I have a question for the 'brains trust'.
If the battery in my tug (100 series landcruiser, 1HZ motor) goes flat will I be able to start it with a Jump Start - 1900 Amp (Heavy Duty) unit? Is there enough power in this unit to jump start the diesel tug ? I need to know the answer prior to purchasing a 1900 Amp Unit. As you can tell by my question I'm not very tech savvy, but your advice and opinions will be greatly appreciated. blackdwarf

Do you have a link to the specific unit?

It takes a lot to get the old 1HZ's turning over, normal (aka cheap) jumper leads don't usually do the job from dead flat.

Unless it's quite a heft unit I'm going to say no, it probably wont.

Best to fit a dual battery system to the 100 Series, some controllers have the ability to add a "Jump Start" button to the dash which will let you jump start the vehicle off the 2nd battery should the need arise.

If you have batteries fitted to your van and you're venturing into areas away from help it's best (in your case) to make sure they're N70 in dimension with the +ve and -ve terminals in the same orientation as your vehicle. This will let you remove the battery from your caravan to use in your vehicle in an emergency/breakdown situation.

It's only a matter of a bit of thought at ordering time to have an extra redundancy option.

Thanks Sean. I have added the address for the unit. http://media.supercheapauto.com.au/sca/ ... -thumb.jpg According to my research this one appears to be the biggest one available. The second battery idea is good but a bit expensive .............more food for thought though

I've gotta agree with Sean on this one - dual battery setup the only way to go.

Those jump start units will crank over most petrol engines, but really struggle with the high compression of diesel engines. Another thing to consider is that it takes around 48 hours recharge time on the 1900 amp jump starts which is not a problem with mains power, but then if you had mains power available you wouldn't need the jump start, just a good quality battery charger would get you out of trouble.

The best way around the problem is don't let your battery go flat to start with.

diesel

Thanks for you views Diesel. Yeah the idea is not to let it go flat in the first place. I was really thinking about a 'backup plan' (for when I am out in the scrub) that didn't hurt the hip pocket too much. I guess I will have to start filling up the piggy bank (again) for a dual battery system.

Mr Black my mate got one of those jumper packs and then asked me if it would start his old hilux so this is what I did.

put the lights on in his ute to draw down the battery to a point were it would not start off its own battery, that was about 12.4 volts.

then flattened it to a point were it would not start off the jumper pack, that was about 11.8 volts.

I then opened up his new jumper pack, removed the on/off switch and ran new battery cables and the old cables directley to the battery and to both sides of the alligator clamps so it had two cables in each clamp, I could not find a point were his car would not start off the jumper pack after that.

warning this will void your warranty
they will charge OK through your lighter socket
every car will be different and will depend on how low your battery goes if it will start or not
I still have his box and the pack has a 38a/h battery and a weight of 16kg and he paid $99 so that is a cheap back up if it works

I've got a 1200amp jump start and have no trouble starting my TD Colorado. When my battery died and wouldn't start the car i used my jump start. Did it 5 times before I got a new battery. Otherwise I use it to power all sorts of things i.e. power wrench, Waeco fridge and lights

Yeah they will probably help with the smaller more modern 4cyl turbo diesel motors.

The 1HZ motor is really a truck motor and takes a fair bit to get going. Toyota fit vehicles with these motors with dual starting batteries for cold climate areas ie 2 batteries joined together all the time, not one for accessories like most dual battery setups.

If I was out in the scrub and had one of these packs I'd try it, we all would, BUT I honestly could never advise someone that it would do the job with such a large motor to get going.

You may get a vehicle your size going with one of these if it was not entirely flat, just needed a little bit of help.

For peace of mind, get one of these from an auto parts shop and fit it under your bonnet. Hook everything that goes to your -ve battery terminal up to one side of it, and run a short lead from the other side to your -ve battery terminal:



If you pull up somewhere where you wont be able to get any help in a hurry (eg a little secret free camp with no mobile phone reception) it can be used to completely disconect your battery. So long as your battery is in good condition you'll be fine to start your car (litterally in my experience) months later.

Cost should be around $20 and easy to DIY with some care in how you mount it.

If you want the dodgy solution, get a 10mm or 13mm spanner (can't remember for the 100 series) and unhook the -ve terminal and tuck it out the way.

blackdwarf..I have 2 of those jumpstarters.......apart from ovious reason for use......they great for power extra lighting..and emergency running a 40lt waeco fridge..well worth the $$$$$

Dave

G'day,
I think this http://www.projecta.com.au/catalogue/ci ... set_id/155 is the one you will need to start your motor, we use them at work to start our 7lt buses, but then you need to look at the $$$$, at retail you're probably be looking at $300-350, as for recharging them, I have just had to buy a new battery for our tug so had to use my battery pack (1200 amp) 3 times in the last 2 weeks, I just leave it hooked up to the car on idling for a 2-3 minutes and that gives it enough charge, till I can hook it up to 240v, because the alternator charges it, as just starting the car does not flatten it just takes a bit off the top.
Frank