Jim Lane

Here is a look at my Heavy Duty Jumper Cables.

I made these awhile back, but now I will show you how I made them.

I made 2 pairs of cables for my truck,

But a warning, these cables are not for the faint of heart as they weigh in at about 6 pounds of pure copper.

The first pair has a remote connection to my electrical system and are 30' long.

And the second pair are the conventional kind with a clamp on both ends and are also 30' long, both are made using #2 welding cable.



Here is how the removable pins to the Anderson Connector look, I crimped and then applied heat shrink tubing to them.



Here they are inserted into the body of the Anderson Connector, the handle attaches to the Anderson Connector to make it easier to handle although I like it without.



For this set of cables I made them 30' long using #2 welding cable and then installed a set of 500-amp Parrot clamps.

There is also the mating connector for the truck that is permanently connected to the electrical system.



A closer look to the connection to the parrot clamps typical of all of the clamps.



I had a need for something super heavy duty when I worked as a mechanic for an RV company and would frequently encounter Class A coaches with dead batteries (A Class A Coach is the kind Country Musicians and Rock Stars live in while they are on the road.) while parked in storage, as much as they tried to start them using their little jump-start boxes and battery chargers with 1000' of extension cord they would only get a clunk of the starter then nothing,

Most people do not know but starting an engine with not enough current to turn it over fast enough can be dangerous and cause an electrical fire and run-on by welding the contacts of the starter solenoid.

Anyhow back to the yard I would pull next to the coach, drag the jumper cables under the coach to the battery compartment and make my connections after making sure the batteries were not shorted,

I would then start my truck and run it at a fast idle for about 30 seconds and then I would start the engine on the coach on my electrical system, most all of these coaches were powered by 330-Cat engines, almost in every instance they would start as if they had a set of fresh batteries installed, if one was a problem I would hold the throttle at about 2000 RPM for a few minuets as I was pumping 160-amperes of current into their battery banks for a rapid charge.

There were occasions where I had to disconnect the batteries and start only on my truck batteries having the voltage and current to start the 330-Cat engine.

So starting normal compression vehicles using my cables usually takes more time to pull out the cables than it does to start them and because I made them 30' long I can pull up behind someone on the road and the cables reach completely around their vehicle and there is no danger of becoming an accident waiting to happen.

I have had the occasion to start Class-8 semi tractor/trailer at a rest stop.

But also in case you did not know I also have an ultra electrical system in my truck including my Leece Neville 110-555JHO alternator cranking out 160-amps at cruising speed and 100-amps at a fast idle, heavy duty electrical wiring including, Sure Power Separators, continious duty contctors, a Main battery, Axillary-1, Axillary-2 that can all be paralleled for up-to near 3,500-cranking amps.

Also with all of this preventive equipment I have never had to jump start my own truck using my cables,

The few times that I have had my main battery fail I easily paralleled an axillary battery to the starter by pressing a button.

What I am trying to do is to encourage you to at least purchase a decent set of jumper cables and carry them before you need them.

#2 welding cable is not expensive and you can get it at any local welding supply as well as the copper lugs.

They could even crimp on the lugs for you if you do not have your own equipment.

AND a Fire Extinguisher..

I also had an adapter to connect my truck to the NATO connector and start my Mep-003a diesel powered military generator which I have recently sold.

Jim

Gots_a_sol

Nice. We carry a similar setup in our work truck that we bought god knows where like 10 years ago. Has the quick connects on one end as well. It will reach from the plug coming out of the grill to the back of the trailer that is behind it 95% of the time to hook up to the machine we use (it quit charging itself and is a massive pain to fix. it is tied into the truck so it charges when the truck is running, but in the winter sometimes it just isn't enough) in case the battery goes dead

no pics of the cables, but here is the work truck



It is definitely on my list of things to get set up in my own truck though.

madhat

Huh. Those look like my cables. Nice little write up, buddy.

Jim Lane

What exactly does that machine do, I got my ideas?

I also have a connector in the back of my truck connected to battery Aux -2

Jim

Jim Lane

Hey Mark,
Do any of your vehicles or equipment at work have NATO connectors on them?

Jim

dieselJon

I have a nice set of thick jumper cables. I have NO idea how I obtained them but I can start just about anything with them.

Now, everyone else I know has the crappy ones you get at Walmart or Auto stores. They can start small things but nothing that may have a diesel in it. Amazing how much of a restriction those typical jumpers are.

Gots_a_sol

It has a vibratory plow on the back and a pto on the front to run drill rods for boring under roads/driveways. We use it to install service wires from peds to houses here for comcast. We do the occasional dog fence or power wire on the side as well.

madhat

Hmmm... I don't know. I can find out if you want me to.

Need something?

jimlj

I built a pair like those about 10 years ago from some 2/0 welding cable. I was tired of waiting for cheezy cables to charge a dead battery enough to start a truck, and tired of trying to get close enough to the dead vehicle for the 12' parts house cables to reach.

DLittle

I've had a set like those for about 15yrs. They work great. Mine are about 20' long.

BearKiller

I lucked out and got a 2-AWG set already made and on closeout from FARM-TEK several years ago, about 20-feet long.

I like the fact that it takes two big stout hands to squeeze the clamps open.

They bite a big chunk out of soft lead terminals and leave their mark.

I found a pair of external jumper-cable studs at a recent swap-meet that I intend to install on the wife's truck to keep her a bit safer should she ever be in a jump-starting situation.

Intentions are to mount one of those spring-loaded hinged license-plate holders that hide the gas spout on older cars on her front bumper, then cut a hole in the bumper, box it in, and install the jumper lugs in there.

1-5-3-6-2-4

Boosting any medium or HD diesel. I go straight to the starter.


Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

james1

James:

By "#2 welding cable" do you mean 2 gauge or 2/0 ("two-aught")? Del City offers welding cable in both sizes. Thanks.

BearKiller

I assume he means #2-AWG

Interestingly, 2/0-AWG is almost exactly double the square-inches as the #2-AWG, meaning that two #2 cables will carry the same current as a single 2/0

Carry on.

Bogie

Nice write up Jim I have the exact same setup, I wired Anderson connectors front and rear on my truck for any 12V needs.