Heavy Duty Auto Battery Chargers

A common misconception about heavy duty auto battery chargers is that they are for heavy duty batteries that have a higher voltage than the standard 12V car battery. This is completely inaccurate, since cars that run from a 12 volt battery will not do well with a 14 volt or 24 volt marine battery. Chargers are available for the higher voltage batteries of course, but heavy duty chargers are also available for standard 12 volt auto batteries.

The term ‘heavy duty’ when referred to a battery charger means that the electrical current that it can supply is considerably greater than a standard car battery charger that offers 2.7 - 3.0 amps. A heavy duty charger will provide whatever you want, according the charger you purchase. 1700 Amps is generally the maximum current rating at 12 volts, although many heavy duty battery chargers provide a lower current of 700 or even 120 amps and down to 20 amps.

So what is the difference between a heavy duty auto battery charger and a standard charger? One is that the heavy duty model can jump start your car with a 12 volt boost of current of anything from 120 amps up to 700 amps, with a maximum peak load of 1700 amps. There might be even higher possible current ratings than that, but it is difficult to see any auto or trucking uses for them. A jump boost at 700 amps will start any auto engine from a mini to a 6 litre petrol engine, or even a diesel truck

However, not all heavy duty chargers will also crank your engine: that depends upon the specification you purchase. They do, however, charge your batteries faster and can charge multiple batteries. A heavy duty battery charger is especially useful if you operate a fleet of vehicles, and need to put a number of batteries on at once for a top-up charge. A standard charger would not be able to meet the current demand for this. If the current available is sufficient, generally of 120 amps or greater, you should also be able to start your engine with it.

If you want an emergency jump start right there in your trunk, than a heavy duty auto battery charger is the answer to your dreams. Many of these are also fitted with a compressor, so you can inflate your tires as you charge up your battery. However, don’t let the figures confuse you. If you have a standard family sedan, a battery charger at 3 amps won’t start your vehicle, but a 120 – 650 amp heavy duty charger will. You will normally be able to start your car with 120 amps, but I would not purchase anything below that of you want the starting option. The higher amps the better for cranking your engine.

Be careful that you don’t use the boost amp setting to recharge you battery or you might blow it up! There will be different setting for charging and cranking, for example 120 amps for cranking the engine and 20 amps for recharging. You should also look for staged recharging facilities. Ideally, your car battery should be charged in three stages: the first bulk charge taking the charge to no less than 80% of maximum, then the absorption charging that completes the charging at lower current. If possible, look for a final float or trickle charge that maintains the charge until you are ready to use the battery.

Another feature you should look for in your heavy duty battery charger is polarity protection. This will protect you against connecting the cables to the wrong polarity terminals. It should also have a fast charge facility, to get your battery going with an initial fast charge, so that you can get it into your car, get the car started and then finish the charging using the alternator. This is especially useful if you don’t have the extra power for an emergency start from the charger.

In summary, then, there many different types of heavy duty battery chargers and you can use their extra power to crank your engine for an emergency start if your battery has gone dead. Alternatively use the fast charge feature, but you should look for these features when buying your battery charger. Not all heavy duty auto chargers have all of these options, and much depends on how much you pay.

The higher the specification the more it will cost, but heavy duty auto battery chargers are continually improving, and you should be able to find one that meets your specification, assuming that you know what that should be. If in doubt ask the retailer for advice because a mistake can be very costly.

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