# Anyone using welding cable to power your amps??



## matsurocka (May 21, 2017)

Was looking for feedback on anyone using welding cable to power your amplifiers.








I made my own battery cables with Excelene cable on my 75' Ford truck (460cu) Truck has dual 18 wheeler batteries. Crimped and saudered the ends. Cables work great. Crazy heat resistant shielding. Barely smoked with a mini torch saudering. Figured they would also work great for amps. Just wanted to check first. Thanks


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

I use the 4g for main power and ground and 6g to my amps. Works fine. Lots of people here are using it with great results. I actually prefer the utilitarian look of the dull red and black over the flashy car audio stuff. Would love to see pics of that '75 Ford. When it comes to trucks from the 20th century I'm a Ford guy.


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## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> I use the 4g for main power and ground and 6g to my amps. Works fine. Lots of people here are using it with great results.


x2, it's a classic alternative here to more expensive car audio specific cables.


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## rslifkin (Apr 6, 2017)

No reason welding cable won't work fine. I usually use either that or marine tinned copper cable (both are finely stranded) depending on availability and price.


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## vinman (Feb 5, 2013)

@ matsurocka , just curious if the dual battery setup in your Ford is stock and if you have anything between the two batteries to separate them or if they are just hooked up in parallel 

In my Chev van I have an Orion MBR-70 to separate the main battery from 2 others and it's been working fine since the late 80's with identical rating/sized red top optimas which I've replaced once since 

My Chev dually 3500 use to have 2 stock batteries in parallel , but the previous owner removed the second battery , luckily all the cables are still there and I will eventually go back to dual battery but it would be nice to source out a current smart battery separator with similar features to the MBR , which I'm sure someone makes nowadays ....:huh:

I still have half a roll of 4ga cable , connectors , splitters etc from the 80's 

Cheers ....... Vin


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## Victor_inox (Apr 27, 2012)

Welding cable is fine, unless you really need some flexible one.
welding cable has lower strand counts and therefore not as soft as specific car audio cable.


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## matsurocka (May 21, 2017)

vinman said:


> @ matsurocka , just curious if the dual battery setup in your Ford is stock and if you have anything between the two batteries to separate them or if they are just hooked up in parallel
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If it wasn't factory dual batteries I sure can't tell. They seem factory. The 18 wheeler batteries sit perfectly in their trays. They are wired in parallel as you can see from the photos. No isolator. The positives were connected across the radiator support. I made sure there was no rubbing or any possible chance the cable could get caught on the hood latch. I put some loom on it to protect it as well. It sits perfectly across. Never gets hung up. The right ground is attached to a bolt that connects the steering pump to the block. The left positive has a short run from the post to the starter solenoid. I have not made a cable from the negative side of the solenoid to the starter yet, but it works fine. 
I bought the truck wired this way and know well enough to leave it the hell alone if it's working. It already had the 18 wheeler batteries in it. The guy I bought it from owned a trucking company so I assume it was easy for him to just use these since he most likely had a bunch of them. I put two new ones from the Peterbuilt parts store in 2 years ago. They are made by Exide. 750 CCA each. Not to expensive $127.00 each with no core charge. They work great. Only problem I had with the charging system was the wire from the alternator wore out/broke at the connector. I repaired it and am going to install a little bit beefy secondary since the batteries pull a little more current to charge.








It has a 60 amp alternator but am switching to an 80 soon. The 60 works fine. Runs with 14.4 volts contestant and steady with new external voltage regulator. 
I was able to drive it for a week with the alternator completely off. It's carbureted so it doesn't pull much current. Just thru it on a trickle charger at night. Pretty convenient haha. 


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## vinman (Feb 5, 2013)

Tanx for all the info , been away for a while 

My camperized Chev van has a fridge , tv , pc, heaters ,etc plus a few Orion HCCA's to draw juice from the 2 secondary batteries 
I opted for a smart isolator many years ago to keep the main battery from ever discharging since we often camp out in the middle of nowhere 

Currently my Chev c3500 pickup only uses battery juice to raise the dump bed 
but eventually I will install a camper on the flatbed and then I'll need to go back to dual battery as the truck was originally setup
Since we'll also be camping in the middle of nowhere with the pickup I need to isolate the main battery from the secondary(s) 

Gotta see what smart isolators are available today .....


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## HOTT_SINCE_81 (Jul 16, 2016)

I run all welding cable in my setup. 2/0 front to rear with a 320 amp alt to a 73ah Lithium battery. Then to Cooper bus bars then to the amps with 1/0 or 4awg. IMHO welding wire is the way to go. Can get it on Amazon for pretty reasonable with same day delivery. 


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## HOTT_SINCE_81 (Jul 16, 2016)

I as for isolator I use a Noco 200amp. 


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

I remember the welding cable salesman laughing at me for wanting 0awg hehe. He sold it to me though and it was super cheep. This was late 90's early 2000's though.


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## 652mac (Apr 21, 2012)

i was part of a local facebook page spl something or another, guy posted looking for cheap power wire, didn't wanna spend big money.I suggested to him to buy welding cable, same stuff i've been using without problem for years, well holy cow people lost there mind.. was said welding cable is not good for car audio, cant do current or amps ,only made for welding, bla bla bla. Was the last thing i read from that page lol. I'm still running all welding cable for power and ground, wrapped in tech flex looks good to me.


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

Well they are bassheads, the audio equivalent of meatheads. They do know welding involves hundreds of amps? Prolly not




652mac said:


> i was part of a local facebook page spl something or another, guy posted looking for cheap power wire, didn't wanna spend big money.I suggested to him to buy welding cable, same stuff i've been using without problem for years, well holy cow people lost there mind.. was said welding cable is not good for car audio, cant do current or amps ,only made for welding, bla bla bla. Was the last thing i read from that page lol. I'm still running all welding cable for power and ground, wrapped in tech flex looks good to me.


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## 652mac (Apr 21, 2012)

No probably not lol. And seeing as i was new to that group i felt it was best to just walk away from that one.Let them sort that out .


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Car audio wire tends to be oversized also either the conductor or the overall diameter with thicker insulation.


Now konukonceptz has a line called Basik, it's under a dollar a foot, not oversized as the KCA and KOL that tend to be close to 2/0 gauge.

The knu Basik is tempting even being copper clad aluminum but they do not show OD specs, and unless I knew the OD I would not buy it.

Welding cable always provide the OD, tending not to exceed 0.6", much easier to work with.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

Royal Excelene in both vehicles that was had cheap. Love the wire and have no issues with bends. 4 gauge is flexible enough with plenty of current handling for my power needs. Added the proper lugs, solder capped, & heatshrink on the ends. Has become my go-to.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

I decided not to solder those copper lugs, I guess if done right it may work, but there is a good chance that solder simply will contribute to corrosion overtime.

I just use a good crimp, grease the gaps, heat shrink and then electrical tape over it for an extra seal.
Anytime a third metal is introduced to the connection, the galvanic corrosion can take place, add the flux and that would be a 4th object that can contribute to it.

You need to be very careful by getting the best possible electrical solder and specific flux for it. I really suck at soldering, and it's worse dealing with a torch anyway, I tried it once.

One material that will almost eliminate corrosion if soldered, is gold.

I ended up getting something called tough flex welding cable, it was really cheap, eBay seller that sold also the Royal Excelene, smaller OD, made it easier to fit, any larger and maybe my door sills would have not fit or lock in place.


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## matsurocka (May 21, 2017)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> I use the 4g for main power and ground and 6g to my amps. Works fine. Lots of people here are using it with great results. I actually prefer the utilitarian look of the dull red and black over the flashy car audio stuff. Would love to see pics of that '75 Ford. When it comes to trucks from the 20th century I'm a Ford guy.
































last one is all my babies together 



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## matsurocka (May 21, 2017)

vinman said:


> @ matsurocka , just curious if the dual battery setup in your Ford is stock and if you have anything between the two batteries to separate them or if they are just hooked up in parallel
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I doubt its stock since it came with dual 18 wheeler batteries lol They are wired parallel. No perco switch or anything like that



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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

matsurocka,

Nice trio of classics! 

I've also used welding cable for years with no issues. I've also made heavy duty custom jumper cables for my small fleet of diesel grip & lighting trucks using welding cable. But if I need a really flexible/bendable cable, I pony up and go with Kicker's OFC Hyper-Flex power wire. It's pricey, but it's the best quality and most flexible car audio-branded power wire that I've ever used.

However, in the last several years I've started to outsource my custom power cable assemblies. I've found that I just can't beat the price once I factor in all of the individual parts costs to do it myself, not to mention the time involved:

power wire
ring or other terminals
hydraulic or HD mechanical crimper
adhesive-lined heatshrink
time
etc.

So, ultimately I've found that it's usually more cost- and time-effective to have *Gage Wire and Cable Co.* on eBay make them. Again, I usually can't source all of the individual high-quality parts to make my own for what they charge, or it's at least a "break even" situation, and shipping is fast and very reasonable as well.

They make them in custom lengths and guages (call or email for custom lengths or terminals that aren't shown in the drop-down menus on their eBay page).

They use all American made high quality pure copper wire and ring terminals, using the best industrial quality crimping tools, and the terminal-to-wire junctions are sealed from air and moisture to prevent corrosion by using color-coded adhesive-lined heat shrink. Their quality and construction meet all regulations for automotive and marine use. Check them out on eBay at the following link:

*Gauge Wire & Cable - eBay*

About the only thing they don't do is Techflex, but in the engine compartment, I tend to go with good ole split-loom for a more OEM look. Now I just wish that I could have them come and do all of my wire and cable installation in my vehicles, LOL.


[Copy & Paste from another thread]...

Also, FYI, you should never solder crimped terminals. Especially on any wire larger than 12 AWG. OEM Automakers don't do it, the Aerospace and Marine industries don't do it, the Military doesn't do it, and neither should you.

There are multiple reasons that large gauge wire should not be soldered when using crimped terminals. I've posted all the specifics in several other threads on the subject if you want to search. Your cable connections may seem solid as a rock at the time you solder them, but don't be surprised if your homemade crimped and soldered cables fail at the wire/crimp terminal connection. At the very least, the quality of the connection will degrade over time.

If you're going to make your own power cables, spend $40 to $60 on a proper HD hydraulic crimper that includes multiple dies for different wire gauges, such as the TMS 16-Ton Hydraulic Crimper (find it on Amazon) or the 12-Ton version sold at Harbor Freight. Then used adhesive-lined heatshrink to seal the wire to terminal junctions.

Make sure that any cable or wire that you use is designated in size or guage (the actual conductor's cross sectional area) by "AWG" on the jacket or insulation. If not, the actual gauge or cross-sectional area of the actual wire is probably less than what it is marked.

Also, I really wouldn't bother with trying to save a few bucks by using CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum) wire. The tradeoffs aren't worth the difference in price IMO, especially when you can find Pure OFC welding cable at great prices.


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