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Best battery clamps w accessory studs

denverd1

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Dallas, TX
What are you guys using for connecting cables to the battery along with an ever growing list of accessories?

Just have winch and a few light harnesses, but it seems like I'm already out of room.

I'm using off the shelf shitty clamps. The real pisser is the cables are always corroding or somehow loosening themselves. I swear I take them apart and and clean everything and retighten at least every 6 months.

Whats the fix?

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No thank you.


BTDT.


Scope Creep came with one of those. Junk. They are a cheap alloy and they collect moisture in the recesses for the grub screws which then works its way down into the wires.



Here is the solution: https://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1108471


Get solid lead military terminals and cover boots to go along with them. Lots of potential for adding on with ring terminals and lugs.


ETA: I just put The Varmints to work doing this very thing to the ZJ I recently picked up: https://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1159228
 
For the corrosion, use the treated felt washers you can get at any parts store. I also use DeOx on the connectors before assembly and then use the spray can of the terminal cleaner that coats with a reddish film when dry.
 
PartsExpress.com is a good supplier with tons of options. They also have great distribution boxes and fuse setups.
 
For the corrosion, use the treated felt washers you can get at any parts store. I also use DeOx on the connectors before assembly and then use the spray can of the terminal cleaner that coats with a reddish film when dry.
Felt washers: treated with what?

how do those silly things work anyway?

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anybody soldering connections?

bought the amazon mil-spec kit. Thx John.
 
I soldered copper welding wire lugs to the bare cable ends.
 
You should if you have the ability to do it right and also use good heat shrink.
 
anybody soldering connections?

bought the amazon mil-spec kit. Thx John.

I've done it both ways. I do shrink wrap over the wire and the connector. I didn't like welding cable as I remember it. I think the best was the boat wire or marine grade. It was tin coated before hand.
 
anybody soldering connections?

bought the amazon mil-spec kit. Thx John.

I bought new cables from mean lemons a couple years back so I didn't need to do any of that.
 
I have also done it both ways.

There are pros and cons.

Biggest risk with soldering is that you will create a stress riser in the cable which will cause the wire to break.

Note that the good heat shrink has a glue inside which melts and seals everything up water-tight.
 
Bought an assorted box of shrink wrap couple years ago, but highly doubt its the "good stuff"

So if I'm going all out, would I solder, crimp then heat shrink?

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You must crimp the wire regardless of whether you solder or not!
 
Crimp.

If you don't think you got a good crimp then drill a hole in the end of the fitting at the at end of the wire (farthest possible from where you stripped the wire) and apply solder there. The idea would be to have solder in the fitting, but not wicked up the wire. You don't want the wire to lose any of its flexibility.

If you try to solder only then you are going to end up having to put in enough solder that it will wick up the wire and take away the flexibility. Add engine/driving vibration to the picture and you end up work hardening the wire and then breaking it.

But solder can help with a marginal crimp. Sometimes the fitting is too thin to give enough compression to the crimp. I prefer to use the heavy tinned fittings. Then I know I will get a solid crimp. Sometimes all I have on hand (or can get locally) is the bare copper type. Those are the ones least likely to result in a good crimp. If I don't think it crimped down well enough I will solder as explained above.
 
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