I drove in to the Interstate Battery dealer today to get a new battery but when I popped the hood I noticed the lead clamps are cracked. They make cables there but he said he couldn't do it because he didn't have ends big enough to get all the leads in with the main cable. Anyone have a good source for new pre made cables or another route to take?

Tim

 

I came by a couple of military battery clamps. I'm going to melt the lead clamps off and use cable lugs. The military clamps, clamp on the battery post and you have to use lugs to hook everything up. You have the nut and bolt that tighten on the battery post and there is a nut and bolt on the other side that goes all the way thru the lead clamp. This way I can use my old cables.

 

You might can find heavy enough cable ends at one of the local tractor dealers, depending on what part of IL you are in. Also the marine industry uses big diesels and batteries.

 

I got tired of the hassle of lead clamp-on style battery terminals and lead posts.

They were a constant source of trouble.

I crimped/soldered copper lugs on my cable-ends and replaced the post type batteries with type 30-S stud type.

Now, I fasten the cables to the battery with wing nuts.

I love it.

No more hassle.

 

I wasnt sure how to approach the positive cable in particular. It has multiple plugs that come off it and plug into the wiring harness. I guess I could just cut them off, crimp a lug on the end, and run them through the bolt/nut that tightens the clamp to the post.

 

I suggest you solder, not crimp, when it comes to battery cables. You need those connections to be as good as they can be.
If I ever get around to it, I bought cable lugs, big copper ones, at Napa, and they will be soldered to the ends of my cables, then bolted to the military-style top post terminals I got at Napa.

Chris

 

Always solder battery cables in the lugs.

 

When I worked on Class A motor coaches I got all of my battery components from NOCO.
They bought me to keep the entire kit with lugs, crimper that look like bolt cutters with revolving dies, convoluted tubing and rolls of welding cable.
Lots of neat toys here.
This is what I used to wire my trucks charging system with.
Jim


http://www.noco.biz/

http://www.noco.biz/catalog.htm

Entire Catalog:
Download PDF 4.5mb compressed zip file

Seperate items:
download the PDF links once you get into the catalog.
CatalogTerminal&Lugs.pdf
CatalogTools.pdf

 

Lots of good cable supplies here as well.
http://waytekwire.com/

Some good adhesive lined heat shrink to seal them up. Works great.

 

http://www.custombatterycables.com/

 

He's shut down untill March 1st because of medical problems.

I went to Napa and ordered a military clamp . Gotta go back tomorrow and pick it up.