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Custom battery cables

JnJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
San Antonio TX
First off I never payed much attention to the battery cables, if I had a bad one I went to the parts store and picked up a replacement.
Now I will be relocating the battery (actually 2) to the bed of the MJ. I can't find standard off the shelf ones long enough. So, it looks like I need to build them. Remember, I don't know much about wiring so school me on what gauge I need. Also, I can get the battery terminal ends at any parts store, but what do I use, and where do I find the connections for the other ends?
I plan to some day have a winch, and I plan to weld using the dual batteries.
 
i have used welding wire (the larger size up from 4guage i think it's called OT? or 0guage?) its really flexiable and semi-cheap. for the ends i also used ends for an arc welder (not the battery side) i double ground the ground wire, to the engine block and the closest place posible to the battery (i think 12" is about as long as you want to go).


i bought the wire at orsheln farm and home (a walmart for the non-city oriented people) it was on sale for like $.30/foot i also made some jumper cables since it was so cheap.
 
go over to the Pirate board and find any post by me ("brettm" over there) and in my sig line there is a link to a thread with pictures of my MJ

i have 2 batteries in the back in a Rocket Box from Surpluscenter.com, I went to a welding shop to get my cable, I think it was 1 guage, then got ends from Autozone.
 
hpi_jeep said:
i have used welding wire (the larger size up from 4guage i think it's called OT? or 0guage?) its really flexiable and semi-cheap. for the ends i also used ends for an arc welder (not the battery side) i double ground the ground wire, to the engine block and the closest place posible to the battery (i think 12" is about as long as you want to go).


i bought the wire at orsheln farm and home (a walmart for the non-city oriented people) it was on sale for like $.30/foot i also made some jumper cables since it was so cheap.
cable sizes go like this, from smaller to larger...4 guage, 2 guage, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, then they go into measurements of cross sectional diameter, starting at 250 MCM and up.
I put in 4/0 to connect my dual optima yellows under the hood. don't know how much smaller i would go than that, especially mounting them in the back and running a welder off them.
 
I second nwwrangler power products customer service, it is top rate. I used their military battery terminals and hi-amp alternator with 2/0 welding cable on my tow vehicle. The terminals allow you to use eyelets on each end of the cables.

I would use the 4/0 welding cable for runs over eight feet.

Tom
 
I used Marine Grade battery cable I got from a local boating supply house. Oil, Heat, Water resistant.
 
A little late on this thread, but talking about wire gages. I use 4 gage welding wire. It has a capacity of 400 amps up to 50 feet. IMHO that is plenty for all needs on a cherokee. I also used it to make my own jumper cables. I have used them in jump starting freightshacker classics the past 2 winters. Never had any problems.
 
If you check the charts, you'll find that #4 welding cable is good for all of 100A to 50'.

However, if you still haven't had any luck, I'm about to order cable to make custom cables for those of us here that need them (including jumper leads, eventually,) so if you want to hit me with the lengths you need, I'll put you on the list.

I'll be using #1 cable, which is rated for 250A to 50'. Crimped, ox-garded, sealed, and made to length.

Ref my post "Feeler - custom battery cables" or something similar on Mod tech for tentative pricing (I'll firm that up when I finish ordering cable in a bit...)

5-90
 
Hey guys its a little late to reply to this. JNJ sold the `manche down here to a friend of mine ( a friend of his as well).
 
5-90, I stand corrected, for the purpose of this post and my use, the amp rating is 225, IAW my chart, (which I referenced after my first post :( ), I submit the following:

Amps 0-50' 50-100' 100-150' 150-200' 200-250'
100 6AWG 4AWG 2AWG 2AWG 1AWG
150 4AWG 4AWG 2AWG 2AWG 1AWG
180 4AWG 4AWG 2AWG 2AWG 1AWG
200 4AWG 2AWG 2AWG 1AWG 1/0AWG
225 4AWG 2AWG 1AWG 1AWG 1/0AWG
250 2AWG 2AWG 1AWG 1AWG 1/0AWG
300 1/0AWG 1/0AWG 1/0AWG ----- ------

This is for Forney Weld-O-Flex welding cable. It is constructed of 399 strands (bulk) 30AWG.

The 400 amp figure I misquoted was for the battery clamps that I used for the jumper cables.
 
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