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Jump Boxes for Your Car or Truck
A handy accessory to keep in your trunk is
a jump box, a portable unit can jumpstart
a car with a weak or dead battery. Jump boxes
are easier to use than using ordinary jumper
cables, and you can jump your own car battery
without a second car.
Prices and features
Jump boxes run $50 and up and are largely
priced by their battery capacity. They all
are based on lead-acid batteries in a plastic
enclosure, and when charged remain potent
for a long time. Cables extend a foot or
two from the jump box in order to connect
to the dead car battery.
Features to look for include:
- longer cables made from heavier wire to make
it easier to connect to the dead battery
- an on/off switch that does not energize the
leads until you are ready to
jump
- a built-in light (in case you don’t have
a flashlight)
- a remaining capacity indicator
- DC and AC recharging
- a 12VDC cigarette lighter adapter so you
can run portable radios, etc. at the beach
or picnic
Capacity
Jump box capacities start at about 400 amps,
sufficient for jumping a small car or a battery
that isn't completely dead. If you have a
heavy-duty vehicle, or want the capacity
to jump a truck, RV or other large vehicle,
look for a jump box with a higher capacity,
such as 600 – 900 amps. Lower capacity units
might deliver one or two jumpstarts before
they need to be recharged. Higher capacity
units can go longer between recharges. It
takes overnight to charge a jump box back
to its full capacity.
Jump boxes make a nice graduation
or birthday
gift, and one that could be immensely
helpful
as well as provide peace of mind
for the
driver of an older car. |
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