Best Jump Starter For Diesel Trucks
Here we go! An interesting one for you. We’re checking out the Best Diesel Truck Jump Starters.
As you may know, diesels work a bit differently, and they tend to require a bigger boost than gas vehicles.
Diesel engines are tougher to jump start; it’s harder to jump a 4L diesel compared to a 4L gas car, for example.
But there are plenty of diesel vehicles out there, and if you have one, you want to get one that’s particularly good for diesel, and also for bigger automotive vehicles, like heavy-duty trucks, tractors and agricultural machinery, as well as particularly powerful cars.
So we tested the top jump boxes for diesel vehicles, specifically.
Our No.1, the Best Overall, is the Gooloo GT Truck Pro (here’s the best deal on it).
The Value Pick is the Avapow TJ68 (the Amazon seller at the lowest price is right here).
The Best All-weather option is the Nexpow X7 – this model, on Amazon.
GOOLOO GT Truck PRO
- Voltage: 12V
- Peak Amps: 10,000A
- Battery Capacity: 64,000mAh
- Dimensions: 7.3D x 11.2W x 9.9H in
- Weight: 7.71lb (3.50kg)
Avapow TJ68
- Voltage: 12V
- Peak Amps: 10,000A
- Battery Capacity: 24,000mAh
- Dimensions: 10.75 x 6.34 x 4.88 in
- Weight: 4.71lb (2.14kg)
Nexpow X7
- Voltage: 12V
- Peak Amps: 10,000A
- Battery Capacity: 24,000mAh
- Dimensions: 10.16 x 3.66 x 1.97 in
- Weight: 1.83lb (0.83kg)
We evaluated it for a wide range of diesel trucks and vehicles.
Our picks for the top battery booster packs were based on:
- How well it jump started the various vehicles
- How well it retains its boosting power in cold weather
- Quality of the inner components
- Toughness, durability, overall build quality
- Clamps, wires grade
- Usefulness in practice of additional features, like SOS lights and
We’ll also discuss how to pick the right jump starter for your particular needs. For example, someone who owns a big diesel truck and lives in a cold climate has very different requirements to someone with a relatively small diesel car in, say, one of the hotter southern states.
Category Winners: Heavy Duty Jump Boxes
- Top Pick: GOOLOO GT Truck PRO
- Best Value: Avapow TJ68
- Best All-weather: Nexpow X7
Diesel Truck Jump Starter Reviews
Let’s see how these 12V heavy duty jump starters got on in our full product reviews.
Read on!
GOOLOO GT Truck PRO
Pros and who needs this model:
The top model for very large trucks
The GT Truck Pro had the most success with very large trucks, even 12L diesel trucks had successful starts. Very impressive and especially so given the price. Heavy duty jump starters of this peak amps size and quality can cost as much as $600 to $1200.
Big-brand bothering level of build quality
All three models on this list impressed us with their build quality. We’ve tested too many jump packs that have great features, and claim massive peak amp abilities, but don’t have the clamp and wire quality to actually be able to deliver all that power to your truck battery terminals. The Gooloo model is the best of the lot, and in fact we declare it to be the same level as the big automotive brands, but at a fraction of the price.
Superb in the cold
It works down to -40°F (-40°C). We’ve never seen that in a jump starter. If you need it for cold temperatures, this is certainly the model for you.
Long-lasting power, both in the short-term (with high capacity) and in the long-term (lithium cell quality)
Gooloo uses high-quality LiFePO4 battery cells, and that shows in the power that you get. And it’s also shown in the 5000 cycle lifespan. This is indicative of their cell quality, and means this jump starter will last really well.
Cons and why this may not be right for you:
It’s much bigger and heavier than other 10,000 Amp heavy duty jump starters
But still much smaller and lighter than any big, heavy duty battery jump packs from 5 years or more ago. However, we must still compare it to its competitors on this list; and it’s more than 4 times the weight of the Nexpow X7 (and 1.5 times the weight of the Avapow TJ68), and a few inches bigger than both, in each dimension.
Slightly harder to use
Gooloo have made the curious decision that you need to hold down the 12V button for 2 seconds to make it work. Otherwise, it simply won’t work. Other jump boxes work at the press of a button. This is a teeny, tiny extra bit of work, but we don’t know why they did it. And if someone had to use it in an emergency they may not know that you have to do that to get it to work. Some online reviews are from people who thought it was a faulty unit, subsequently found out they have to do this, and then it ended up working brilliantly. So, just be aware. And maybe write “Hold for 2 seconds” on some sticky tape and put it next to the button, in case someone needs a battery boost in an emergency situation!
Where can you get it?
You can see the best price, from Gooloo directly, right here.
Avapow TJ68
Pros and wxxx:
Very high rate of successful starts on even big trucks
That’s the bread and butter of your truck jump starter. Does it have a high success rate on large-engined vehicles? And the Avapow TJ68 tested really well, successfully starting diesel trucks in the vast majority of cases.
The clamps provide a great connection with the battery terminals
The clamps are great. That’s in large part due to the double layer copper teeth. Connection to the battery terminals is massively important, and the TJ68’s clamps provide perhaps the best connection we’ve seen in a jump starter.
Great value
Not that it’s cheap; it isn’t. But for a 10,000 Amp heavy duty jump starter, with excellent quality clamps and high-end cables, this is a good price. You could pay 3 or 4 times this price for big jump starters of this size from the more established automotive brands. On that note, don’t be fooled by the size of a jump starter. Older models can be the size of a small suitcase, but check out their peak amps, and it’s likely to be only 1000 or 1500 Amps. That’s because they use lead-acid batteries, or capacitors, or older versions of lithium than modern models. And also, don’t be fooled by the photos of the high-quality jump boxes on this page; they may look like they’re the size of a big power bank, but they’re thick and chunky; in fact, they’re closer to the size of a large house brick than a power bank. We rate this TJ68 as the best value jump pack on the market. It had great success with large trucks (just not as good as the GT Truck Pro with the very large ones), and is much lighter and less expensive.
The simple, bright screen makes everything very simple
We’ve all experienced it, when something goes wrong with an electronic device, but you have no idea what it is. With the Avapow TJ68, if you’ve slipped up on some part of this price, it’s got a very handy screen that will pop up with an error message telling you where you’ve gone wrong, so you can correct it. You’ll also know from this screen when the battery is ready to jump, and keep track of the jump pack’s charge level. All this is small stuff but it keeps you feeling confident that you’re doing it right.
Cons and xxxx:
Not a massive battery capacity
Battery capacity is 24,000mAh. That’s not bad, it’s on par with the likes of NOCO. But it’s a lot less than the 64,000mAh the Gooloo Truck Pro comes with.
No voltage reading
Considering it’s more than just a jump box, offering 65W fast charge for all your devices, and an HD display, we’re disappointed we don’t get a voltage reading for the battery we’re jumping. It’d be valuable to know what voltage the battery is dropping to, so we can keep track of it better and try to prevent a breakdown from happening in the first place.
Where can you get it?
You can see it at the lowest cost from this seller on Amazon, right here.
Nexpow X7
Pros and who needs this :
Rare waterproof and dustrproof protections
Supporting its solid build quality, and rugged characteristics, is something very rare to see in a jump starter, that is IP65 protection. That’s a high level of protection against the elements. If you don’t know what IP65 means, it basically means the unit has the highest form of protection against dust ingress, and can withstand low-pressure water jets from all directions. That’s likely to be more than the vast majority of people would need, but very handy to know. And it speaks well to our estimation that the X7 will have good longevity, and keep working well for quite a long time.
Strong performances across a range of vehicle types
The Nexpow X7 performed well, for a wide variety of trucks and large vehicles. It successfully jumped much bigger vehicles than we expected, even a 7.3L Super Duty diesel truck. That said, the Avapow TJ68 outperformed it, jump starting even bigger vehicles.
Tough and likely to last well
The X7 unit feels well-made, made to last. It has a whole bunch of strengths to explain why it gives you that feeling when you hold it. It’s got a pretty good, quite solid protective zipper case, firstly. Then the unit itself has a rugged, fireproof outer shell. Quite thick copper cables, and reassuringly sturdy clamps, with grippy teeth. All in all, it’s a well-engineered unit, especially for this price.
Great value
In the two reviews so far, we’ve said both models are good value compared to the more established brands, especially the TJ68. Well, this Nexpow X7 model is also great value for a well-made unit that will work well for most large trucks. Your choice between these two models will come down to whether you’re willing to pay more for the Avapow product, knowing that it works for larger trucks, and in colder temperatures.
Cons and why this model is not for you:
Capacity is much lower
Like the Avapow TJ68, its capacity is 24,000mAh. And as we said in the TJ68 review, it’s not bad. That does mean it won’t retain its power quite so well, compared to the Gooloo GT Truck Pro. So if you reckon it’s likely you’d sometimes let your jump box get discharged, you’d want to go for one with a larger capacity. The Gooloo model will be able to give you more power in such circumstances, and go longer without needing to be recharged.
The claimed 60 starts is in dreamland
Nexpow claim in their marketing you’ll get up to 60 starts. Well, sure. In ideal conditions with moderate temperatures, and just a very slightly low-voltage battery, that is achievable. But, back here in this thing called reality, you’re very unlikely to have such perfect conditions, and there’ll be times your battery has gotten into a sorry state due to lack of use, age-related decline, or a thousand other causes of battery distress. Don’t expect anything close to that, and keep your jump box charge topped up as often as you can.
Where can you get it?
Here’s where to get this model of Nexpow jump starter, on Amazon.
Beware of some very cheap models that promise the world and can’t deliver
The portable jump box market is very competitive, you’ll see a ton of choices on online marketplaces.
And you can get very, very cheap models that offer huge peak amps.
Beware of these.
When you search online for the best jump starters, we’ve seen too many lists that have the little combined power bank/jump pack models being recommended, and they sure as heck ain’t relevant for this context.
What do you reckon their chances of working your Ford, GMC, Dodge etc. beast truck are?
Puny little combined power banks/jump packs not welcome here!
And, actually, those combo models are often pretty poor on all but slightly flat batteries anyway!
Anything else we should know?
If you’re looking for a left-field option, check out our jump starter and battery charger combo reviews.
But note that that kind of combined charger/jump pack isn’t really the best option for larger diesel vehicles.
It’s a good idea to keep track of battery health to prevent a breakdown before it happens. If you want a product to test the battery capacity, voltage etc. we’ve also reviewed the best automotive battery testers.
Finally, if you’re interested in Gooloo, check out our Gooloo jump boxes reviews.
Best Diesel Truck Jump Starter Summary
That was the Best Diesel Truck Jump Starter, thanks for reading!
The Best Overall was the Gooloo GT Truck Pro (this model, at Gooloo.com). It’s a hefty, and pricey, but extremely powerful beast. It’s the most powerful, working on even very large trucks, and has the best build quality for a truck jump pack on the market.
The Best Value was the Avapow TJ68 (best-price on Amazon is this one), which works great on medium and even large diesel trucks (as well as gas trucks). It impressed us most with its high-quality clamps that can really deliver on its power.
The Best All-weather pick was the Nexpow X7 10000A, (this version, on Amazon) which is great for small-to-medium trucks, and is a tough, well-protected unit, is IP65- rated, and we expect it to last well.