Lost a whole workday because my battery charger died at the worst spot in Boise

Last Tuesday I was out on a fence repair job near the Boise river and my 18V drill battery gave out at 11am. I had a spare in the truck but the charger in my trailer was dead, no power at the site. Spent 3 hours driving to a Home Depot and back just to grab a replacement charger, plus another $40 on a second battery I didn't plan for. Has anyone else had a whole day fall apart over something as small as a charger, and what do you carry as a backup now?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura_wilson4d ago

First time that happened to me, I started keeping a spare charger in a locked pelican case in the truck bed. Now I carry two of everything, even a cheap plug-in inverter so I can charge off the alternator if there's no power nearby. That one stupid failure taught me to treat backups like I treat extra fuel, just part of the job.

michael_williams4d ago

The whole backup system thing really hits home. That first time something fails right when you need it most, it sticks with you, you know? It rewires how you think about gear forever. Sounds like you got the lesson the hard way, but at least now you're never stranded with a dead battery.