- Thread starter
- #21
this one
Amazon product ASIN B06XR8BY65
Amazon product ASIN B06XR8BY65
The right tool for the job - Crimping Battery Cables
- Thread starter Romer
- Start date
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alia176
SILVER Star
Ken,
I figured out the problem, it was my adblocker. Once I paused it, refreshed the screen, then I can see your link on post #1 and #21. Interesting that your pic doesn't match the vendor's pic exactly!!
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These things are all over the place and pretty generic with minor variations in the case. Mine does not even have a sticker on it with a brandname. Although the (meager) instruction sheet calls is a "YQK" series. It came with 9 die pairs but the case only has slots for 7. I got this one over the 16-tons model cuz the dies go pretty small and I wanted to use it for small electrical ferrules.
It works fine now although I question whether it will be a long-term reliable tool. But hopefully the Orings are standard and can be found fairly easily. And in any case it was very inexpensive for a useful tool that is hard to improvise for otherwise. I paid somewhere in the $30s IIRC on Amazon a year or 2 ago. I do remember seeing quite a range of prices for the exact same thing.
I can be used for other purposes too like wire ropes etc.
Good tool to have around, I think.
It works fine now although I question whether it will be a long-term reliable tool. But hopefully the Orings are standard and can be found fairly easily. And in any case it was very inexpensive for a useful tool that is hard to improvise for otherwise. I paid somewhere in the $30s IIRC on Amazon a year or 2 ago. I do remember seeing quite a range of prices for the exact same thing.
I can be used for other purposes too like wire ropes etc.
Good tool to have around, I think.
I've used the hammer style crimp tools for years. That with some decent heat shrink and good to go.
Ok. " The right tool for the job " is a " hypress" hydraulic crimper. Period.
You can make other stuff work, sure, but for low-impedance high current connection, it's a hypress. For electrical installation in a building, rather than in a vehicle, it needs to be a UL listed lug as well, and a 12-ton irreversible crimp for lightning protection applications.
Luckily a hydraulic press is so cheap from HF it ends the argument right there. Spend $42, don't spend $42, two options on that job.
You can make other stuff work, sure, but for low-impedance high current connection, it's a hypress. For electrical installation in a building, rather than in a vehicle, it needs to be a UL listed lug as well, and a 12-ton irreversible crimp for lightning protection applications.
Luckily a hydraulic press is so cheap from HF it ends the argument right there. Spend $42, don't spend $42, two options on that job.
alia176
SILVER Star
Mine arrived two days after Romer's post. Got a camper re-wiring job coming up and I cant' wait to try it out. 
I guess i dont understand the advantage of a hydraulic press tool. IIRC it's not until very recently that they're that cheap, used to be you couldn't find a worthwhile one for less than $300.
What's the advantage? All of my crimps have low impedance based on my metering.
Use ball bearings if your're doing it on a vice.
alia176
SILVER Star
One of the side benefit of using this hyd crimper is that it can be used for installing/crimping ends on ropes for winches and other household projects.
Didn't consider that. Can you swap out for dies that can crimp air conditioning lines? If so, that's a no brainer to go that route.
EDIT for @alia176 . Not house AC lines, AC lines for the truck
alia176
SILVER Star
You may have to post this question in the Home improvement sub-forum.
the typical cheap amazon hydraulic crimper comes with hex dies. I doubt you can buy more specialized dies for those cheap tools (let me know otherwise!). But as I wrote, some seem usable with a DIY die. And it's a bit easier to drill a circular hole than a hex one. But I don't know that I'd try a DIY crimp on an AC line. Seems like a leak would be likely and that could be a pain.
But coming back to the main point of the OP, I think it would be a stretch to argue that an improvised crimp of sorts with a hammer or vise would be electrically as good as a controlled hydraulic die-based one. You want the copper strands to become monolithic with the connector. And, dang, they also look just way better for those of us enjoying such things...
No brainer, IMHO.
Bit of trivia: came recently across a job where somebody has wired dozens of batteries together with the connectors crimped with hammer and punch. Many of those were loose and some could even be pulled out by hand. Sheesh... But the good part is that I was able to reuse the connectors very nicely with my hydraulic crimper after some minor straightening out! Ah!
But coming back to the main point of the OP, I think it would be a stretch to argue that an improvised crimp of sorts with a hammer or vise would be electrically as good as a controlled hydraulic die-based one. You want the copper strands to become monolithic with the connector. And, dang, they also look just way better for those of us enjoying such things...
No brainer, IMHO.Bit of trivia: came recently across a job where somebody has wired dozens of batteries together with the connectors crimped with hammer and punch. Many of those were loose and some could even be pulled out by hand. Sheesh... But the good part is that I was able to reuse the connectors very nicely with my hydraulic crimper after some minor straightening out! Ah!
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alia176
SILVER Star
May I see some crimps made by these hydraulic crimpers? I made one and it looks like crappola 
John McVicker
SILVER Star
^^^
Might be able to get a pic up today on some 2g battery cable. Might be later but will try for today.
Might be able to get a pic up today on some 2g battery cable. Might be later but will try for today.
there is a vid on YT showing some cross sections of good and bad crimps. From some company in Oz, called CADAC or something like that, from memory.
If your crimp has "wings" like in the pic above, the die you used is likely too small. Best to start with a larger one if you don't know and then adjust down. I do suspect, though, that the dies on those cheapo chinese tools are intended for metric wires so the fit may not be perfect for AWG. But with a bit of caution in the beginning, you can get fine crimps easily enough. The crimp should be a crisp hex -well, as crisp as the die hexes are- with no wing.
If your crimp has "wings" like in the pic above, the die you used is likely too small. Best to start with a larger one if you don't know and then adjust down. I do suspect, though, that the dies on those cheapo chinese tools are intended for metric wires so the fit may not be perfect for AWG. But with a bit of caution in the beginning, you can get fine crimps easily enough. The crimp should be a crisp hex -well, as crisp as the die hexes are- with no wing.
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John McVicker
SILVER Star
Sorry @alia176 picture FAIL.
I ended up working on 1g battery cable and not 2g as I thought. My HF hydraulic crimper goes from 14g to 0g. So I ASSUMED it would have a 1g...but it goes from 2 to 0g.
I made it work by flattening out a 1g lug a bit in a vice and then using the HF 0g die on my 1g lug and then making it look decent with some insulated shrink wrap. Not pretty but it will work fine.
All a long winded way to say no picture...but this HF crimper works very well, but what I did today is not a good representation...so no pictures.
Maybe someone else can give us a picture of their crimp.
I ended up working on 1g battery cable and not 2g as I thought. My HF hydraulic crimper goes from 14g to 0g. So I ASSUMED it would have a 1g...but it goes from 2 to 0g.
I made it work by flattening out a 1g lug a bit in a vice and then using the HF 0g die on my 1g lug and then making it look decent with some insulated shrink wrap. Not pretty but it will work fine.
All a long winded way to say no picture...but this HF crimper works very well, but what I did today is not a good representation...so no pictures.
Maybe someone else can give us a picture of their crimp.
alia176
SILVER Star
LOL, you're ASHAMED of your crimps
I feel ya buddy, I feel ya. The two I made didn't impress me but I'm not sure if I'm suppose to be using a specific type of crimps. I ended up using my hammer crimper at the end for a 6awg crimp.
John McVicker
SILVER Star
^^^
I‘ve not used that type before, believe I’d be more inclined to try it if it was hydraulically operated. Seems like that would give you more control over the end result.
I‘ve not used that type before, believe I’d be more inclined to try it if it was hydraulically operated. Seems like that would give you more control over the end result.
