I need to make some new battery cables, and I'm looking for cheap and easy ways to crimp 4ga to 4/0 ga cable connectors.

I know Wranger sells a hammer crimper thing for $35-40... no idea if it's worth it. I do know I don't want to fork over $200 for one of the big bolt cutter style crimpers.

Is there anything better out there?

If you want to be really cheap, use a punch and a hammer.

I don't know If It would be cost efective but If you send them to me & I will crimp them for you. (I have one of those crimpers)

solder the end in

please flame away :)

Ron

I know that no one wants to hear about a something a "friend" had, had, did, does, but here it goes....

I friend of mine runs an car audio shop and has both styles of crimpers. He only used the expensive had crimpers once and went right back to the cheapo hammer crimper.

I have used the hammer crimper on all of my winch and battery cables and like it just fine. all my cables are 2/0. I have also used a hammer and a punch but the hammer crimper worked better.

just my .02 :smokin:

Does you no good but I can crimp ends up to 750mcm. Send them and I will do it. It only takes a minute.

I bought those solder pellets made for this purpose. Well, i couldnt get the damn things to work. The wire wouldnt stay in the connector. So I just layed a screwdriver across the connector and hit it with a hammer. Crimped :D I used 2/0

i solder mine

go to radio shack and get some good "silver bearing" type solder, medium diamter (not the tiny stuff for electronics). pick up some heat shrink tubing, big enought to go over your cable, while you are there.

go to the local hardware and get some plumbers flux, you won't need much.

strip the insulation off the end enought to slide the lug on. pull the lug off and put a little flux on the wires and inside the lug. again, it doesn't take much, especially if your solder is flux-cored.

slide the lug on and start heating the lug with a propane torch SLOWLY while trying to feed solder in the cut-end of the cable. when it starts pulling it in, keep feeding until the you see solder come out on the insulation side of the lug...then give it a little more. if you are carefull, you wont burn the insulation on the cable too bad, and will cover it up with the heat shrink.

OH! and don't forget to slide the heat shrink over the cable BEFORE you solder the end on. (i always forget that part!) hope this helps! matt



crimpers suck

Originally posted by Benny Boy
I bought those solder pellets made for this purpose. Well,I couldnt get the damn things to work. The wire wouldnt stay in the connector. So I just layed a screwdriver across the connector and hit it with a hammer. Crimped :D I used 2/0

It was proably dirty or too hot.

It was proably dirty or too hot. [/B][/QUOTE]
Matt sounds like you have dun it before.

Originally posted by JIM3030
It was proably dirty or too hot.
Matt sounds like you have dun it before. [/B][/QUOTE]

How else do you learn?

Heat the solder into a molten pool in the end. Heat the end of the cooper cable until it is hot enough to almost melt the platic insulator away. Pop the suckers together and then heat shrink it.

Watch out for flying solder

Ron

Originally posted by evilfij
Heat the solder into a molten pool in the end. Heat the end of the cooper cable until it is hot enough to almost melt the platic insulator away. Pop the suckers together and then heat shrink it.

Watch out for flying solder

Ron

You will get a cold joint this way. solder it while it is assembled.

Thanks for the feedback. I was going to crimp and solder regardless, but it's good to know you can get good results with just a punch.

If I end up with too many smashed, bloody fingers, I'll probably wind up buying the hammer crimper anyway.... but for now, I'll make do without.

Here at work we are always making up battery cables (truck shop), the best way I've found to crimp them is with the hose crimper we use for building high pressure hoses. just shove it through the die and crimp. It makes a nice uniform crimp every time. DENNIS