How to Jump Multiple Batteries

Ever wonder how you jump a vehicle that has more than one battery under its hood? You’ll need to follow a few different processes than you would when jumping a standard battery. This is usually something you’ll have to do when jumping large trucks, bulldozers, cranes and forklifts, as these larger vehicles tend to have multiple batteries in them to keep them powered at all times. Some diesel vehicles have more than one battery as a means of increasing the voltage of the starting system, or to provide more amperage for heavy construction equipment.

When you’re dealing with commercial equipment and massive vehicles like these, you should never attempt to do the boost with another vehicle, because that equipment operates with higher amperage than most cars and could potentially damage the car’s electronics.

Here’s some information from a battery store in Houston, TX to help you through the process in case this is something you ever encounter.

Jumping the battery

As you analyze the batteries, it might be a little difficult to find the positive battery post, simply because you may not be used to looking at multiple batteries at once. If you do not have a schematic handy, you should be sure to use a voltage meter so you can avoid making a mistake in identifying the positive terminal. But once you’ve located it, you can connect the positive jumper cable to the disabled vehicle and then to the positive terminal on the good battery.

After this, connect the negative jumper cable to the negative of the same battery of the disabled vehicle. Then connect the remaining negative to the negative of the good battery. This should allow you to complete the jump and get the commercial vehicle back in operation.

Remember, you need to be careful not to let the clamps on the jumper cables touch during this process, otherwise you run the risk of creating sparks and potentially starting a fire. And again, you should not boost commercial equipment with another vehicle, because commercial equipment has much higher amperage than most cars. You do not want to risk damaging the electronics in the car you’re using to give the boost. This can quickly turn from you attempting to do a good deed into having significant issues of your own with your vehicle.

Commercial equipment requires heavy and sometimes large batteries to start. More than one battery may be required, and they may need to be the same size and capacity to accomplish a start. In some cases, the dead batteries may need to be removed and charged before the equipment can start up. Be sure to make a wiring diagram before moving the wires so you know exactly what you’re doing. Marking each wire can also help in the process.

For more information about jumping a vehicle that has multiple batteries, contact Texford Battery Co. or pay a visit to our battery store in Houston, TX and our experts will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Categorised in: Battery Store

This post was written by Writer