Your truck is a heavy-duty vehicle. You may use it to haul heavy supplies around town, but one thing is for sure. You will not be going anywhere if the battery is dead. Fortunately, it is pretty simple to jumpstart your truck and you mostly just need to follow the same steps as jumpstarting a car. You can get all of the supplies you need at the best auto parts store near you, and while you are there, you can ask for a battery test to make sure yours is still in excellent condition.
Use Jumper Cables
It is always a good idea to keep a pair of jumper cables in your vehicle. You never know when you might need them. Plus, you might come across a car on the side of the road with a dead battery, and you can be a Good Samaritan.
When your own vehicle runs out of juice, you first need to find another car. This will be easier if your car died in a parking lot, but you may need to call someone to come out and help you if you are on the side of the road. Both vehicles should be placed in either Neutral or Park before doing anything. Shut off the ignition, and make sure the parking brakes are applied to both cars.
From there, you need to attach the red clips to the positive terminals of both vehicles. Next, connect the black clip to the negative terminal on the other driver’s battery. The last black clip should go onto an unpainted metal surface. It will likely be easiest to attach it to one of the metal struts that help keep the hood open. The other driver can then start the car, and he or she should let the engine run for several minutes. You can try starting your truck at this time, and it should work perfectly.
Use a Jump-Starter
Another way to charge car battery is to invest in a jump-starter. The biggest problem with the above scenario is that you are reliant on another driver. Depending on where your truck died, it may not be the easiest thing to flag someone down. Instead, you should consider keeping a jump-starter in your car for these scenarios.
You need to keep your jump-starter charged at all times. You follow the same basic steps as the jumper cables, connecting the red clip to the positive terminal and the black clip to unpainted metal. At this point, you can turn on the jump-starter. After allowing it to run for a few minutes, you can try turning on your truck, which should start. When doing this, you want to make sure you do not crank the engine any longer than five seconds. After you return home, you will want to recharge the jump-starter, so it is good to use for next time.
No one wants to end up on the side of the road. However, it tends to happen to almost everyone eventually vehicle maintenance. Get in touch with your local auto parts shop to get all of the tools you need to keep your truck running perfectly.