Jump Leads / Battery Boosters for Lorries

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Rambo

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Well, the weekend shenanigans highlighted a couple of areas that need addressing regarding the lorry !

Firstly, our battery is hidden in the most ridiculously inaccessible position it could be...and short of having an inspection pit we cannot get to it a lot of the time
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So, need to cut an inspection hatch into the side skirts to allow easier access.

The second point is that we need to get some heavy duty jump leads and / or battery booster to assist with starting. I had just thrown a set of old car jump leads in the lorry in case we needed them, but when it came to the crunch they either didn't work, or weren't up to the job ! I was lucky to be able to borrow a set from YO which were considerably heavier duty than mine
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So, the question is, what 'grade' of jump lead do I need for the wagon ? It's a Ford Cargo 0813 with a 5.7 litre diesel engine. Very helpful when you go into Halfords and their 'heavy duty' leads state they are suitable for diesel engines upto 2 litres
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Further investigation on websites suggests that the cables come in different amp ratings....anything from 350amps to around 700amps.

I've also been looking at Battery Boosters which come in varying grades too and escalating price tags to match
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The cheapest boosters cost around £30 and are rated for engines drawing 400amps, but they do have some around £70 / £80 which say they will start engines upto 700 amps. Then, there are seriously heavy duty ones that cost £500+ and have a 'cold cranking' amperage of upto 1100 amps.

Soooo...any ideas on what sort of draw (cold cranking amps) the above vehicle is going to have ? Is the 700 amp booster going to be any use at all, and what about booster cables ?

Anyone ?
 
I have leads that are 700amps, the main thing with these leads is that if they aren't heavy duty enough they will just burn out without even starting the lorry. So go for the most heavy duty leads you can possibly get. I also have a power jumper but it cost around £600 and again this is another majory heavy duty bit of kit. very rarely use it as I disconnect the batteries when I'm not using the truck for longer than a week as I notice that the taco will drain the battery.
 
might seem like a very stupid question but can't you just buy a new battery? mine got cracked so being a miser bout one that was far to small. OH (who is a mechanic) got so fed up with me nicking his jump leads that he bought me a new battery for christmas!
 
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might seem like a very stupid question but can't you just buy a new battery? mine got cracked so being a miser bout one that was far to small. OH (who is a mechanic) got so fed up with me nicking his jump leads that he bought me a new battery for christmas!

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LOL!

My battery isn't the problem....ever since I sent my lorry in for it's annual service / plating it has nnot started as well as it used to
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It used to go first turn everytime, but now has taken to requiring to be crancked solidly for arounf 30 or 40 seconds on occasion...other times it starts fine. I need to get it back to the garage for a look, but want to have some backup too
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I suggestv you go to a agricultural machinery distributor and get a pair of extra-heavy duty leads from them. The heavier they are the better.

As far as a booster goes you need to check if your lorry battery is 12 volt or 24 volt before buying one.

A modern battery should last for years so as per above buy a new one and get your mechanic to check that the earthing point on the chassis is rust free and o.k.

Also take your lorry for a nice 10 mile spin every weekend to keep the battery charged up and the bearings moving.

Get an isolator switch fitted so that there is no discharge from the battery when the lorry is not being used.
 
I use my HD car ones on my old Bedford TL and they work fine every time had a booster but kept forgetting to charge it up so gave up on it.

There is enough water in the battery isn't there - mine gets weak and lorry turns alot when the water's low in the battery - topped it on friday and gave it a trickle charge for the weekend - started a dream yesterday
 
We had problems starting our lorry because batteries discharge when they are stood. Firstly had an isolator switch fitted to prevent the batteries losing their charge. Secondly bought a booster/charger box and the cheapest we found was £108 from an agricultural suppliers....not sure that the £30 Halfords version will be big enough for a lorry.

Odd thing is that ever since the booster box has taken up residence in the cab...it has never been needed. Nice to know it is there if we do though.
 
Thanks for all your advice guys
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As I said above, i'm happy that the battery is in good nick, and holding it's charge fine. The underlying problem is the fact that the lorry doesn't always start as it should. I took it out on saturday to get fuel....it wouldn't start at first so left it for a couple of hours, came back, and it started fine. Then on sunday morning it again refused to start quickly...needing lots of cranking which drained the battery...this less than 24 hours after I had run it the day before. This was when I jumped it from the car and it started eventually if a little relctantly. However, I started it on New Years day after about 3 weeks of standing idle, and it started fine
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I've ordered a 900 amp booster to have a go with (it'll be useful to have for the car even if it doesn't have the ooomph for the lorry
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) and will get some very HD leads too as a backup.
 
Just had the same problem as you with the same lorry ours was 24v battery and we borrowed a heavy duty pack not leads as you cant start 24v from car of 12v. Going to get the heavy duty pack as could prove v useful. Have been told to start lorry every week and run for 45 mins to keep battery level up.
 
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Just had the same problem as you with the same lorry ours was 24v battery and we borrowed a heavy duty pack not leads as you cant start 24v from car of 12v. Going to get the heavy duty pack as could prove v useful. Have been told to start lorry every week and run for 45 mins to keep battery level up.

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We're luck(ier), ours is a 12v system so we can jump it from the car. Roll on the summer though....and the warmer weather
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Listen to OWLIE!

It's very important to know if it's 12v or 24v and equally important which terminals you connect to. We have a 12/24v booster/charger thingy bought from Machine Mart and it cost about £100. Fit an isolator to stop any current being drained - my tacho sucked the life outta my batteries!
 
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Listen to OWLIE!

It's very important to know if it's 12v or 24v and equally important which terminals you connect to. We have a 12/24v booster/charger thingy bought from Machine Mart and it cost about £100. Fit an isolator to stop any current being drained - my tacho sucked the life outta my batteries!

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I'm sure you mean well, but i'm not a complete muppet...I do know that my lorry is wired in a 12v config, and I do know how to jump start a vehicle (i've done it on numerous occasions including yesterday !). My tacho is disconnected and so draws nothing from the battery either, but thanks for your input
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My original question was what sort of cold crank amps is the vehicle drawing when it starts up
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Is the tacho on yours not part of the speedo then ? Though new ruling meant that they had to be sealed and connected even if PLG?

not saying you are a muppet btw - was just a query
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My old YO's Cargo used to do exactly the same as yours and she had an isolator fitted but I've got no idea what it was for - leave all that to OH! Can just about charge battery and check oil/water!
 
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Is the tacho on yours not part of the speedo then ? Though new ruling meant that they had to be sealed and connected even if PLG?

not saying you are a muppet btw - was just a query
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My old YO's Cargo used to do exactly the same as yours and she had an isolator fitted but I've got no idea what it was for - leave all that to OH! Can just about charge battery and check oil/water!

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Yes, my tacho is part of the speedo, but it is non-operational. It doesn't need to be as the vehicle as fairly old ('88). My muppet response wasn't aimed at you btw
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Just for everyone else....my battery isn't draining while the lorry is standing idle. The starter motor turns over fine for plenty of time for normal starting (the only bit the battery does on a diesel) but it doesn't always fire quickly enough. I suspect i'm getting some sort of fuel starvation problem that comes and goes.

The reason I was wanting the info on the battery booster or jump leads was to give me more time to turn the engine over when it goes into it's "i won't start" mode
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If you can see the starter motor (fairly easy if you lie on your back and use a good torch it will have the max amp rating on it.
Failing that, phone the peeps that serviced it and ask them what the current drain is on initial crank.
 
Maybe the heater plugs aren't right, has it is starting better later in the day. I've got an isolator switch - £25, also my sister removes the fuse to her tacho when it is standing still.

When I need to jump mine I use the leads that we have for the tractor.

Please don't yell at me for not answering your original question
 
LOL!

Thanks guys...and by that I mean everyone !

Sorry if I gave the impression of yelling at peeps ! I just seemed to be repeating myself a little...no excuses, and all your input is gratefully received and valued
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4faulter - Good idea ! An 0813 technical manual will probs have the info too....off to search google now
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DD - Yes ! Someone else PM'd me about glow plugs too, and it does sounds like they could be a contributory factor, as the problem seems to be worse on colder mornings. I'm gonna investigate getting them replaced too
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Just another thought. Is the starter motor really OK. I say this as my 811 seemed to need a lot of cranking, particularly on cold mornings. Then my starter motor packed up.
Replaced it and hey presto, it starts instantly. The old starter motor was on its way out and wasn't turning the engine over fast enough to start it efficiently. I didn't realise how slowly it was turning over initially as put it down to cold engine/thick oil etc until I fitted the new one.
Difference is dramatic. trouble is the starter motor performance declines gradually so you dont notice the difference and put starting troubles down to other things.
 
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Just another thought. Is the starter motor really OK. I say this as my 811 seemed to need a lot of cranking, particularly on cold mornings. Then my starter motor packed up.
Replaced it and hey presto, it starts instantly. The old starter motor was on its way out and wasn't turning the engine over fast enough to start it efficiently. I didn't realise how slowly it was turning over initially as put it down to cold engine/thick oil etc until I fitted the new one.
Difference is dramatic. trouble is the starter motor performance declines gradually so you dont notice the difference and put starting troubles down to other things.

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Hmmm...that's an interesting one !

Will have to park up alongside YO's 0813 and try them alongside each other to see if I can detect a difference
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