Best Booster/Jumper Cables?

Unmarked Bill · Feb 13, 2013

Didn't see a thread on this when I searched so I'm gonna ask, any opinions on the best way to go for Booster cables? I usually just use junk ones because they end up left on the side of the road, but I'm thinking about getting some good ones to keep in the garage. What's the good ones?

HOTFR8 · Feb 13, 2013

Any heavy duty leads that have surge protection as well as safety polarity protection.

Also something heavy duty is good. You never know when you may have to jump start something with a big battery.

refried · Feb 13, 2013

about 15 years ago I made a set 26' long with 2/0 tinned Ancor marine cable and a nice set of clamps, I used to call them my $300 jumper cables, Battery cable has gone up so now they're my $500 cables.

Higgins · Feb 13, 2013

Haven't seen jumpere cables with surge protection before! Good concept!

Couldn't find my 40 yr old jumper cables last yr. as they were missing in action! So I purchased a SO set that was $$$$$$, and were very well made! Had to use them twice because other people had problems. So now I keep them locked in one of my cars, so at least I know where they are! - LOL.
In the mean time, the original cables were located and hung in the shop where everyone can find them. However, the kids keep looking for the SO ones!!! - LOL

Chadwilliam1 · Feb 13, 2013

I have the michelin jumper cables with the surge protector. They are messed up there is a lose connection in the surge protector and I havent taken the time to open them up and fix them. They are lite duty. I wouldnt buy them they were a gift. One thing I dis like is both wires are blue. It says in the instructions thet are idiot proof and you can hook them up any way you want but I still like to hook them up correctly.

I van putski · Feb 13, 2013

http://www.usabatterychargers.com/Booster_Cables.htm

Get rid of your ****** cables and get these!

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Wakefield · Feb 13, 2013

Good jumper cables cost a lot Big difference between 10ga. drugstore ones and 2 or 4ga. better ones-even 6ga. copper compared against 10ga.
Deka?
Does Northern Tool have some?
Homemade with welder's cable and expensive clamps?
Tow truck drivers carry some serious ones?

rmsg0040 · Feb 13, 2013

I have got 25' 2 guage cables, bought from princessauto, they are great

I keep them in the car, remains flexible in cold weather, easy to roll up, long enough that I can pull up behind somebody and boost them, clamps are coated so no accidental sparks

If I hadnt bought them a good price from princessauto, I would have made them myself - welding cables and clamps

I would recommend 4 gauge and up.

Caterpillar Cowboy · Feb 13, 2013

Had best luck making em out of welding leads. My Napa here has some damn good heavy duty clamps.

BD1 · Feb 13, 2013

Made mine out of welding cable. Will start cars when others won't. It's the fine wires that do it.

gte718p · Feb 13, 2013

Make your own.

Wire
http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Items/...per Cable Twin Lead Booster Cable by the foot

Clamps
http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Items/...le=Parrot Jaw Booster Cable Clamps - One Pair

I like to put a set of anderson connectors.

http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Items/...Style Quick Connect Plug 175A RED 1AWG - 2AWG

dirtydogintex · Feb 13, 2013

I was fed up w/my good home rolled welding wire cables growing legs so I started using these (or similar?)
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...h_jumper+cables_-1_1415&keyword=jumper+cables

They work fine after the wire lugs are removed from the clamps, silicone applied, everything reassembled w/new fasteners and retightened and retightened again....

I still have the sets I bought ~7yrs ago - they haven't been liberated for some unknown reason!

sdguy55 · Feb 13, 2013

Grab some 1 or 2 ought welding cable and make your own.

firebox40dash5 · Feb 13, 2013

gte718p said:
Make your own.

Wire
http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Items/...per Cable Twin Lead Booster Cable by the foot

Clamps
http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Items/...le=Parrot Jaw Booster Cable Clamps - One Pair

I like to put a set of anderson connectors.

http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Items/...Style Quick Connect Plug 175A RED 1AWG - 2AWG

I do the Andersons too. You could do 2 vehicles for $100 extra, no chance of reverse polarity, and convenient as hell. My truck has them in my winch cables, so it made it even easier, just cut them and install the quick connect.

I made my cables out of cheapish 2 or 4ga Coleman cables off Amazon. So far so good, though they're not flexible when it's cold.

tarbellb · Feb 13, 2013

I just inherited these from my dad. Ive got to say, I have never seen anything this burly and they look to be OEM.

Probably 16', gauge is gotta be near the 2. And the clamps are pretty awesome. Keys in photo for reference to size.

Mfg: Superior Fuse & MFG.CO. INC
S. Hackensack, NJ
MADE IN U.S.A

Very very happy to have this set, last set I had was complete junk (seen in photo)

Maybe you can research this brand, see if NOS or something is out there?

mooseracing · Feb 13, 2013

refried said:
about 15 years ago I made a set 26' long with 2/0 tinned Ancor marine cable and a nice set of clamps, I used to call them my $300 jumper cables, Battery cable has gone up so now they're my $500 cables.

nothing compares to carrying around a set of 30lb jumper cables. They last and they always start vehicles.

gte718p · Feb 13, 2013

firebox40dash5 said:
I do the Andersons too. You could do 2 vehicles for $100 extra, no chance of reverse polarity, and convenient as hell. My truck has them in my winch cables, so it made it even easier, just cut them and install the quick connect.

I made my cables out of cheapish 2 or 4ga Coleman cables off Amazon. So far so good, though they're not flexible when it's cold.

My F-350 needs to be jumped the most, and is the vehicle I use to jump other vehicles off with. I have a short pigtail in the bumper that I can plug the jumper cables into. I also can plug a winch, a spot light, or an inverter into the anderson. I actually have one front and rear now, both wired with 2 gauge battery wire. It has been incredibly useful.

If I'm using the cables for something other then the F-350 I have a second set of clamps with an anderson connector. The setup was a little expensive once, but it will last a life time or two. Finding jumper cables that will jump a 7.3l diesel with shot glow plugs on a cold morning is priceless.

If your not the make it your self type, wrong site. Just kidding NAPA has some good cables, but they are not cheap.

sberry · Feb 13, 2013

Both these leads bolt to the battery in the cart, I also have a set stick out thru the grill on a couple work trucks. got 20 ft of 2 and 20 ft of 2/0

TDLMOMOWERS · Feb 13, 2013

Mine are home made. I used 2 awg cable and the heaviest clamps I could find. Got the cable and clamps at NAPA. They are 16 feet long. I got tired of all the junk ones out there. I bought copper cable lugs for the ends and crimped them on and covered the ends of the cable with shrink tube. I have had them for years and they still work great. They were'nt cheap, but I wanted a heavy set.

firebox40dash5 · Feb 13, 2013

gte718p said:
My F-350 needs to be jumped the most, and is the vehicle I use to jump other vehicles off with. I have a short pigtail in the bumper that I can plug the jumper cables into. I also can plug a winch, a spot light, or an inverter into the anderson. I actually have one front and rear now, both wired with 2 gauge battery wire. It has been incredibly useful.

If I'm using the cables for something other then the F-350 I have a second set of clamps with an anderson connector. The setup was a little expensive once, but it will last a life time or two. Finding jumper cables that will jump a 7.3l diesel with shot glow plugs on a cold morning is priceless.

If your not the make it your self type, wrong site. Just kidding NAPA has some good cables, but they are not cheap.

I think NAPA even has cables with the 175A Power Pole already on one end, but yeah, they're stupidly expensive. :wtf:

I just used regular cables to start from since bare 2-conductor wire costs so much and isn't easy to find.

I need to run one to the back of the truck one day, too. We picked up a 20' hydraulic tiltbed trailer with a Ramsey on the deck at work, but it really needs to be plugged in to use the winch... even with a good battery, the most you can do is tilt the deck a couple times without plugging it in.

AndyA · Feb 13, 2013

I have a set of the Deka 1/0 25ft. The clamps could be better, but overall they work well. I think they were around $160. I have no problems instantly starting the double-battery tractor with both batteries dead. My other 8ga cables barely click the solenoid with that load.

bobcatdan · Feb 13, 2013

gte718p said:
Make your own.

Wire
http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Items/...per Cable Twin Lead Booster Cable by the foot

Clamps
http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Items/...le=Parrot Jaw Booster Cable Clamps - One Pair

I like to put a set of anderson connectors.

http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Items/...Style Quick Connect Plug 175A RED 1AWG - 2AWG

I have that set up on my service truck, works slick. I have it made up that I have a shorter 10' length for most time, an "extension section" that is about 15' and a second set of clamps if for some reason I'm using something other then the truck to jump something. For somebody serious about jumper cables, it is the way to go.

Jason280 · Feb 14, 2013

I've been meaning to make a set myself, just haven't gotten around to ordering the clamps. I have enough #2 welding cable to make a 25' set, just need to find a set of clamps to use.

gte718p · Feb 14, 2013

bobcatdan said:
I have that set up on my service truck, works slick. I have it made up that I have a shorter 10' length for most time, an "extension section" that is about 15' and a second set of clamps if for some reason I'm using something other then the truck to jump something. For somebody serious about jumper cables, it is the way to go.

An extension is on my list of things to make. Its low on the priority list, especially with the cost of wire. We have a 75 foot jumper cable for working on equipment. Sometime you just can't get the truck as close as you would like. Its a pain to drag around though. You don't want to drag it around all the time. A fifty foot jumper would be perfect. Length when you need it, light weight and easy to handle when you don't.

It is a little off topic, but one of the other things you can do is wire an anderson connector into 12 volt tools. Now you have an almost unlimited power supply on the trail/farm/worksite.

HOTFR8 · Feb 14, 2013

I should have added I also made a set of my own as many times you find a vehicle with a flat battery is front into the curb. For this I have a heavy duty set of leads with conventional clamps on one end and jumper posts on the other they also have polarity and surge protection. To reach the battery I then add the other set of leads like I showed you in my last post in this topic.

Surge protection is adviseable these days as you may jump start the car but what happens to the computers if something does wrong ?

AndyA · Feb 15, 2013

Surge protection seems like a gimmick to me. I *want* the cables to flow 100's of amps when I hit the starter on the dead vehicle.

Best Booster/Jumper Cables?

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