Best crimper for dual battery cables?
 

Just curious what type of crimper people are using for dual battery heavy gauge connections? I was thinking either hydraulic or large jaw type. I already have the hammer type which does work but i don’t think its as good.

This is what I have for the job. Works great the couple times I’ve used it.

https://www.amazon.com/IWISS-Termina...8315388&sr=8-1

Thanks!! Are the connections pretty much rock solid? Was debating between this exact one as well as the 10 ton hydraulic type.

I just used bolt cutters to crimp my wires.

I have the HF hydraulic one - so far it's been really useful. I also use it to make crimped ends for my sailboat stays. Surprisingly good at that too! I modified a couple of the small size inserts for that.
This one:
https://shop.harborfreight.com/media.../6/66150_I.jpg

Pretty sure this is the same one for $38
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XR8BY65..._t2_B00GXQ2E5E

Last time i made battery cables i soldered the ends. I know the guy i got my parts from was forced out of business, but the idea was no exposed cable for corrosion issues.

There is no point to solder cables when you have a properly executed crimp. In addition to that, it’s against best practices to do so. You won’t find commercially produced cables soldered for a multitude of reasons.

I have all the crimpers mentioned in this thread and more…

From my experience the best tool for the job tends to change based on the type of lugs and the size of lug used. The IWISS crimper works really well on the smaller lugs and cables, including the larger SB series Anderson connectors. That said, for the bigger bulkier lugs (TemCo) the hydraulic ones tend to work better because the dies have a larger cross section. I have used both successfully on many sizes, but tend to favor the hydraulic for larger than 4 AWG even though its harder to use.

Both require / benefit from a light crimp and rotation of the lug in the die before the full press as they tend to “squeeze” some copper out of the die at times.

That said, both are more than adequate at forming the desired cold weld when crimping so mechanically and electrically they are where you want them to be.

While I dont use the hammer style for the same reason as you searching for something else, those appear to produce adequate results as well. I still prefer to use a HEX die as the results are more uniform and repeatable.

https://www.motor.com/wp-content/upl...ooter_0918.png

If you want additional corrosion protection, pack it with a dielectric before applying heat shrink. I do recommend buying adhesive linked shrink with does an excellent job of keeping moisture, dirt, debris out. I usually do that follow by one additional layer of standard heat shrink.

https://i.imgur.com/EVF4NL6.jpg

Thanks! cable sizes I plan to use are between 4awg-2/0awg and I was going to use seamless copper ring terminals.

I do already have the adhesive heat shrink just need to find the right tool for the job that will work well and be reliable.

Any Chanel Lock works fine in a pinch:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DmgRCqrqAv4/maxresdefault.jpg

Hydraulic crimper all the way. I wouldnt trust anything else to hold up to thousands of miles of washboard roads and harsh off road use. Been using this puppy to make wires all the way up to 0/1 AWG never had a failure in years.

https://www.amazon.com/Goplus-Hydrau...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

The only minor irritation I have experienced with the hydraulic crimpers is how the dies are sizes. Some are in AWG, and some are in mm squared.

I use the same one, works fantastic and definitely recommended.

I used one of these: Ancor 702040 | Fisheries Supply

...which was probably overkill for the number of lugs I'm likely to crimp in my lifetime. That said, it worked really well; it'll also double as a defensive weapon in the event of a home invasion :lmao:

Ancor Marine is a really good brand. Everything they sell is generally very high quality. I use them primarily when quality is more important than cost.