Purchasing Battery Cable / Dual Batteries

Joined: 20 Oct 2002 Location: Melbourne

Ok I am about to install my Dual Batteries. I am going to need some length of battery Cable as one battery is in the tray and one in the engine compartment.

The battery in the tray, can I run the -ve to the chassis?

For the long +ve cable which will run into a solenoid, whats the best way to purchase the cable? From a auto elec? I know repco sell it, but it aint got terminals, and I dont have the tool to crimp em...

Help anyone?

Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Location: Newcastle, NSW

ToNkA wrote:

The battery in the tray, can I run the -ve to the chassis?

Yes, just make sure it is grounded well. Scratch/sand any paint off that is on the chassis, and tighten a nice clean conductive bolt through.

Quote:

For the long +ve cable which will run into a solenoid, whats the best way to purchase the cable?

Tandy would do! It's all cable, just make sure you get stuff that is rated high enough for your purposes.

Quote:

I know repco sell it, but it aint got terminals, and I dont have the tool to crimp em...

You don't have a pair of pliers? Spoil yourself and get a decent pair. You should be able to find a nice clamp for the end of the wire. Strip the insulation back a bit, insert into clamp and squash down hard with the pliers. Or am I missing something?

Disclaimer: I'm no expert at all, but I thought it was about time I contributed something here Wink

Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 9:48 am

TONKA GO DOWM TO LOCAL WELDING SUPPLIES AND GET SOME LEAD FOR AN ARC WELDER THEY ALSO WILL BE ABLE TO PUT THE PROPER ENDS ON IT AND SHOULDN'T BE THAT $$$$$.sorry bout caps lock Laughing

Joined: 30 Jun 2003 Location: Melbourne

Tonka give Ashdown a ring 9548 2266. 13-15 Brough St Sandown.
They are an auto electrical importer/wholesaler but also sell over the counter. I bought my wing nut battery terminals from them, real heavy duty 8 or 10 mm stud available not cheap crap. They gave me trade over the counter, maybe we could organise a deal for OL members if we do some promo's in the auto elec section.

Dave

Joined: 25 Nov 2002 Location: melting gears

Tonka,

I picked up some lengths of battery cable (wire) from ARB - they made it to specific lengths for me and added the terminal ends on too - $11 per metre which i was pretty happy with.

cheers

Joined: 20 Oct 2002 Location: Melbourne

In the end the old man had some of the really fat battery cable about 4 meters of it sitting in his garage. Over 1.5cm thick.

I used that and its worked fine!

Joined: 15 Mar 2004 Location: around the place

just remeber you could always ring a switchboard manufacturer

we have kilometers of cable all sizes, and we hydrolically crimp the lugs on the cables.

we get a heap better price than every one else, due to the volume of cable we buy, and selling it by the meter shouldnt be a problem.

Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Location: Canberra

go to battery factory or similar.. get stuff called 2B&S . fat as your thumb.. cost me 10 bucks a metre and i needed 5.. they cut to length and use a 10 ton hydrolic press to crimp the ends on!.. from the tray to the bay u will need more than 8 or 10 mm shit... i got the same sort of set up in my lux.. this cable is fatter than the stuff my xd9000 runs on.. pliers just wont do for crimping the big termenals on.. unless yr ganna heat it with a blow torch and sink half a coil of solder into it..

Joined: 20 Oct 2002 Location: Melbourne

ToNkA wrote:

In the end the old man had some of the really fat battery cable about 4 meters of it sitting in his garage. Over 1.5cm thick.

I used that and its worked fine!

Joined: 12 Dec 2002 Location: Wangaratta

Slayer wrote:

go to battery factory or similar.. get stuff called 2B&S . fat as your thumb.. cost me 10 bucks a metre and i needed 5.. they cut to length and use a 10 ton hydrolic press to crimp the ends on!.. from the tray to the bay u will need more than 8 or 10 mm shit... i got the same sort of set up in my lux.. this cable is fatter than the stuff my xd9000 runs on.. pliers just wont do for crimping the big termenals on.. unless yr ganna heat it with a blow torch and sink half a coil of solder into it..

mmmm using half a coil of solder ... I like the sound of that ... as well as the vapours ... Very Happy