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Jumper cables -- time to say goodbye??

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Stevewoods, Feb 11, 2022.

  1. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Thinking it is time to say bye to my old faithful jumper cables. I have two sets, both dating back to the 1980s.

    Four-gauge, thirty feet each. They have served me well and in a couple of cases had to chain both sets together to jump either my rig or someone else.

    But, they are big, heavy and take up a fair amount of space. I very seldom carry them in the cars anymore, I have jump packs.

    If I go through with it, they will join the timing light and the tach, which I decided a few years ago were no longer needed.

    I blame it on Chapman's post to a newbie about what to do about a dead battery.-- which reminded me ....


    ChapmanF Senior Member



    And in the days before compact jump boxes, we would try to flag down a friendly-looking passerby who might have jumper cables.


    #3 ChapmanF, Wednesday at 11:15 PM
     
  2. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    I had my dad's friend make me an EC5 pigtail with lugs to attach directly to the 12 volt in the rear passenger quarter. Conveniently, when my 12 volt died 2 years, ago, I just connected the jump pack, pushed the start button and drove off. Since the pigtail had a diode that prevents back feed EC5 lugged cable.jpg jumper cable on Prius V.JPG from the car's charging system to the jump pack, I just left it connected, until I went to Batteries Plus and got a new battery.
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    One thing I’m thinking should be done with jumper cables, is completely separate them. Then, starting with positive: completely connect both ends, THEN go get the negative cable.
     
  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    And there's probably enough copper in each of them to make twelve sets of modern-grade ones.

    Recycle responsibly and pocket more than a few pennies.
     
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    For anyone in Vancouver, BC: there’s a place called “Happy Stan’s”; they take most scrap metals, wiring, small motors/appliances, old mowers and barbecues, and so on.

    https://happystan.com/what-we-recycle/