Looking for everyone's input regarding boosting equipment. Pretty much everything from a 12v pick up, gravel trucks etc to medium sized 24v equipment. Any recommendations and experience are greatly appreciated. So far I've boosted using CV setting on my welder, which works but I'm told is hard on the welder. Opinions on that too if you know better! Picking up my new welder next month so don't want to start that on a bad leaf. Thanks in advance!
From an electronics tech background, no harm in boosting if it is done carefully. Just have to be sure the voltage is not forced up to something ridiculous by the welder. I think the majority of damage comes from hooking things up in reverse and not admitting it later after the damage is done. If you are using a welder on modern equipment I would say that putting a voltmeter on the battery and making sure it does not go too far is a good safety measure.
I've boosted several vehicles and equipments over the years with my Hobart engine drive stick welder. A volt meter is good to have as open circuit voltage can push way higher than the theoretical 12, or 24VDC needed and when you clamp the leads on, the inrush current can blow a battery apart on short order if you don't get to cranking on the dead equipment pretty quickly. I always limited to about 1.5 times system voltage for boosting by varying welder output and disconnected as quickly as possible after engine start. Haven't ever blown anything up I'm aware of. I wouldn't do this to a battery that has frozen or is devoid of electrolyte as disaster could be invited if done so.
A good long set of very heavy booster cables made out of welding lead has served me well. Next up is a heavy duty charger run off my inverter or welder both methods are reliable and work every time I am not interested in jump boxes to keep charged up and carry around to use once a month If I cant prove why the batts were dead to start with lights on ect they get a new set at the end of shift Boosting with the welder not going to happen for me
Or before going out because you might wind up changing an alternator at end of shift as well. A risk to calculate. I remember there was a truck that had sat in a corner of the yard half a year, dead as a doornail when we went to use it, we managed to get it to start and the driver took it out all day and never shut it off. When it came back that evening you could smell the sulfur of the bad batteries boiling, who knows how hard the alternator was working all day to try and keep that mess alive. Would have been better to just put a fresh set in right then and there in the morning. I would never fault anybody for being cautious on this point, again it is a risk that has to be calculated. For instance if they say don't weld without disconnecting ECM then I am going to go find the ECM(s) and disconnect them, I get paid by the hour to do it right after all.
get a battery charger with a boost setting and run it off the welder’s aux power outlets. I’ve found the jump boxes to be irritating in that the batteries in them die. Like you I find the most reliable method is Jumper cables or a battery charger. I had to chew our rental turn guys out a couple months ago about batteries in rentals. Told them that if they had to jump it for no obvious reasons or even if it was weak starting to throw a set of new batteries and check the charging system. Sending it out to die on the customer just pisses everybody off. Most customers rent by the week or month and a week’s rental is worth a lot more than a set of batteries.
Jumper cables. I have 2 sets..........a 15-footer, and a 30-footer for that equipment you just can't get right up on.
Normally that's done in the middle of the night.
I work out of a Toyota pickup and a booster is all that I can carry for 24 volts. I do carry a set of jumpers for cars and pickups. I don't use them much as I don't like the idea of risking my alternator for someone else's benefit. I've had no problems with the boost packs from Napa. I take mine out of the truck and charge it at least once a month if it hasn't been used. I've gone through entire equipment yards jump starting machines throughout an eight hour day with no issues.
I have JNC 770's in the cars and pickup. I use the one in the pickup at least five times per week as it's so much easier to get out than the 25' 2/0 cables also carried. I'll use both the jump pack, and cables to jump start a 24V system but seldom is it necessary. I probably plug the ones from the cars in every six months unless they are used; then usually that evening. The one in the pickup stays plugged into an inverter that is always there.
Nothing boosts an engine when cold like warm batteries. Cranking on weak batteries or bad cables that cause a voltage drop can cause the solenoid to weld closed. A local shop burned down most likely from this cause.