Portable 24V Slave Battery Pack?

[edpdx]

Got to thinking. Whenever my battery bleeds down to a yet to trace parasitic draw. And it only happens when my M1009 sits a week or so- shorter time when cold outside, I have to disconnect the front battery and charge it with the 10AMP quick charge. The ENGINE START mode makes my charger rattle. So I charge the front battery and wait until I can start it- may take several tries- depending on how much of a rush I am in. And then the battery gets a charge, but not a deep charge as it should get. This proposed fix/shortcut does not give the battery the needed time on the charger either, but I was wondering why it wouldn't be a pretty good shortcut to getting the engine started.

My wife's Buick has a draw from the mirror cam, so I bought a battery pack that instantly boosts the beast into action. Would a dedicated 24V instant booster work as well if the alligator clamps were replaced with a slave connector.

Looking at this schematic I borrowed from www.froad.com, it seems that I would get the same result as if I attached the Alligator clamps to: RED battery POS,
BLK battery NEG

If they both yield the same result- and are both safe/correct for jump starting the system, then the only advantage to the Slave splice would be that it's kinda cool to use the slave connector. I use3 it for the the impact wrench when I change the tires.
Would either method be safe for a 24v battery pack jump?

 

[WWRD99]

Got to thinking. Whenever my battery bleeds down to a yet to trace parasitic draw. And it only happens when my M1009 sits a week or so- shorter time when cold outside, I have to disconnect the front battery and charge it with the 10AMP quick charge. The ENGINE START mode makes my charger rattle. So I charge the front battery and wait until I can start it- may take several tries- depending on how much of a rush I am in. And then the battery gets a charge, but not a deep charge as it should get. This proposed fix/shortcut does not give the battery the needed time on the charger either, but I was wondering why it wouldn't be a pretty good shortcut to getting the engine started.

My wife's Buick has a draw from the mirror cam, so I bought a battery pack that instantly boosts the beast into action. Would a dedicated 24V instant booster work as well if the alligator clamps were replaced with a slave connector.

Looking at this schematic I borrowed from www.froad.com, it seems that I would get the same result as if I attached the Alligator clamps to: RED battery POS,
BLK battery NEG

If they both yield the same result- and are both safe/correct for jump starting the system, then the only advantage to the Slave splice would be that it's kinda cool to use the slave connector. I use3 it for the the impact wrench when I change the tires.
View attachment 862749Would either method be safe for a 24v battery pack jump?

I don't see why not, that's what the slave is for...is there any way to just leave a small charger in there 2 or 6 amp just to keep it topped off...that really stresses the alt, battery and starter...and starter relay that likes to go nuts with low voltage.

 

[simp5782]

I have the harbor freight 12/24v jump box. It plugs into an interveter for charging while driving. You can get em on sale in the $220 range.

 

[79Vette]

I have an M1009, and I put a 200w solar array on the roof. Now I can run my 24v refrigerator, lights, phone/computer/radio chargers and whatever else I want forever without worrying about the batteries. I do a lot of camping and off roading, and its awesome to be able to leave the truck for days at a time and come back to full batteries and cold food/beer in the fridge.

At home I have to park this truck outside anyway, and as long as the truck gets a few hours of sunlight every day the batteries are always good to go. I could literally let it sit for years with just about anything except the headlights left on and it would still start right up.

It wasn't cheap (total system cost was ~$325), but unless you are like me and want to run high load appliances for days without running the engine, 50w or less would be more than adequate and you could get that installed for under $100. At the point we are talking about high dollar jump packs, if you are willing to do a little work solar is the far better way to go IMO. I love it on my CUCV, and am going to be installing a small 30-50w system in my civilian C30 in the near future. That truck has no parasitic draw issues and will start after sitting for a couple months or more, but the small solar panel will still pay for itself in improved battery lifespan the first time I let the truck sit too long and forget to go drive it. For any vehicle that lives outside and is not frequently driven its an obvious solution in my opinion. If you park inside, a $30 battery maintainer is probably the way to go. Or you could just fix the parasitic draw and drive the vehicle at least once every couple weeks.

No matter what, if you are letting the batteries discharge enough you need a jump your battery lifespan is going to be very poor and 2x group 31 batteries are expensive ($350+ last time I replaced a set, maybe more these days...). Also alternators make good battery "maintainers", but very poor battery chargers. If you jump start the engine and then force the alternator to attempt to recharge the battery, alternator lifespan will also suffer

 

[Guruman]

or you could track down and fix that parasitic draw.

 

[MarkM]

or you could track down and fix that parasitic draw.

Yes, that one. Don't let the truck beat you.

Mark

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

or you could track down and fix that parasitic draw.

What a weird idea!

Really weird!

 

[Keith_J]

Not many circuits are live when the key switch is off. But key switches fail. Other parasitic paths are alternators so identify which battery is being drawn down.

You could link two booster packs in series and then use the NATO receptacle but if the front battery is weak, there will be no boost to actuate glow plugs or the under dash solenoid.

Now connecting each booster to each battery will work. Just pop the hood.

Finally, it might be a weak alternator.

 

[ehuppert]

Fix the problem, wasting time on "work-arounds" will never fix the draw!