Steve Warman Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Does anyone on here make up battery cables or know anyone who does a good job of it? I've got a battery cut off switch from HFH and I'm looking to have an extension piece with an eyelet on on end and a terminal clamp on the other and then another short piece to change the existing clamp into an eyelet as well. If anyone has any other suggestions then please let me know. Thanks Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patch1 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Hi steve send me a list of exactly what you wont, lenghts and sizes of cable and the size of the hole in the luge and will price it for you if you like. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardAllen Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Steve, I made up my own, would a quick how-to-do-it help ? You will need a good source of heat such as a plumber's blowlamp. Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Warman Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 Richard, That might be worth looking at. Can you give me a quick 'how to do it' tutorial? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transporter44 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Hi Steve. Like Richard I made up my own with no crimper. Got the end lugs from VWP, held in a vice, cut sleeving to lenght, & inserted into lug. Got my son to hold steady then heated with a plumbers blowtorch, & fed in solder until it reached the top. Allowed to cool & no problems. Here's a set I made earlier. Local auto electricians may have off cuts, but also welding suppliers locally will be able to supply cable at a cheaper price that auto stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fender1234 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 im pretty sure you do it by putting the terminal in a vice, heating it up with a blowtorch, melt a reasonable sized puddle of solder into it then push the battery cable into the terminal and hold it till the solder is solid. I saw it on american hotrod on tv. hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD90 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I like soldered lugs, but most of the modern lugs are crimps and have a hole in them that lets the solder run out. I have wondered about blocking it up with a very short self-tapper? AD90 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Warman Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 It sounds like something that I should be able to do myself without to much effort. Where's a good place to get the bits from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fender1234 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-...me/homepage.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardAllen Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 It sounds like something that I should be able to do myself without to much effort.Where's a good place to get the bits from? Steve, I found good crimping to be impossible without spending £80 on the correct tool, and I failed to borrow one. There are threads on here where people do DIY crimping, but I could not get any of them to work on 300A cable. So I went for soldering the terminals on then hammering them to get a bit of the crimping effect. I got cabling, terminals and heatshrink from Vehicle Wiring Products (no connection). Get plenty of everything. Their website http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-...me/homepage.php helps decide what size cable you need depending on the expected current. You then use this to find the right size terminal, noting that batteries and switches usually need ring terminals with either 8mm or 10mm holes. I used 25mm heatshrink. Start off with a length of cable a fair bit longer than you have measured the required length to be. Battery cable tends to be pretty stiff; you can use welding cable if you need it to be more flexible. I found using stiff stuff fine as once bent it stays in place, but is a PITA to fit into some tight areas. Push the cable through any grommit it needs to go through. Strip off about 15mm of insulation at one end and twist the wires slightly to keep them together. Choose the terminal needed and make sure the ring it fits over the required stud, battery or switch terminal post. I used lead free solder and white flux from B&Q. For battery terminals, use the thick plumber's solder, you need plenty. My technique now varies depending on whether your terminal has a small (1mm) hole near the flat part or not. A pic of this hole (c/o VWP website) is: If it has such a hole, you can set up cable and terminal first, as follows. Clamp the cable in a vice / workmate, vertically, wires uppermost and coat with plenty of flux. Then put plenty of flux in the round part of the terminakl and fit it over the wires. Apply a good deal of heat from your blowlamp and feed solder into the small hole. It will then flow down through the terminal down to the insulation. When you see solder at the bottom, stop feeding and allow to cool. I used non-lead solder and white flux, and found it very easy to work. Once cool, remove the cable, clean up with green scouring pad from Sainsbury's and flatten the joint a bit on an anvil (big stone) with a heavy hammer. Cover the joint with heatshrink, shrink with a hot air paint stripper and job done. If the terminal does not have the small hole, mu technique was as follows. Clamp the terminal vertically, flat part down. Fill the terminal with plenty of flux. Coat the cable with flux. Heat the terminal up and fill it about 2/3 full of solder. While keeping it hot, plunge in the cable. Try to flick away any solder that has overflowed before it cools. Hold the cable steady until the solder has solidified and allow to cool. You could do with several hands for this technique. Once cool, tidy up and heatshrink as before. For the other end of the cable, connect the end just terminated, put any protective sleeving over the cable, then feed the cable round carefully, temporarily P clipping, or cable tying it in place so that when you get to the other end you know exactly where you need to cut it. Becasue battery cable is so stiff, it is not helpful if it is too long. And you are stuffed if you cut it too short. Once you have it exactly the right length, then take the cable back out enough to put on the terminator, including pushing the sleeving back. I found pushing a connector through protective sleeving to be close to impossible even having rounded the corners off. Apologies if this is long winded, for your application, but it may also help people doing winch cables etc. I did mine about 4 months ago, dual battery system, inverter, isolation switch, winch and relocated solenoid pack with winch isolator, and a couple of extra earth studs, about 20 cables in all I should think.. All OK so far and my local MoT man who sees Land Rovers a lot, and has his own, complemented me on the job, so it should not be too bad. I was thinking I should perhaps re-melt the solder after hammering to let it settle and never did, to avoid burning the cable insulation; there may be those on here more enlightened than me who can improve on the above. Regards Richard (also done some race car mechanic-ing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacks906 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 just been pricing up on that wiring web site does £120 sound abit pricy to rewire two winches into me 90?? dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 check the prices for welding cable, much more flexible & able to handle bigger amp loads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacks906 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 check the prices for welding cable, much more flexible & able to handle bigger amp loads. cheers western will do dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 or look in the classifieds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Brock Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Richard, Good write up...bit late I know, But I've got access to a hydraulic crimper that goes up to 400mm' cable size bit excesive even for a twin motor, but if you need one again ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I'd like to report my so called bodge method is still working well and still no failures associated to the Wiring. Method in Tech archive if you want to be a bodger too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I have also bodged the white90 way with complete sucess Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmannnn Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I bought a hydraulic crimper off an ebay shop for £25. It has a range of dies up to 300mm. Not as cheap as the blow torch option but does a much tidier job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Just go to a welding shop. They will sell you the cables and crimp the ends on for you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandyManLuke Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I've a crimper, if anyone is reading this and would like to borrow one in/around Cheshire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glue Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I've a crimper, if anyone is reading this and would like to borrow one in/around Cheshire. I've also got one in Coventry if its any god to anyone Glue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike4444244 Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 I've a crimper, if anyone is reading this and would like to borrow one in/around Cheshire. Luke you moved over to Congleton? Did you sort a unit out? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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