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Martin H. Eastburn
 
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Default Crimping large cable lugs without a crimper

The high tech wire we used was 3/4" diameter 1000 strand and would bend in a 4" radius.
It took the 500 amp -2v current to the buss. (where others showed up)

Makes great jumper cables - so I am told. I got a harness, but the good stuff was gone.
I got away with the 3/8" and 1/2" stuff. Have some fantastic 10 ga size that carries current!

Long lost the manufacturer of this very flexible and very high current wire. Using some
in the current (high current that is) project now.

Martin
Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



DoN. Nichols wrote:
According to Ignoramus25589 :

I will soon need to crimp many terminals on many short, but thick, 1
gauge or 0 gauge cables.




0 (1-0) gauge uses the larger of the two AMP hydraulic crimp
heads, and the smallest set of dies to fit it. (Total range -- 1-0
though 4-0)

Hmm 1 gauge? The smaller of the two AMP hydraulic crimp heads
covers #8, #6, #4, and #2. I don't know of one for #1 at all. Are you
sure that it exists?

The larger head is either powered by a hand pumped (or foot
pumped hydraulic system capable of 10,000 PSI, like the porta-power
units, or by an electrically powered pump which cycles to maximum
pressure and then releases automatically.

The smaller head can be powered by the same, or is available with
a hand-operated pump built in.


Crimpers are just too expensive.



It depends on how long you watch eBay, waiting for what you
want. I have (hydraulic) crimpers and dies for #8 through 3-0, and am
still waiting for the 4-0 dies to show up. I also have the purely
mechanical crimpers for similar terminals down through #26 or #28 IIRC.


Is there some way to get acceptable crimps without a crimper.



Acceptable to whom? They would certainly not qualify for
mil-spec work. (I'm assuming that you're talking about the PIDG style
crimp terminals, which have a collar which grips the insulation.)

If you have a hydraulic press, and can develop around 31,000
pounds (I think) with it, you could make holders and guides for the dies
for the AMP for up to the 4-0 terminals. Then, all you would need to
find on eBay is the dies themselves.


I guess, also, that I could buy one on ebay and later sell it, but I
would prefer to avoid that.



With the sizes which you are talking about, I think that you
will need two crimp heads, to cover your stated requirements -- assuming
that you can find dies for #1 wire terminals. AMP does not list them
for the crimpers which I have, at least.

If you already have a porta-power, you can use that to drive the
heads.

Here is an example of the hand-held one for the smaller dies
(#8-#2), though it it in an eBay "store" and is *way* over what I paid.
Auction number: 7548679099. The second photo will show you what a pair
of the dies looks like. The red tape around one of the handles is
intended to show that it is loaded with dies for #8 (or #2, which have
the same color). #6 is blue, and #4 is yellow.

I've gotten similar crimpers for as little as $15.00 at a
hamfest -- with one set of dies in it.

AHA -- here is a much more reasonable one which was missed by my
first quick search:

7553590509

And that one is even the later model of the hand-pumped crimper. Still
the wrong dies for your application. It has the #6, and you need the #2
(the closest to #1 that I know of). This one is at only $25.00 with
about 11+ hours to go as I post.

Good Luck,
DoN.


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