# Crimping 0/1 gauge wire



## maxpusher (Dec 26, 2009)

Hello,

I wanted to know what you guys use when crimping large wires like for your amps. Do you just solder the terminal to the wire or use crimping tools? I would like to see some wires that have been crimped or soldered without the heatshrink if possible. Also, if there is a tool could you show me a link to it? Thanks.


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## Dryseals (Sep 7, 2008)

I use something very simular to one of these. To get a proper crimp on heavy wire, you need a terminal with some meat on it.

Want to solder, these work well.


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## Austin (Mar 12, 2009)

Solder with ring terminals that have a closed end. I have to find the long thread about this.


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## trevordj (Feb 22, 2009)

Hammer crimp tool


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## bfowler (Nov 25, 2009)

X2 on the solder slugs on closed end terminals

YouTube - The proper way to solder battery terminals


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## savagebee (Sep 12, 2006)

bench vise + solder
no failure for me ever, and Ive got tons of 1/0 in high temp/high failure risk spots

Ive also tinned the wire end, then crimped the lug just under the tinned end, and thats worked as well


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## bsvrs (May 4, 2009)

I agree with the bench vise, you can put some serious pressure on the crimp that way.


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## savagebee (Sep 12, 2006)

bsvrs said:


> I agree with the bench vise, you can put some serious pressure on the crimp that way.


yup, Ibe put damn near all ofmy large ass weight on the connection before, with no slippage
I have been able to seperat a purely soldered connection before, but I wasnt very experienced with using it at the time, so that probably played a big role in that


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## PSYKO_Inc (Dec 11, 2006)

I use one of these:








https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/cgi-bin/einstein.pl?Next::8:UNDEF::::PA
Lenco swedge-on tool, about a third of the way down the page. Works great!


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## maxpusher (Dec 26, 2009)

Thanks for all your replies. I saw the youtube video and saw that the terminal was closed ended. Are most amp terminal closed ended. I found it to be easier to solder. Thanks.


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

PSYKO_Inc said:


> I use one of these:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




x2. for $8 it can't be beat! no wait, it can be beat...


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## Jefferson (Jan 15, 2010)

The bench vise has been the way I have always done heavy gauge wire.

I might have to try those swedge-on tools PSYKO posted up, I'm wondering as to which one gives better results?


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## PSYKO_Inc (Dec 11, 2006)

nineball said:


> x2. for $8 it can't be beat! no wait, it can be beat...


It SHOULD be beat...with a 2lb mini sledge 


Jefferson said:


> The bench vise has been the way I have always done heavy gauge wire.
> 
> I might have to try those swedge-on tools PSYKO posted up, I'm wondering as to which one gives better results?


I wired my system up in the summer of 2006 using 1/0 welding cable, the gold plated ring terminals from Parts Express, and this tool to crimp all the connections. Haven't had a single problem so far


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## chrisw85 (Apr 24, 2008)

If by using a bench vise you are flattening the terminal area where the wire is, then that is, in my opinion not producing an adequate crimp. Ideally you want to have equal pressure all the way around on the wire, which can be achieved using the 'swedge/hammer' tool, or something that crimps in a triangular/circular fashion like many of the hydraulic/large lug crimpers you can find on ebay. I would think that the more equal the pressure is on the wire the more strands are 'touching each other' and acting like a larger wire, simply flattening/smashing the lug isn't going to assure this...

I use a combination of the swedge tool and a bench vise to do the 'hammering' I can control the depth of the crimp better than if i were to use a hammer with this tool. I also have a hex crimp tool that can do up to 3/0 wire but I have to buy new dies for it as a couple of the ears ahve broken off, probably from misuse; I bought it used.


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## chrisw85 (Apr 24, 2008)

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices that looks like a good buy. But you must keep in mind that automotive terminals are usually thicker than the AWG standard for terminals, so you may need to go up one size on the dies, or use industry lugs probably available at your local wire supply store or home depot/osh etc. And these lugs are usually copper which will conduct better.


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## Tweet (May 27, 2016)

I know this is an old post, but I googled "how to crimp 0 gauge " and this thread popped up. So I accidentally found out an easy way if u can't find the correct tools to do it. I live in the country with many cow pastures. I went to the neighbors house and asked if he had one (all my neighbors are Union electricians) . He didn't have any, but he told me to hold on then went scrounging around in his shop and came out with a set of what looked like bolt cutters. What they really were was some kind of crimper used to crimp some aluminum,round and about an inch long barb wire clip things that you use to tie in two pieces of broken barb wire fence. They are identical to bolt cutters, only difference being that the cutting blades don't meet to cut- there's a little gap there. Wire fence splice crimping tool is what they're called. Available in a few different crimps, I used the flat crimping ones.


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