Battery chargers/jump packs or combination??

[ebinmaine 67,434]

My go-to battery charger has quit.  

 

I was using a Schumacher 8A/2A automatic charger. 

 

It's been fine. Not stellar. It always took longer than desired to bring a low battery to a usable state. 

 

Several times now we've thought about getting a jump pack. 

 

Now we have only a couple 1 amp manual chargers. That's fine but we need a much higher amp pusher on a regular basis.  

 

I'm leaning towards getting a jump pack instead of a traditional 10A or 8A charger. 

While reading about the jump packs  finding some folks use them to recharge a low battery for a bit, then start the vehicle to let it do the recharging in full by itself.  

 

When younger I was told the alternator was NOT designed to recharge a low battery and could be overworked/damaged.  

Then I see the point made that even the smallest alternator is 15 to 25 amps which is more than enough to charge a battery without overtaxing it. 

 

Anyway.....

 

Jump pack, traditional battery charger, combo?

 

 

What would you get if only buying one or the other for say, $100 or less?

 

 

Thoughts comments questions suggestions welcome.....

 

 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,535]

I use these on all my batteries:

 

 

 

Also have a Craftsman 50 amp for fast charge... 30 plus years old...

Edited December 15, 2023 by SylvanLakeWH

[Achto 27,565]

42 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Jump pack, traditional battery charger, combo?

 

My question. Where is it mostly used? If you need some thing to drag out far from electricity to jump start then I would go with a jump pack. If you just need to charge batteries, then I would get a charger with boost capabilities. 

 

These are handy for jump starting in remote locations.

https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SL1639-Lithium-Portable-Starter/dp/B09Z3W6DZV?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

[ri702bill 8,316]

We use both. A Schumacher "intelligent" 2-4-6 Amp unit and a jump pack.

Start/Gen tractors, no issue. Rectifier units - the tag tells you to pull the 3 prong plug while charging or jump starting.

 

Not all jump packs are the same - some offer built in options, like a compressor and LED lights. SOME - the jump cables are WAY too short for comfortable use.

Edited December 15, 2023 by ri702bill

[oldlineman 1,481]

That's the one I have Achto and I love it, has started V8 engines down to 10 hp Kohler engines. Remember the ease of starting an engine is dependent on a good engine and starter! Bob 

[Achto 27,565]

I still have two of these old Schumacher's. No auto detect, will actually charge a dead battery unlike the new chargers that will not even start charging if the battery voltage is too low. Not fast but always get the job done.

 

 

 

[WHX?? 48,815]

Charger heavy here... I have at least a dozen and that's not counting the dozen or so Schumacher 1.5 Amp maintainers or the two stationary hard wired ones Dan dumpster picked at work. 

Dad was a charger freak and had four I inherited. 

So I would lean towards a jump pack. Trouble is all the jump packs I ever had were junk packs. But then again very rare the situation where I could not get another tractor to a dead battery to jump it. 

Edited December 15, 2023 by WHX??

[peter lena 8,610]

@SylvanLakeWH  have battery tenders wired into my 3 horses . so is always a quick , plug in . that also increases , longer life battery . been very reliable , Pete

[WHX?? 48,815]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

Jump pack, traditional battery charger, combo?

Do they have a combo jump/charger out there now? 

Might be something that would work best for you EB. 

In any case you should always have a good strait charger.

Good advice Dan many of the so called "inteligent" chargers will not bring a battery back from stone cold dead. On the plus side many of the digital chargers can revive a marginal battery or so they claim. 

I would trade many of mine for one of the big starter/chargers on wheels as long  as it had a slow charge mode. 

The group 12 batteries we use seem to do better with a small charge rate. 

[Sailman 1,291]

Not to high jack the thread but concerning chargers. If anyone has plans to move to lithium ion batteries (I use them in solar application) only the OLD chargers will charge them to full capacity. Smart chargers will not. The batteries have internal controls that stop the charging from an old style charger when full. Just an FYI to hold on to those old chargers.

[Mike'sHorseBarn 2,998]

I'm glad this this thread was started because I think about this almost daily and haven't pulled the trigger on anything. 

[lynnmor 7,305]

If you can find a Black & Decker VEC1093DBD it will do anything you need.  They have been a favorite of the RV crowd for years but have been out of production for a few years.  I have one and use it whenever I need more power than my 1.75 amp Battery Tenders.

[PWL216 889]

Hi Eric. I have an older jump pack and I’ve been thinking about the same thing and been doing some research lately. If I were to buy a new one the one I would buy is pictured below. It’s more than what you’re looking to spend, at $143. But it gets great reviews and is used by a lot of professionals. .

[ri702bill 8,316]

13 minutes ago, PWL216 said:

Hi Eric. I have an older jump pack and I’ve been thinking about the same thing and been doing some research lately. If I were to buy a new one the one I would buy is pictured below. It’s more than what you’re looking to spend, at $143. But it gets great reviews and is used by a lot of professionals. .

That is the EXACT model we have - my son bought three. I have one, charges relatively fast - 4 hours or so, and holds a charge for a couple of months.

Why so many?? He is an independent Locksmith and does a lot of programming of automotive modules and such. Programming can take almost an hour - requires a SOLID 12+ volts in the vehicle the entire time.....

[Lane Ranger 10,968]

This is an interesting topic !

 

At the big Wheel Horse Show in Pennsylvania two years ago I had a couple tractors and one was my 854 which had been sitting a long time without use in my garage.   When I unloaded and parked it at the show I did not start the motor.  
 

The next day I wanted to start the tractor and ride around the show grounds. Turned the key and nothing cooking!

I had my canopy set up between Josh Aungst and Jerry Karp.   I don’t recall which one of these guys offered first but they both had the same NOVO charger that I have pictured.

 

I hooked it up to my battery and started right up.  Running the tractor charged up after use.

 

But I was intrigued by the portable charger.   I think they were over $200 when I bought mine but I liked that it was very compact , could put under a truck or car seat.  It had different ports for charging a phone, tablet , etc.  it had a good led light with several light features - flashing etc.   and it cold be recharged but still hold a charge for months.  Also could be used to start both gas and diesel trucks. 

I bought the 2000 amp size but it also comes  in a 3500 amp version.

 

i have used for two years now and like it much better than the portable chargers I use to use from Harbor Freight, etc. 

 
 

 

[ML3 1,197]

Personally I have a need for both. Have a regular charger with 2A, 10A, & jump charge. I have portable jump pack for when I don't wanna drag out a long extension cord. The jump boxes, even the more expensive ones, don't seem to last more than few years. At least that's been my experience. I'm really good about battery maintenance, storage, etc. All my tractors, cars, motorcycles, boat, etc have maintainers on them. 

Edited December 16, 2023 by ML3

[WHX?? 48,815]

14 minutes ago, ML3 said:

don't seem to last more than few years. 

What I was saying although the ones I had were hand me downs.

[ML3 1,197]

1 hour ago, WHX?? said:

What I was saying although the ones I had were hand me downs.

I guess they kinda like having a cordless drill. Most the time they do the job but it's always good to have an electric drill also. 

 

Batteries can be unpredictable, especially in things like jump boxes.  Most the time I use jump box if I need to boost start. Still go to my regular plug in charger when needed

[squonk 41,071]

The last "Jump Pack" I had was a Group 31 1000CCA battery strapped to a suitcase cart you would see at an airport. We had to replace Genny batteries every 2 years at work so good batteries were plentiful and free

[EB-80/8inPA 1,641]

12 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

 

I use these on all my batteries:

 

I like those battery tenders.  I lost track of how many Shumackers I tossed after they failed.

[WHX?? 48,815]

These ones here EB2?

https://www.schumacherelectric.com/products/sc1319-1-5a-6v-12v-fully-automatic-battery-maintainer/

I have at least a dozen of these and only tossed one. There is a fuse inside that will blow if hookups are reversed.  Mostly older ones. New ones are polarity protected. 

I've replaced a couple fuses. 

Note that they are not listed for charging but more for maintaining.  

 

Browse their site EB1 if you don't see something you like you ain't lookin. Some products might be a tad bit out of your budget tho. 

Edited December 16, 2023 by WHX??

[ebinmaine 67,434]

As per usual I'm VERY glad I asked for information here. 

Lots of great comments. 

Thank you.  

 

 

The Ball n Chain and I have been mulling over WHY we would go get the battery charger. 

 

I do have a couple spare batteries and the one from my truck that I keep in the basement. 

Those get charged every month or two for a day or two. 

Obviously that's a need for a charger in Low Amp range. 

 

So why else do we go get the old charger out?

 

Almost. Every. Time... It's to charge a low or dead  battery while in a tractor because we wanted to use the machine. 

8 to 12 Amp charging is effective but slow and not very helpful.  

 

So there's obvious justification for the jump pack. 

 

 

We've decided to get TWO jump packs. 

One for each road vehicle.  

When we need to use it for a tractor it would be with us no matter what we are driving while away from home. 

 

I'm also going to order a fully automatic battery maintainer. 

I do have a couple Manual 1 Amp Chargers around but I like the mental security of the automatic modes.  

 

 

[WHX?? 48,815]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

get TWO jump packs.

There went the old budget right out the window...  been there done that...

[ebinmaine 67,434]

4 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

There went the old budget right out the window...  been there done that...

Oh no no. THAT'S why I wanted to look for lower budget pieces.   

[EB-80/8inPA 1,641]

19 hours ago, WHX?? said:

These ones here EB2?

https://www.schumacherelectric.com/products/sc1319-1-5a-6v-12v-fully-automatic-battery-maintainer/

I have at least a dozen of these and only tossed one. There is a fuse inside that will blow if hookups are reversed.  Mostly older ones. New ones are polarity protected. 

I've replaced a couple fuses. 

Note that they are not listed for charging but more for maintaining.  

 

Browse their site EB1 if you don't see something you like you ain't lookin. Some products might be a tad bit out of your budget tho. 

Mine were all modern cheapos from WallyWorld.  I will give that site a look, though.  Thanks.