Battery cable ends - what’s best crimped, soldered, compressed etc

[JLarson]

We use crimps with an oxide inhibitor and dual wall heat shrink. Usually use welding cable, we can get it in bulk or just as drops at a good deal from our welding supplier.

 

[old-iron-habit]

I know others here have opinions, but if it were mine, I would purchase welding wire (wire used for leads). It is flexible, which helps in routing. As far as size, I usually go #1 or 1/0 (stated ought) depending on the application. I usually crimp the connector, then solder it. A soldered joint will have very low resistance, however, if for some reason the wire gets hot, the solder could melt and fail. This is why I first crimp, then solder. After it cools I like to add heat shrink (which must be installed prior to the connection), the kind that has adhesive sealer in it. I personally prefer to use the terminal lugs like you linked, not the traditional battery terminal end. In fact, I like the series 31 battery with the 3/8" studs instead of the lead posts. Most of the trucks that I serviced had this battery setup without issue.

I have been doing it the way you discribe for quite a few years now. When ever I need to replace batteries in a machine I switch to the 3/8" bolt type. They call them T-posts here at the battery store and area jargon. Welding cable, a good heavy end crimped on, and heat shrink tubing right up to where the nut on the t-post goes. My battery corrosion issues have been next to none since. I go to the electrical supply house and get my ends. They carry ones that are a fair bit heavier than the Napa ones which are twice as heavy as the O'Reillys ones. On my F-350 where I needed enough space to connect snowplow leads, winch leads, and rear connection leads for the winch, I installed 3/8" thick by 1-1/4" wide by 4" long aluminum bar on the battery bolt. Each of my cables bolt to that individually and it works much better now. I have a cheap commercial punch type crimper that you hit with a two pound beater to crimp the ends on.

 

[Dave Neubert]

I always use the crimp on ones with heat shrink I have a hand crimper with rotating jaws for different gauges

 

[Flat Thunder Channel]

I received a hydraulic handheld crimping tool as gift. I have yet to try it, but I believe that crimping, soldiering, and then installing heat shrink tubing with adhesive is the best solution. I have one or two 'temporary' battery cables I need to replace. Previously I have soldiered the lugs on with great success. I usually melt the insulation a little, but the whole lug is filled with soldier when complete. I will give the crimper a good test soon. It looks promising.

 

[popps]

I do both but prefer to solder because its a solid connection for a long time especially if its in the rain or snow a lot. If Im lazy or don't have the time or just don't care I will crimp it. Crimp tools aren't too much of a cost

 

[NH575E]

Here is a pic of the new cables and battery I got. They used the heat shrink with hot glue inside to seal the crimped ends. I switched to the eyelet type ends. I also added a tygon hose to the vent outlet on the battery and ran that under the tractor to protect my oil cooler, AC condenser, and radiator from acid fumes. I did away with the negative disconnect and ran both cables directly from the battery to the starter.

 

[Bls repair]

Here’s what I like

 

[Coaldust]

A couple guys have mentioned these hammer crimpers.
I fab a lot of 1/0 cable and they actually work fairly well. Compact and easy to travel with.

 

[John C.]

You forgot to include the four pound hammer

 

[DMiller]

I used to use Thomas & Betts cable ends, would sweat solder into new cable, then crimp on new terminals then add sealant infused heat shrink, never had any issues that way for years. Still have my electric Heat Gun, prefer it for controlled closure of Heat shrink.

 

[kshansen]

I always had good luck with a good crimp covered with heat shrink with the glue inside.

For many years around the company the go-to was the bolt on cable ends at the batteries and they work in a pinch to get something moving but once we convinced a boss to buy the crimper tool our battery problems just about disappeared.

We did also had the 4LB hammer tool, think that got stuck in one of the drawers of my tool box on last day of work! Only problem with that in some tight places there is nothing solid to set it on to smack it. Top of battery I don't think would work!

 

[doublewide]

....., but he forgot to wash off the flux, those cables will rot off in a few years while the soldered connection will be clean as ever.

That's what I don't like about the solder method. Flux (acid) will cause corrosion and increase resistance over time.

 

[Willie B]

That's what I don't like about the solder method. Flux (acid) will cause corrosion and increase resistance over time.

Don't use flux. Use absolutely polished metal & rosin core solder.

 

[Delmer]

You can rinse the flux off, but not if you cover it with heat shrink right away.

 

[Flat Thunder Channel]

Here is a pic of the new cables and battery I got. They used the heat shrink with hot glue inside to seal the crimped ends. I switched to the eyelet type ends.

Looks nice! Sometimes I use dual post batteries. I like the stud mount with standard holes too. They make battery installations much easier than with traditional lugs. It is especially convenient if you frequently disconnect the battery.

Electrical guru question; I have two batteries in my truck. To fully charge each battery I remove a ground wire from one battery and install my dual station battery tender. The thought is this is the only true way each battery with charge independently. I believe if I just connect the tender to one side it will charge both batteries, but limit or stop charging when one hits the target voltage (12 + volts). Thoughts?

 

[Coaldust]

Flat Thunder Channel,

A single battery tender will maintain both batteries just fine. Especially so, if both batteries are the same chemistry, age & time in service. No problem. Good question.

There is a difference between charging and maintaining. Constant current vs constant voltage, blah blah. We'll save that discussion for a different thread.

 

[Swetz]

I second coaldust's response...I have one tender on my 2-battery backhoe. 2 of the same batteries installed the same day.

As far as solder, I always use rosin core solder, never the acid flux.

I also like to use grease on the terminal and ends. To me, it seems to cut down on corrosion.

Finally, as D Miller said, T&B ends are very well made and come tinned

 

[kshansen]

A bit "off topic" but how many have come across battery terminal connections with sheet metal screws down through the area between the cable ends and the terminal on the battery?

Just one more thing I kind-of wish I had a digital camera to carry with me back in the day to document.

 

[Willie B]

Looks nice! Sometimes I use dual post batteries. I like the stud mount with standard holes too. They make battery installations much easier than with traditional lugs. It is especially convenient if you frequently disconnect the battery.

Electrical guru question; I have two batteries in my truck. To fully charge each battery I remove a ground wire from one battery and install my dual station battery tender. The thought is this is the only true way each battery with charge independently. I believe if I just connect the tender to one side it will charge both batteries, but limit or stop charging when one hits the target voltage (12 + volts). Thoughts?

Like resistors, batteries in series ex: two sixes in a 12 volt system, will not equally share the available voltage. Might see one get 8 volts, the other get 4. Very soon this leads to a dead battery. It is critically essential that they be identical batteries & in exactly the same condition. Phone company switchgear is powered by batteries. These used to be 24 four foot tall 2 volt glass lead/acid batteries. The man in charge of battery maintenance was absolutely suffering from OCD. Monthly, he would dismantle all the jumper straps, clean, and torque. He checked specific gravity & voltage & adjusted for precise consistency. He could easily get 20 years out of a set of batteries.

Batteries in parallel risk a similar fate because mismatched batteries charge at different rates. The charger senses only voltage & reduces voltage from the charger before one is fully charged.

These problems plague off grid storage system owners. You might have $3000. worth of batteries. Replacing them all at once is a bitter pill to swallow, but it's the only strategy that works.

In your daily driven pickup you might get years out of dual batteries. A tractor that sits for months, separate the batteries, & charge them separately.

 

[Delmer]

I like to weld up a 3/8" nut to a length of pipe with a bar across the top for the negative battery terminal, even easier to remove the ground cable with no tools and very little increased risk of big sparky.

I'm of the opposite opinion Willie, two batteries in series are no different than one battery, the cells are all in series so any resistance will affect the voltage and amperage of all of them equally. The biggest ways to get in trouble are to power accessories off of one battery only, or mix used batteries/different types.

Two 12v batteries in a pickup or tractor in parallel for 12V are a little more forgiving, they'll see the same voltage from the alternator, or charger and contribute the same voltage to the starter (assuming the cables are all in good shape) they'll take and give according to their abilities. Once one loses a cell it will drain the other battery, but when functioning you could put a lawn mower battery next to an 8D and they'd probably run for a couple years with no problem, assuming it was used regularly or charged regularly.

Flat Thunder, I'm of the opposite opinion on charging also. The charger will charge at a higher voltage while the amperage is higher, then drop to a moderate voltage when the battery is approaching full charge (accepts lower amperage) and finally a float charge of 13.2v or so when it has reached the lowest amp charge. You can see a healthy battery will charge fast, and a weak one will never charge, because the "smart charger" won't push it, to wake up a weak battery you'll need a dumb timer charger.

Anyhow, if you apply that smart charger design to two batteries in parallel, the charger will charge LONGER at each HIGHER voltage, and continue until each battery is accepting half the amps it would charging alone. So you could say the light charge is better for the batteries if use the maintainer often. Or you could say the longer equalizing charge is better if you only use the maintainer a few times a year. Since we're talking about maintainer chargers, I don't think the charge is too fast, just a deeper charge than the charger intends when hooked to two batteries.