
5 comments :
But will it jump start with effectively no battery not just rapid charging a flat one, will the leads carry 300Amps while you crank?
Hi Mick,
A possible negative for a 24V domestic system? £80 is about A$150. Pity I can't buy you one and send it. Can't send lithium batteries through the post!
Brian, The specifications state it will and there are a number of YouTube reviews confirming it starts an engine with either a flat or no battery. However you don't get many attempts before it's flat.
Hi Tom
TBH i would give it a tryout at home before getting into a situation where you really need it and finding it doesn't work. I suspect some of those videos are of a warm engine that fires up easily, not a diesel starting after a overnight stop from cold.
Dave
Hi Dave,
I've also considered the possibility it might not start a 3.0L diesel. However one video does show a diesel 4WD with a dead battery being started. Cold in Australia?????? :-)
Post a Comment