There are a lot of options for cable crimpers at many different price points. Any recommendations?
We use this:
We use 4 AWG to an SB120.
Don’t skimp on a crimper. Those connections are just too important and can ruin your season if not done properly. If this is too much then get together with other teams In your area and purchase one to shaer.
We have been using this one for several years and have been very happy.
Comes with various dies.
Aloha!
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We also use the TMS 10.
Thanks! We ended up going with the Harbor Freight one as it was close at hand. FWIW, you can drill a small hole in the terminal (side away from the wire) after crimping and solder the terminal in. Bulletproof connection.
FWIW the Harbor Freight and the TMS 10 appear to be exactly the same except the dies are chrome-plated on the TMS 10.
You can but you shouldn’t. Doing this does not improve the connection, it weakens it.
A properly executed crimp will leave no space for solder to flow into, and attempting to add solder will only serve to thermal cycle the crimp, causing it to loosen. If you’re able to flow any significant amount of solder into a crimp it wasn’t done properly in the first place.
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What kind of soldering iron do you use that has the heat capacity to get all that metal up to the temperature where the solder will melt and flow properly?
Will your soldering iron get the joint up to temperature fast enough that you don’t start to melt the insulation on the wire?
How do you prevent the solder from wicking out of the lug up the wire? Once it does this, you have a discontinuity in stiffness and after some flexing, you will start getting broken strands that are hidden under the wire insulation, assuming you haven’t melted it.
The manufacturers of these lugs have spent a lot of time and money to design and test these crimping systems to ensure they produce reliable joints. In 35+ years, I have never seen any industrial/commercial users of crimp lugs that solder them afterward.
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Our TMS10 (the yellow one up there ^) died a miserable death and spewed hydraulic oil all over the workbench. In 2016 we ditched it in favor of this simpler alternative:
The crimper is just over 15" long and provides plenty of leverage.
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A good crimper will literally weld the copper into a solid lump no room for solder.
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This is what we use. It is wonderful.
Don’t. The temperature required to solder will anneal the copper terminal and wire, undoing the crimp. Like others have said, a good crimp forces all of the air out of the joint and cold-welds the terminal to the wire. It’s as good of a connection as one can make.
Using the crimper that @IndySam linked we got this sort of crimp performance in our 2awg main wiring.
We always section some test crimps to verify performance. I suggest that everyone qualify their termination methods this way!
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That makes sense. I guess don’t believe everything people tell you! We’ll stick with the hydraulic crimp tool!
So we have always used the one that is recommended by Andymark. We crimp it once, rotate it 180 then crimp it again a little further down. Rather then compress the connector it puts a dimple in, we have never had a problem with this. (knock on wood)