[RE-wrenches] Battery cable crimper

Wed Apr 30 23:08:52 PDT 2014

Here's all the battery lug crimpers I tried over the years in order of 
the best to worst connections they produced:

Yes, believe it or not: the venerable Hammer crimper makes excellent 
connections.  Its also Cheap, but its Slow, cumbersome, and can't be 
used in a J box.
The V and indent connection with the thin wall lugs makes the ideal 
battery and DC connections.  They look just like the crimps from 
Outback, Trace, Midnite,etc.  I've cut them open on a band saw, and the 
fine strands are practically fused together into an almost solid cross 
section of copper with no voids, but no tearing of strands at the edges 
either.
This crimper goes out on most jobs, as it fits in the bottom of the tool 
box.

The Greenlee indentor crimper makes the same V  crimp connection as the 
hammer crimper, but is faster, and can be used up in a j box.  More 
expensive, and adjuster readings can't be counted on. I tighten the 
adjuster until I can just pull the handle down with putting some body 
weight into it, but not so much that I'm standing on it or straining the 
tool.  Depending on the cable and lug combination, the setting may be 2 
sizes smaller with thin wall lugs.
Overall, this is what we use most of the time.  I found that this set in 
a drill vice makes a good bench crimper, when you need to do a batch of 
battery jumpers.

I used this one for many years, also a V crimper, but has different 
dies.  Crimp quality was not as good, as the dies tore into the lug 
some.  Also changing the dies took time, and we once lost one of the 
dies, and it took months to get a replacement. Not adjustable for 
different lug and cable combos.

The "UL" Hex type crimper that you will find at regular electrical 
supply houses.  Quite expensive, but I am not a fan.  The dies bend 
slightly under pressure and so the hex crimps are not aligned with each 
other.  The dies tear the lugs, leaving sharp edges that can tear heat 
shrink, and there is no adjustment available to account for different 
cable and lug combinations.
We have  X flex from Cobra, MTW from Quick Cable, and some DLO from 
another supplier.  All are UL listed 4/0 and all somewhat different in 
diam. and how the strands crush.  I have had a connection failure with 
this tool, and cutting through a cross section of the lug was not as 
solid a crimp as the V type.  I removed this tool from our shop, to 
avoid mistakes.
I'm sure with regular Class B stranded THHN, and the heavy wall, color 
coded lugs, that this is a good tool, but for battery connections, it 
does not work as well with thin wall lugs.
Finally, I do not recommend the heavy wall, long barrel lugs on 
batteries.  The square lug end is just too big and thick, and can't bolt 
to battery terminals in some cases.  We have had to grind away a corner 
for instance to have the heavy wall lugs land on an battery Flag terminal.
The heavy terminals some what negate the advantages of flex cable in the 
first place.

R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760

On 4/30/2014 7:33 PM, Solar wrote:
> I'd love a battery crimper, but a little out of my price range.
>
> I think a hand crimper will do.
>
> Jesse
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Apr 30, 2014, at 1:42 PM, Jerry Shafer <jerrysgarage01 at gmail.com 
> <mailto:jerrysgarage01 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>> hydraulic or long handle bog difference in price
>>
>> On Apr 30, 2014 8:32 AM, "Solar" <dahlsolar at gmail.com 
>> <mailto:dahlsolar at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>
>>     Hello all,
>>
>>     I am looking for recommendations for a battery cable crimper.
>>      I'd love to get one with the dies built in, but the ones I've
>>     looked at are only for non-fine strand wire.
>>
>>     Suggestions?
>>
>>     Thanks!
>>
>>     Jesse
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>     Sent from my iPhone
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