Jumper cables

[Jas29]

I was looking at getting some 2 gauge jumper cables to jump start a diesel truck the crappy ones I have don't get the job done. I have a few questions

1) Will I be able to use these jumper cables to jump start a regular car or pick-up will the extra power harm the electrical system of the car in anyway. I have no problem jump starting cars with the cables I have now but the diesel truck would not start even with it connected for like 20 mins

2) Is it better to make your own using welding cable or buy them

3) Would thicker wire be worth the extra price? say 2/0 or would it be overkill

Edit:
I guess I should add what I have now. The cables i'm using now are either 10 or 12 gauge

 

[gte718p]

1) No it will not harm anything. A car is not going to be able to jump a diesel regardless of the cable. It just doesn't create enough amps.
2) Depends, welding cable is better then most store bought cables. However good cables are going to be high strand count also. You are going to pay more for it but it is worth it. If you already have welding cable it is a good choice.
3) Bigger is better, the only down side is they are more expensive, take up more space, and are heavier.


I use both 1 and 2 guage. 2 is the min for big diesels. I have the set below, and am extremely happy with them. I'm currently using a custom set I made with Anderson connectors. The F350 is permanently wire for with 1 guage going to the front and rear bumpers. The there are Anderson connector on the bumper that I can plug a winch, jumper cables, or tools into. I have a 5 foot section of jumper cables that works in most cases. If that is not enough I have a 10 and 20 ft extension cables that I can add.
If you decide to make your own, good quality wire is the key. Welding wire is good, but generally over priced. The thin strands of copper make it flexible. You also want insulation that is flexible in the cold. Nothing worse then a set of cables that doesn't wnat to move in the cold.

http://www.genuinedealz.com/jumper-cables-booster-cable-set-1-awg-20ft

 

[Jas29]

The 2 vehicles were a 2014 toyota tundra and the vehicle being jump started is 02 chevy express diesel with dual batteries.

Before we jumped it with a 04 f150 with a different pair of cables and never had a problem but someone borrowed them and never gave them back. Im assuming the cables is the difference.

The truck got new batteries today but I want to be prepared for the worst

 

[Ramper]

I have these http://www.batterystuff.com/emergency/industrial-jumper-cables/602310-001.html and really like them. Made in USA 100% copper. The only issue I have is that they are only 12 feet long. I am jumping a little diesel VW Jetta so it has not been an issue.

I have many other sets of cables that I have picked up at estate sales, CL, etc. I am a sucker for "vintage" 100% copper cables.

 

[bczygan]

Long as you have space in the engine compartment for the clamps.

 

[bczygan]

I was looking at getting some 2 gauge jumper cables to jump start a diesel truck the crappy ones I have don't get the job done. I have a few questions

1) Will I be able to use these jumper cables to jump start a regular car or pick-up will the extra power harm the electrical system of the car in anyway. I have no problem jump starting cars with the cables I have now but the diesel truck would not start even with it connected for like 20 mins

2) Is it better to make your own using welding cable or buy them

3) Would thicker wire be worth the extra price? say 2/0 or would it be overkill

Edit:
I guess I should add what I have now. The cables i'm using now are either 10 or 12 gauge

Bigger diameter wire in the cables does not transmit more power. The flow of power that you have, is what it is. You are just pushing it through a bigger pipe.

 

[Strouty]

A nice set of jumper cables is a must. I have a set that is 25' long so I can jump a truck nosed in with no access from behind. As far as using a regular vehicle to jumpstart a diesel with two dead batteries, well that is a job for a charger. Jumping a single battery vehicle that is dead is pretty easy, but with two (or more) the other batteries kind of **** all the goodness out of the one you have the cables hooked to.

 

[volleyball]

Decades ago I got a 25' roll of diesel starter cable. I cut it in half and put NAPA best ends on it. It transfer power way better than 2 sets of good cables. The supply engine audibly slows down as the alternator cuts in.
I don't loan them out ever.

 

[Tim37]

At work we have a set of heavy duty cables for jumping trucks and I have s
Used them on cars. I have ran in to cases where the clamps where hard to use on a tight engine compartment.

 

[Lippyp]

A neighbour of mine years ago came out to jump start my old Triumph Spitfire for me when it had a flat battery one morning. He dragged out a set of cables that you could have moored an aircraft carrier with. He used to be a professional mechanic working on trucks and these were used to jump start big rigs. The things were so heavy they made the car lean over not to mention the fact they were about 20' long! It started though!

 

[gte718p]

The 2 vehicles were a 2014 toyota tundra and the vehicle being jump started is 02 chevy express diesel with dual batteries.

Before we jumped it with a 04 f150 with a different pair of cables and never had a problem but someone borrowed them and never gave them back. Im assuming the cables is the difference.

The truck got new batteries today but I want to be prepared for the worst

If the batteries in the Chevy are good, just drained a Tundra should be able to charge the batteries a little and then jump the Chevy off. If you have a bad cell in the Chevy, there is a good chance it doesn't have enough juice to jump off a dead truck.

 

[Strouty]

Of the batteries in the Chevy are good, just drained a Tundra should be able to charge the batteries a little and then jump the Chevy off. If you have a bad cell in the Chevy, there is a good chance it doesn't have enough juice to jump off a dead truck.

Regardless of the size of the wire.

 

[volleyball]

My cables have started many vehicles that the store bought ones would not, even with charging for a bit.
Size matters.
A Tundra with a year old battery, over 100A alternator and big cables should be enough for a diesel if it isn't frigid weather.

 

[gungatim]

if you make cables buy good cable ends. even some good thick cables have cheap ends.

one thing I did with some cheap cables I got on sale for $5 ea is cut the ends of two pair and wire them together so the two 8 guage cables are now one. they work well and was much cheaper than buying 4 guage cables, plus I have an extra pair of ends. they are a little bulky though...

 

[Brunel]

One thing to add is that longer jump leads need to be made of thicker cable to prevent excessive voltage drop.

 

[Jas29]

Thanks for all the help I think I will build a pair of 2 gauge jumpers rather than buying premade ones

 

[bonneyman]

I have these http://www.batterystuff.com/emergency/industrial-jumper-cables/602310-001.html and really like them. Made in USA 100% copper. The only issue I have is that they are only 12 feet long. I am jumping a little diesel VW Jetta so it has not been an issue.

I have many other sets of cables that I have picked up at estate sales, CL, etc. I am a sucker for "vintage" 100% copper cables.

Thanks for the link! Next time I need jumper cables, I'm gonna give these folks a call.

 

[Pantsfall_McFixit]

I looked into making my own, but the cost for the cable, clamps, and a crimper was about the same as buying them. Then I looked at having a welding shop make some, but there's no shops near me. So then I looked online and found a few things. Firstly most cables are copper-clad aluminum which doesn't fly in my book. Secondly you get completely different results searching "jumper cables" vs "booster cables". Finally narrowed it down to some cables made by Century Wire, bought 25ft 2/0 cables, part D1132025BK. Yes, two aught because why not (heh). Anyway those cables are very hard to find, so then I found a cable listing by Century Tool (don't know if related).

Link
http://www.centurytool.net/Booster_Cables_s/45004.htm

Lots of configurations available on that page. I recommend 25ft cables so you can actually reach the terminals when not able to park close. Real copper thick gauge cables are expensive but actually do the job if you've got the battery. Already saved other people's asses a few times with them.

 

[crab]

How hard it is to jump anything, including a big truck, depends on how dead the battery or batteries are. I have jumped 18 wheelers with a pickup and I have seen them need 24 volts to jump. Connecting 2 cables together to make a longer cable isn't as good as 1 longer cable and the longer a cable is the thicker it needs to be. Having a good connection at both ends to the batteries is as important as the size of the cables. Amps are what goes thru the cables, volts are what pushes the amps thru the cables. It would be easy to test cables to see how many amps they will flow with a 12 volt connection.

 

[johninct]

Why not just use a good jumper pack? I jumped my Cat 215 Excavator (20 ton machine) with my jumper pack and an older Mercedes car battery (24)Volt in series. The Excavator's batteries were stone dead for years. I did use some cheap jumper cables because I was too lazy to put the Mercedes/ jumper pack in the battery compartment and left them on the ground.

 

[Dagny]

Don't matter how big the wire is if the connections are ****. That seems to be the hardest part for me. That and it's usually 40 below zero whenever I'm using them.

 

[cloud71]

I bought 20ft 2 gauge, at the auto parts place I work at, regular price before my discount was 39 bucks, I've used them several times now to jump other people and love them

 

[Alchymist]

Bigger diameter wire in the cables does not transmit more power. The flow of power that you have, is what it is. You are just pushing it through a bigger pipe.

Not exactly. Max power transfer depends first on the CCA of the source battery. With that in mind, the ampere requirement of the stalled vehicle determines how much power is required. Then the cables come into play. With a light current requirement, a 10 or 8 gauge wire will not cause a big voltage drop across the cables. If those same cables are trying to start a large vehicle requiring a high current, the voltage drop across the cables increases to the point that the voltage at the starter is so low that it will not spin the starter fast enough to start the engine.

Replacing the 10 or 8 gauge wires with a 2 gauge wire will reduce the voltage drop across the cables, resulting in higher voltage at the starter, assuming the source battery has the CCA capacity. Ohms law in action.

Bottom line is that if the source battery is capable of providing the necessary CCA, heavier cables can provide more power than lighter ones.

 

[mbret2004]

You want to use the largest gauge wire you can find. The resistance in larger wire is less than in smaller wire. Resistance decreases, current increases giving you more amperage to start the disabled vehicle.

 

[volleyball]

You don't need the largest wire. Only one big enough. After a point, it doesn't help and they are heavier, bulkier and more expensive.
My clamps have tabs that are suppose to both fold over the wire. They don't even reach around to touch.

 

[volaredon]

I hate side post batteries, (none of my vehicles have one, but the cars I am called to jump sometimes do) all new cables I have found have those "fingers" made as part of the cable clamp. That makes it tough to get a good bite on a top post battery. I have cut those off of a few sets of cables, seems though like when I need a set the ones that still have those fingers for teh side post are the only cables I can find at the time.

 

[GSMotorrad]

one thing I did with some cheap cables I got on sale for $5 ea is cut the ends of two pair and wire them together so the two 8 guage cables are now one. they work well and was much cheaper than buying 4 guage cables, plus I have an extra pair of ends. they are a little bulky though...

I've done this with speaker cables, until I found out it does weird things to the resistance. I guess it would matter less just using them for jumping a vehicle, but it still scares me. Shoot, I have enough 14AWG pure copper speaker wire to make some 2/0 jumper cables if I just ran a lot of 'em together, but something tells me that's probably not a good idea - I don't know though.

 

[Schurkey]

I've done this with speaker cables, until I found out it does weird things to the resistance. I guess it would matter less just using them for jumping a vehicle, but it still scares me. Shoot, I have enough 14AWG pure copper speaker wire to make some 2/0 jumper cables if I just ran a lot of 'em together, but something tells me that's probably not a good idea - I don't know though.

Not a problem for a DC application like jumper cables. For jumper cables, you can pretty much ignore inductance and capacitance, leaving resistance and suitable insulation as the only major concerns.

Things get weird in a hurry when you're engineering for an AC application like audio/video. The higher the frequency, the weirder things get. Inductance, capacitance, and impedance all have to be considered.










With regard to the cable gauge:
Automotive Example: '70s Oldsmobiles with the big V-8 and the big and heavy Delco starter motor, can have a rated starter draw of 225 amps. V-8s with Delco starter motors of the '60s and '70s often pull 175--200 amps.

If you think you're going to push that much current through an 8-gauge cable, you're crazy. Don't get me started on 10 or 12 gauge "jumper cables". You might as well connect the cars via their cigarette lighters. Good luck.

Crappy battery cables are 6 gauge, and they're only a few feet long. Good battery cables are 4-gauge, but again, they're only a few feet long. Proper jumper cables are 15--20 feet long, so they're going to be heavier than 4-gauge cable. 2-gauge would be minimum in my book.

Be careful what insulation is used. I've got home-made jumper cables made from "welding cable", and every time I use 'em in cold weather I have to repair the cracked insulation.

 

[GSMotorrad]

Not a problem for a DC application like jumper cables. For jumper cables, you can pretty much ignore inductance and capacitance, leaving resistance and suitable insulation as the only major concerns.

Things get weird in a hurry when you're engineering for an AC application like audio/video. The higher the frequency, the weirder things get. Inductance, capacitance, and impedance all have to be considered.










With regard to the cable gauge:
Automotive Example: '70s Oldsmobiles with the big V-8 and the big and heavy Delco starter motor, can have a rated starter draw of 225 amps. V-8s with Delco starter motors of the '60s and '70s often pull 175--200 amps.

If you think you're going to push that much current through an 8-gauge cable, you're crazy. Don't get me started on 10 or 12 gauge "jumper cables". You might as well connect the cars via their cigarette lighters. Good luck.

Crappy battery cables are 6 gauge, and they're only a few feet long. Good battery cables are 4-gauge, but again, they're only a few feet long. Proper jumper cables are 15--20 feet long, so they're going to be heavier than 4-gauge cable. 2-gauge would be minimum in my book.

Be careful what insulation is used. I've got home-made jumper cables made from "welding cable", and every time I use 'em in cold weather I have to repair the cracked insulation.

Really good post, thanks for all that good info. Any recommendations for some "lifetime" jumper cables? I've had my fill of broken aluminum strands and cracked insulation, that I'm finally up for a HIGH QUALITY set of booster cables. I want to buy them one last time, and be DONE with spending money on 'em.

I'll take your advice and shoot for thicker than 2AWG, and while I'm at it, I might as well get 'em long enough to be able to jump front to back on the side of a highway with two long trucks - so I'm guessing I'll need 'em to be 25' long and weigh 80lbs. Shoot. Probably gonna cost me $200, but it's worth it to me if that's the way it's got to be. I have three sets that need to go in the garbage and are unsafe at this point. I'm ready to do it right (finally).

So yeah - any recommendations? What do you have? You seem to know your way around jumper cables! Thanks.

 

[shampoop]

Bigger diameter wire in the cables does not transmit more power. The flow of power that you have, is what it is. You are just pushing it through a bigger pipe.

No. You do not understand electricity.

Fastest way to prove that is false is why is there more than one gauge of wire? if the flow of power "is what it is" why don't we all just use 5,000 gauge wire for EVERYTHING?

edit: I got some free welding cables and bought some nice clamp ends for them. Love them. Iirc they're 2 gauge. Work excellent. Makes engines turn over as fast as if it had a brand new fresh battery in their car. Also very nice to use and store due to the extreme flexibility. It's also nice having the 2 cables separated rather than joined together like typical jumper cables. Just a lot easier/safer to use and easier to store when they're separate.

 

[magicrat]

I would say definitely get some....they work great when u have to jump a truck with a small sedan and I just like having overk I'll nice stuff around

 

[finn]

Pay attention to the cable sheathing. Some cables become stiff and unwieldy in cold weather and are a pain to work with.

Better cables remain flexible at sub-zero temperatures.

 

[maxpower_hd]

No. You do not understand electricity.

Fastest way to prove that is false is why is there more than one gauge of wire? if the flow of power "is what it is" why don't we all just use 5,000 gauge wire for EVERYTHING?

edit: I got some free welding cables and bought some nice clamp ends for them. Love them. Iirc they're 2 gauge. Work excellent. Makes engines turn over as fast as if it had a brand new fresh battery in their car. Also very nice to use and store due to the extreme flexibility. It's also nice having the 2 cables separated rather than joined together like typical jumper cables. Just a lot easier/safer to use and easier to store when they're separate.

I think what the OP was getting at is if there would be more power that would harm a car when using the heavier gauge cables for jumping a car rather than a truck. And I think the response was basically saying you aren't going to generate more power than the jumping car can produce just because you have bigger cables. You are only going to have a maximum of 12V regardless of the gauge of the cable. And you aren't going to produce more amperage than the alternator can produce.

 

[shampoop]

I think what the OP was getting at is if there would be more power that would harm a car when using the heavier gauge cables for jumping a car rather than a truck. And I think the response was basically saying you aren't going to generate more power than the jumping car can produce just because you have bigger cables. You are only going to have a maximum of 12V regardless of the gauge of the cable. And you aren't going to produce more amperage than the alternator can produce.

I see what happened there.

 

[ilovevocs]

When I jump my superduty when its real dead ill put a jumper pack on one battery and hook the other to another vehicle with cables.

if they aren't too dead then the jumper will do the job on its own, but when its real cold, and they are really dead, I need both.

Yes a charger would be best, but im not always in a location with power when I go brain dead and leave something on.

 

[Schurkey]

Any recommendations for some "lifetime" jumper cables? What do you have? You seem to know your way around jumper cables!

My cables were home-made from spare welding cable...in about 1977. The insulation was always fragile in cold weather, it may be that age has made it worse.

OTOH, they've worked for me for decades.

Pay attention to the cable sheathing. Some cables become stiff and unwieldy in cold weather and are a pain to work with.

Better cables remain flexible at sub-zero temperatures.

Absolutely. Especially if you use them a lot. My cables get used twice a year, maybe.

I think what the OP was getting at is if there would be more power that would harm a car when using the heavier gauge cables for jumping a car rather than a truck. And I think the response was basically saying you aren't going to generate more power than the jumping car can produce just because you have bigger cables. You are only going to have a maximum of 12V regardless of the gauge of the cable. And you aren't going to produce more amperage than the alternator can produce.

Not true. You could have something like 14 volts since the charging vehicle will be running and the alternator will drive the voltage upward under light load. There will be far more amperage than the alternator can output based on the ability of the charging vehicle's battery to supply short-term amperage to the "dead" battery when that engine is cranked.

You could easily see 200 amps through the cables in the right situation. More than that for truck or diesel applications.

When I jump my superduty when its real dead ill put a jumper pack on one battery and hook the other to another vehicle with cables.

if they aren't too dead then the jumper will do the job on its own, but when its real cold, and they are really dead, I need both.

Yes a charger would be best, but im not always in a location with power when I go brain dead and leave something on.

A dead battery in truly cold weather is likely frozen and ruined. Batteries, fully-charged, are safe to -90 degrees F. A 60% discharged battery can freeze at 16 degrees above zero.

 

[1950mercury]

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

 

[1950mercury]

They will last u forever and usa made

 

[Engineer61]

These aren't cheap, but they let you start most anything

http://www.tooltopia.com/fjc-45330.aspx
or from tooltopia through Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BHVXTZY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Copper 1/0 wire, 24 lbs, come in their own bucket. Very heavy, Very expensive.