Hi we are off to France soon in our Hymer, and I looked at taking a Halfords Battery Pack in case we get problems with a flat battery; it also has a USB plug and a compressor but its very heavy and £150. Wondered what more experienced people thought, is it overkill or sensible?
Battery Pack for Jump Starts is it needed?
- Thread starter Ricky230
- Start date
Welcome to the forum....
Before going to all that expense and lugging needless weight, you should consider the following. If the Starter Battery runs flat on the average Motorhome and you then jump start it, there is a risk of damaging the Motorhome Habitation Electrics, the Battery and Alternator.
http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/jump-starting-a-motorhome.php
Pete
Before going to all that expense and lugging needless weight, you should consider the following. If the Starter Battery runs flat on the average Motorhome and you then jump start it, there is a risk of damaging the Motorhome Habitation Electrics, the Battery and Alternator.
http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/jump-starting-a-motorhome.php
Pete
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You should already have two separate battery systems both 12v so a interconnection would be all you need to jump start 
RVs mostly come with this as a standard feature , so similar for Euro MoHo shouldn't be difficult I even have this in my Landrover camper
RVs mostly come with this as a standard feature , so similar for Euro MoHo shouldn't be difficult I even have this in my Landrover camper
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Its basically fitting 1 HD cable and HD isolator switch or relay Simples
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pappajohn
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So....following that drivel you either buy another battery or remove the existing one and bench charge it for a day or two.
No point calling the breakdown company....they'll do what they have always done....jump start it.
In the eleven years I've been on this forum I never read one member say 'my electrics are goosed cos I jump started'
What a load of scaremongering twaddle.
No point calling the breakdown company....they'll do what they have always done....jump start it.
In the eleven years I've been on this forum I never read one member say 'my electrics are goosed cos I jump started'
What a load of scaremongering twaddle.
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suavecarve
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And still in original packing ?
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Two on Tour
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We carry one in each of our classic cars just in case and one in the motorhome.
We used the motorhome one twice when we were in Spain last year ...... to get other people out of the brown and smelly.
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I have one as well, it's a useful piece of kit. Flashlight, recharged my laptop/phone and helped out several other motorists with drained batteries. Mine is similar to this:
Amazon product ASIN B01BF08HGC
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dabhand
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Exactly my point, you figure it out!
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dabhand
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Maybe that’s because people don’t like to broadcast they’ve been a total dick and inadvertently reversed the polarity whilst jump starting their van as they couldn’t see the terminals properly and the negative terminal had red wires going to it for some reason thereby causing untold damage like blowing up their EBL resulting in huge costs. Sorry not twaddle at all, strange but true!
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I bought one of these.
It has been used a couple of times and has either saved the bacon or made the job less hassle. Even started @Jim car once
It saves you having to trail jump leads about and drive your donor vehicle into the right position. Just clip it on, wait a minute then start the engine.
A couple of notes. Don't store it in a cold vehicle as the Li batteries will let you down if too cold the same as a lead battery will.
Check the charge periodically.
I also use it as a USB charger periodically, say for instance I am going out from the van for the day and want to take my tablet and phone with me, I will take this along to charge them up just in case.
It has been used a couple of times and has either saved the bacon or made the job less hassle. Even started @Jim car once
It saves you having to trail jump leads about and drive your donor vehicle into the right position. Just clip it on, wait a minute then start the engine.
A couple of notes. Don't store it in a cold vehicle as the Li batteries will let you down if too cold the same as a lead battery will.
Check the charge periodically.
I also use it as a USB charger periodically, say for instance I am going out from the van for the day and want to take my tablet and phone with me, I will take this along to charge them up just in case.
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chesterfield hooligan
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I bought one of these.
It has been used a couple of times and has either saved the bacon or made the job less hassle. Even started @Jim car once
It saves you having to trail jump leads about and drive your donor vehicle into the right position. Just clip it on, wait a minute then start the engine.
A couple of notes. Don't store it in a cold vehicle as the Li batteries will let you down if too cold the same as a lead battery will.
Check the charge periodically.
I also use it as a USB charger periodically, say for instance I am going out from the van for the day and want to take my tablet and phone with me, I will take this along to charge them up just in case.
Just one question are they rechargable on the move or do I have to recharge from the mains electric.
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EX51SSS
LIFE MEMBER
Ideally they will be fully charged by mains but there is also a 'cigarette' lighter to USB charger cable to and a USB to USB cable.Just one question are they rechargable on the move or do I have to recharge from the mains electric.
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DuxDeluxe
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I got a combined jump start pack and tyre inflator, rather than carry both. Have used it several times since October for 2 jump starts (car and white van) and several tyre top ups (various)
Wouldn’t mind using it on a few people as well.........purely for research, of course.......
Wouldn’t mind using it on a few people as well.........purely for research, of course.......
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Lenny HB
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What makes you think you need one? Has your vehicle got a dodgy battery if so replace it before you go.
When hooked up to mains you starter battery will be charged as well as the leisure battery, if you have solar and it's been wired correctly that should keep the starter battery charged as well.
My mate managed to flatten his starter battery overnight (the dreaded Pioneer stereo). I just ran a cable from the leisure battery to the starter battery and left if for a couple of hours, disconnected it and the van started a treat.
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Mine has both a car charger and a mains charger.Just one question are they rechargable on the move or do I have to recharge from the mains electric.
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The one I linked is the size of two packs of cards side by side and weighs about 500g I believe.We have one but don't take it ...it is simply too heavy and we are hopeful that if we ever did have a problem starting the MH some kind person would come to our aid as we would if someone ese had a problem
The kind person coming to your aid may present you with one of these battery packs
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Spanda
Free Member
Just to add in my twopenn'orth. I have one of these small battery boosters about the size of a paperback book and it works a treat on other people's 'vans - never had to use it on ours. It weighs less than a kilogram and holds its charge for months so it's a good piece of kit. The engine battery on our Swift charges when we are on hook up, but not all do so it is worth checking.
On a related topic. If I had to jumpstart a motorhome from the leisure battery I would disconnect it from the habitation electrics first, then reconnect it after I had taken the jump cables off once the van had started.
On a related topic. If I had to jumpstart a motorhome from the leisure battery I would disconnect it from the habitation electrics first, then reconnect it after I had taken the jump cables off once the van had started.
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Jim
Ringleader
A and A Caravan services. Some talk of this guy like he's some guru. He certainly is not... On another forum he made schoolboy errors when trying to lecture others about the "danger of inverters"
Similarly here, damning the battery master without really knowing what it was or how it worked. Anything the guy says about motorhomes really needs double checking.
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