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[Andy H]

Melted

I have had them for years but never really needed them to carry any serious current.

My old Range Rover had been sat for 3 years. I charged the battery a couple of weeks ago and it started and ran fine. Today I needed to start it to load it onto a trailer and the battery was FUBAR.

I tried jumping from a slave battery and also from SWMBO's Galaxy with the engine running. All I managed to do was melt the useless POS jump leads

Any recommendations for decent jump leads?

[frostbite]

You want anything with 4awg or higher, I have halfords 4000cc  leads shoved in the sparewheel
(I bought them 10yrs ago)

Your leads must have had crusty bits growing on the crimps to do that

[omega2018]

the tiny 12v lithium starter packs are really cheap now, my one will start the v6 even if the main battery is disconnected.  i carry jump leads anyway but first choice would be the battery pack

something like this www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162232314521  or this www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272338627669

shop around last one I got was £15 inc del from china

[Nick W]

the tiny 12v lithium starter packs are really cheap now, my one will start the v6 even if the main battery is disconnected.  i carry jump leads anyway but first choice would be the battery pack

They work IF the car will start within a few turns. Don't expect them to be of any use if you need to crank it over any more than that - if it's flooded for example. I have a lithium starter pack the size of a paperback book that will do that, but it should have cost over £300.


Cheap jump leads are hopeless; the cables are inadequate and too short, and the clamps even worse. I would make my own, but if you're buying some spend at least £50.

[biggriffin]

My jump leads have a cable as fat as your thumb, and are for jumping starting Trucks,

[YZ250]

I made mine from fork lift charging cable, very similar to what we used at work.    I've had them for over thirty years and they've never let me down. They are quite long, as I made them that way, but they will start another vehicle with no noticeable current drop. 

[TheBoy]

Cheap jumpleads are a waste of time - not only will they not carry the current, but the high resistance will cause too much of a drop.

If not sure what you want, for starting Omegas, I'd aim for ones for a 5l car and 3m long.  For the Range Rover, spec up the engine size a bit.


I use a set of (probably about 15yr old) Halfords ones that were rated at 4.5l.  They've been OK, except the clamps, that are poor, both in connection and durability, with the clamp itself being plastic, with the obvious consequences once banged about a bit.

My other set were the biggest set Machine Mart sold a 3 or 4yrs ago, probably Clarke, that were OK as well, but not as good as...

...my best set were bought from an independent localish factor (long since gone), rated 5l, been excellent and robust. They were strong money though when I bought them, and sadly didn't survive the fire .  I have no idea what make now



The Clarke ones are likely to come out of the same Chinese tat factory as the likes of Sealey and Draper etc.  Machine Mart are often a bit more expensive than most Clarke resellers, but do have excellent aftersales *IF* you have a nearby store.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I have a long and thick set, which are donkeys years old and pretty battered. I seem to remember liberating them from a previous employer about 15 years ago, when they bought some new ones to jump start lorries and forklifts. They still work as well now as they did when I got them. 

[Sir Tigger KC]

I have 2 sets.  One are long and thick and were my Dad's so are probably getting on for 40 years old! 

The other set I've had for about 15 years, cost about £10 from Halfords and I've used them lots with no issues. 

Can't see why you'd need to spend £50 odd for average occasional car use TBH. 

[TD]

I have 2 sets.  One are long and thick and were my Dad's so are probably getting on for 40 years old! 

The other set I've had for about 15 years, cost about £10 from Halfords and I've used them lots with no issues. 

Can't see why you'd need to spend £50 odd for average occasional car use TBH. 

Depends how flat the battery is tbh, if it just needs a helping hand from another battery then you would get away with a cheap set (not much current required). If the battery is completely flat then the cables needs to be able to supply 100amp or so, a cheap set will get hot and probably melt, as I have found out as well.

Tho I suspect, best practice if the battery is totally flat, is to remove it and charge it with a mains charger first.......

[aaronjb]

They work IF the car will start within a few turns. Don't expect them to be of any use if you need to crank it over any more than that - if it's flooded for example. I have a lithium starter pack the size of a paperback book that will do that, but it should have cost over £300.

I have a cheapy - it started a Hummer H2 at LeMans after we'd flattened the battery leaving the interior lights on Having done that once, though, it could not then start someones 911 - we had to use a set of jump leads from the Hummer to do that 

[STEMO]

I don't have flat batteries.   

[Doctor Gollum]

My car don't have flat batteries.   

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