The Associated Equipment 12V and 24V Booster Pack, No. 6296, is a single, heavy duty unit that offers up to 3,400 peak amps in 12V mode. The 6296 is designed for jump starting cars, pickups, trucks, RVs and tractor trailers. Additional features include a built-in LED worklight, two 12V adapters and a batter status indicator. The pack includes heavy duty 44" DC leads and a charger with overcharge protection.
The review
The technicians at Columbus,Ohio-based DeMary Truck employed the Associated Equipment 6296 12V/24V Booster Pack to address no-starts on more than 40 vehicles this past winter.
Eric Moore, the shop’s co-owner, says it started each one without issue, and he described the 6296 as a great tool to have on hand for road service calls due to both its reliability and the amperage it provides.
“Being able to hook it up directly to the batteries meant not having to deal with jumper cables or a generator,” explains Moore.
In addition to the amperage provided by the Association Equipment offering, Moore says his technicians appreciated that the 6296 included a worklight and an LED indicator for the status of charge.
One of the specific situations where Moore and his technicians used the 6296 included dealing with a 2015 Peterbilt truck that was cranking slowly.
“The Peterbilt was the only 24V vehicle we started it with, and the majority of the work was done on 12V systems,” says Moore, noting that he fully charged the 6296 prior to its use.
The technicians at DeMary Truck also utilized the 6296 to start a 2002 Chevy Silverado and as a power supply when repairing wiring for lights on a Great Dane trailer.
While Moore was quick to commend the 6296 for its track record of performance, he says he did not like that it arrived with separate chargers.
“They get lost, run over or damaged in some other way, and then the whole unit is basically useless,” he explains, of the separate charger. “We have found that, most times, the booster can be charged back through the leads with a standard charger on a low setting." He adds that this revised method of charging was more convenient than using the charger originally supplied with the unit.*
Moore believes that the charger should be built into the unit, and he also says he would like to see a brighter, detachable worklight incorporated in any future iterations of the offering.
Despite his suggestions, Moore says he couldn’t have been more pleased with the performance of the Associated Equipment 6296 12/24V Booster Pack.
“All of our techs had positive feedback for (it),” he adds.
Manufacturer's Note: Representatives from Associated Equipment advise the company is able to provide replacement chargers to customers both in and out of warranty.
