Battery cable crimps

[ThePiglet]

I've finally got a load of hefty cable and a box of goodies from ASAP Supplies with bus bars, spade crimps, fuse holders, lugs, rubber wot-nots and other bits and bobs.

 

I've got a red/blue/yellow ratchet crimper but was wondering if anyone on the K&A around Bradford-on-Avon might have something suitable for 25mm² battery cable crimping that I could borrow or borrow for money over the weekend.

 

HSS want £60/day , it'd be cheaper to buy one from eBay, but I only have a few ends that need doing

 

TIA.

[John Orentas]

I've finally got a load of hefty cable and a box of goodies from ASAP Supplies with bus bars, spade crimps, fuse holders, lugs, rubber wot-nots and other bits and bobs.

 

I've got a red/blue/yellow ratchet crimper but was wondering if anyone on the K&A around Bradford-on-Avon might have something suitable for 25mm² battery cable crimping that I could borrow or borrow for money over the weekend.

 

HSS want £60/day , it'd be cheaper to buy one from eBay, but I only have a few ends that need doing

 

TIA.

 

 

Hi Piglet.

 

This comes up quite often, the best solution is to solder the crimp terminals to the cable.. Sort yourself out with plumbers solder sticks and flux from a plumbers merchant or B&Q type place, a big soldering iron, the type you heat up over a gas ring helps, but not essential, you will soon get the knack.. Finish the job with self amalgamating tape or heat shrink sleeve if you can get it..

 

People will give you all kinds of weird reasons for not using this method but it I was doing it as an apprentice 40+ years ago it is a sound professional method.

[RobinJ]

I've got a red/blue/yellow ratchet crimper but was wondering if anyone on the K&A around Bradford-on-Avon might have something suitable for 25mm² battery cable crimping that I could borrow or borrow for money over the weekend.

 

HSS want £60/day , it'd be cheaper to buy one from eBay, but I only have a few ends that need doing

If you have basic workshop facilities and use the solid crimps (without a gap), you can make up a very good crimping facility using bolts and vice jaws so that the crimp is pushed in to clamp the cabel from opposite sides.

If not, cut them to length and find a local automotive electirical factor nearby who will generally do it for you (especially if you need the crimps too).

A decent chandler with resident mechanic may also be a good bet.

[MoominPapa]

Sort yourself out with plumbers solder sticks and flux from a plumbers merchant.

Plumbing-type flux is a bad idea: it will remain in the cable and cause corrosion. This isn't a problem with plumbing, where flux inside the pipe gets washed away by the water and flux outside is easy to clean off. For electrical cables, use electrical solder with resin flux. That is chemically inert at room temperature so won't cause corrosion. I've soldered big terminals using resin-cored solder and a blowlamp, no problem. The trick is to heat the terminal and not the cable, if you try and heat the cable then the outer strands will get red hot and oxidise long before the centre is hot enough to melt solder.

 

MP.

[Proper Job]

Crimp them - don't solder them. Vibration and dry solder joints don't mix.

 

Get a cheap crimper off FleaBay - do the job. Either keep the crimper or put it back on FleaBay. All it will cost you is the postage and difference of the purchase/re-sale price (you may even profit).

[Justme]

Where is good to get the copper tube lug / crimps / terminals in small numbers for sensible costs in postage?

I need some 120mm2 ones (and other sizes) & the ones on eBay are nearly £2 each inc del on a pack of 10.

[Gibbo]

This comes up quite often, the best solution is to solder the crimp terminals to the cable..

 

No it isn't. It's the worst solution possible. That's why people who know what they're doing don't do it.

 

People will give you all kinds of weird reasons for not using this method but it I was doing it as an apprentice 40+ years ago it is a sound professional method.

 

It is highly frowned upon by those in the know.

 

All the major industries have stopped doing it because it is unreliable.

 

It is highly unprofessional.

 

40+ years ago people still used thermionic valves because they thought they were better than the alternatives. They were wrong.

 

Drag yourself into the present decade FFS!

 

Gibbo

 

Where is good to get the copper tube lug / crimps / terminals in small numbers for sensible costs in postage?

I need some 120mm2 ones (and other sizes) & the ones on eBay are nearly £2 each inc del on a pack of 10.

 

This crew..........

 

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-...me/homepage.php

 

Or asap supplles.

 

Gibbo

[Justme]

VWP only go up to 70mm2 on the web site.

 

ASAP want over £10 for TWO 120mm2 terminals

 

So far the cheapest I have found are HERE

 

Justme

[smileypete]

Where is good to get the copper tube lug / crimps / terminals in small numbers for sensible costs in postage?

I need some 120mm2 ones (and other sizes) & the ones on eBay are nearly £2 each inc del on a pack of 10.

Got me curious, what are you using them on?

 

cheers,

Pete.

[Justme]

Got me curious, what are you using them on?

 

cheers,

Pete.

 

ER cable? Where is my coat.

 

Its for my main feed from the battery bank to the shunt/buzzbar/inverter charger in my power box (battery is external in its own wooden box). I could have used 95mm2 for the max 260amp load & a combined distance of less than 4m but got offered some 120mm2 cable cheep so used that. The current terminals are bodged fitted as I dint have a crimper but now I have one I will be remaking all the connections.

 

I also have 50mm2 cable to the solar controller & to a back up inverter charger.

Solar array (much higher voltage max 145vdc) & wind turbine controller are wired in 6mm2.

 

Justme

[blackrose]

How about some sort of toolshare scheme, where those who have things that most of us don't make them available to other forum members passing through the neighbourhood who might need them?

 

If anyone's coming through Brentford I have a biggish pair of crimpers (up to 50mm2)

 

Perhaps we could have a seperate forum section for this?

[Justme]

How about some sort of toolshare scheme, where those who have things that most of us don't make them available to other forum members passing through the neighbourhood who might need them?

 

 

I thought about this & for face to face it would work but as soon as you need to post stuff it would not work. Each loan of a crimper would cost nearly £20 (£10 each way) in postage alone. Mine cost £47 new inc del for up to 120mm2).

 

 

Justme

[smileypete]

VWP only go up to 70mm2 on the web site.

 

ASAP want over £10 for TWO 120mm2 terminals

 

So far the cheapest I have found are HERE

This place is a bit cheaper for singles, post is much less for small orders too:

 

http://www.iem-services.co.uk/showdetails....tb=1&id=383

 

cheers,

Pete.

[blackrose]

I thought about this & for face to face it would work but as soon as you need to post stuff it would not work. Each loan of a crimper would cost nearly £20 (£10 each way) in postage alone. Mine cost £47 new inc del for up to 120mm2).

 

 

Justme

 

Yes, I just meant for face to face contact where other members are passing through, otherwise it's too impractical.

[Gibbo]

Yes, I just meant for face to face contact where other members are passing through, otherwise it's too impractical.

 

Could someone start a thread and get it pinned for just for "equipment free to borrow" and the area?

 

Between us we've probably got everything ever needed spread all over the country.

 

Gibbo

[carlt]

If anyone's got a 3 foot g-cramp....

[Gibbo]

Right, I don't know why I didn't think of this lot before. I've been dealing with them for ever.

 

I haven't checked any prices.

 

http://www.beal.org.uk/electrical-products...als/cat_21.html

 

Gibbo

[blackrose]

Could someone start a thread and get it pinned for just for "equipment free to borrow" and the area?

 

Between us we've probably got everything ever needed spread all over the country.

 

Gibbo

I was thinking it could be in the form of some sort of spreadsheet database so if you're in a particular area and you're desperate for a particular tool or bit of equipment you just PM the owner to ask if you could use it.

[ThePiglet]

Thanks for the suggestions,

 

I soldered a couple of lugs that I'm now replacing (due to an engine bay re-organise). I'm not too happy with the job I did on them using thick resin cored solder and a gas ring, which is why I wanted to crimp this time.

 

I'll try boaty works and car places, if no luck I'll go down the eBay route at the end of the month.

 

Ta.

 

 

I was thinking it could be in the form of some sort of spreadsheet database so if you're in a particular area and you're desperate for a particular tool or bit of equipment you just PM the owner to ask if you could use it.

I could knock together a web-based database.

Edited June 11, 2009 by ThePiglet

[Guest]

Hi Piglet.

 

This comes up quite often, the best solution is to solder the crimp terminals to the cable.. Sort yourself out with plumbers solder sticks and flux from a plumbers merchant or B&Q type place, a big soldering iron, the type you heat up over a gas ring helps, but not essential, you will soon get the knack.. Finish the job with self amalgamating tape or heat shrink sleeve if you can get it..

 

People will give you all kinds of weird reasons for not using this method but it I was doing it as an apprentice 40+ years ago it is a sound professional method.

Definitely NOT plumbers solder and flux, John. Tinman's solder and resin flux only!

I think that correctly done soldering is getting bad press, but that is down to opinion. My Sterling inverter was supplied with soldered cables. That said crimps are cleaner, safer, easier and dead relaiable, when properly done.

I recently made a crimper for a fiver on someone else's suggestion:

A nut splitter from amazon (actually two for a fiver), grind the pointy bit off and insert a small piece of angle iron for a "die". Took less than half an hour to adapt.

[smileypete]

If i had to solder battery cables I'd do something along the lines of this:

 

 

That said it needs some forethought, skill and practice to get good results.

 

With the right crimp tool, anyone can make a perfect crimp.

 

cheers,

Pete.

[Timleech]

If anyone's got a 3 foot g-cramp....

 

Probably have, so old and worn as to be virtually unuseable.

Got a 4-foot Carver cramp, wrong part of the country though....

 

Tim

[Richard T]

Friendly boatyard (Sileby Mill) - bought the terminals from them supplied my own cable £10 labour for doing a dozen crimps. No hassle job done!!

[David Schweizer]

I've finally got a load of hefty cable and a box of goodies from ASAP Supplies with bus bars, spade crimps, fuse holders, lugs, rubber wot-nots and other bits and bobs.

 

I've got a red/blue/yellow ratchet crimper but was wondering if anyone on the K&A around Bradford-on-Avon might have something suitable for 25mm² battery cable crimping that I could borrow or borrow for money over the weekend.

 

HSS want £60/day , it'd be cheaper to buy one from eBay, but I only have a few ends that need doing

 

TIA.

There used to be a small private garage in The Avenue at Combe Down which specialized in vehicle electrics. If they are still there they may be willing to crimp the cables for you. They were very helpful to me some years ago.

[RobinJ]

If anyone's got a 3 foot g-cramp....

Picked up a pair of nice sash cramps from Lidl!