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We used to buy Battery cable wire in rolls and large truck clamps and make our own... Just weld the clamps onto the cable and you were set.... We could have them as long as we wanted and the gauge was excellent....
If your BIL is not mechanically inclined, I forget where I saw these, but you can get a set of jumper cables that have a plug in the middle, indicator lights on both parts of the plug. You can put the cables on the 2 cars, check that both are correctly installed, and then put the plug together, relatively far from the batteries.
I would include a good set of safety glasses or even a clear face shield with the cables. Battery explosions are not common but they are a real problem and you never seem to have any water or whatever to deal with the acid.
As noted, a more expensive alternative would be one of those "self-jump" boxes.
Final note - realize that if a battery is shorted internally, neither a jump box nor jumper cables will start the car. Been there, done that.
Besides the off chance of causing an explosion, a lot of late model cars owner manual recommend you don't use them to give (or receive) a jump start because of the off-chance that a short or surge could damage the ECU. Almost never happens, but when it does be prepared to come up off at least a grand.
very good point. most people are not well enough versed to properly use jumper cables, so they do need to be very careful if they decide to use them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCalCpl2
We used to buy Battery cable wire in rolls and large truck clamps and make our own... Just weld the clamps onto the cable and you were set.... We could have them as long as we wanted and the gauge was excellent....
i was going to do that very thing years ago. i was planning on using 0 gauge welding cable to make my jumper cables.
I think that when you're in a store looking at them, you should be able to tell whether they're cheap and crummy or useful. Be sure that if you spend extra, you're spending for "solid" and not for "fancy". Some expensive fancy ones will break right away. You shouldn't buy them from a drug store. Go someplace where guys who work on cars go.
Advice on jumper cables here is excellent, and should be all someone needs as long as they 1) have someone they know (spouse, neighbor, good buddy) who will agree to give them a jump, and 2) have a gift-giver, such as yourself, who has limits on what they can afford to spend.
That said, for a more solitary person, or a woman who has to travel long distances, a jump pack is really the better choice. You don't want wives, GFs, or moms going out asking strangers to jump start their vehicles. And a cheap $60 unit isn't going to cut the mustard. If this is a woman (elderly person, etc) who is important to you, spend $115 and get them one of these: Clore JNC660 Jump'n'Carry 1700 peak amp jump starter. It weighs only 18 lbs, and is what many garages take out with them on service calls. It will start virtually any consumer vehicle, and do so repeatedly, without recharging for several months. Will it ever die? Sure. So will the battery in your car...or any car. But it's cheap insurance.
Triple-A can take a lonnngggg time on a cold morning, when somebody needs to get to work on time. And it's a PIA to get a phone call, that your GF is half-frozen in a bad part of town at 5:30 pm in the dark, and wants you to go get her car started. Teach her how to use this, and worry no more.
Thanks for all of the responses. I will definitely look for all copper as opposed to copper-clad aluminum.
Is a 2 or 4 gauge cable really necessary for jumping a van and a sedan? Is there a point at which too much current flows through and you increase the likelihood of shorting out an electrical system?
I guess I was considering 8 gauge as a medium point between delivering sufficient oomph to start a car quickly and not frying the car's computer. In addition, the thicker cables are also generally much longer, which in turn takes up a lot of space, correct?
Honestly, I did research into 2 or 4 gauge and looked into all sorts of things, allow me to save you some time and money. 8 Gauge will work fine and so will the copper-clad aluminum. I have yet to be in a jumping situation where whatever cables on hand (including very cheap 10 gauge versions) didn't function. Seriously, I've done a ton of offroad/camping trips and have helped many people - if there was an issue with doing this, I would tell you all.
I say leave the 4 or 2 gauge pure copper cables to those people likely to use them professionally or who do a crap load off-road or driving in hazardous conditions... they will run you over $60-100.00 per pair and that is insane unless money is no object as you can buy a decent mid-quality set of cables for under $20.00.... cables which will fit in a small easily transportable container, which will be plenty long enough for 99% of situations, and which will work in emergency situations to get your vehicle started.
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