Which would you prefer for your own mower?

[StarTech]

Which if these cable crimps would consider a well done crimp. Now course I had add the insulation sleeve yet which seals the connection.

Also here one that was over crimped that actually fused all the copper wire strands into one solid part.


Plus customer didnt even use correct size cable lug as he used a 4 ga lug on a 8 ga cable.

 

[Rivets]

I don’t crimp at all. I’ve found that using the correct size lug and then clean, flux and solder the connections works best for me.

 

[StarTech]

Crimping just saves me from damaging the insulation here. But curious to what you use to generate enough heat to properly solder the connection and are you using acid or rosin flux?

Nearly all my battery electrical connections are done crimped terminals then sealed with heat shrink and a dielectric paste to prevent water and acid seeping into them. The ones that don't get the treatment are the AMP, Molex and Delphi terminals which uses an open barrel crimp.

Something I have notice is all 6 ga cables are not the same size as some I can slip on 8 ga cable lug. Probably Chinese made cables. Also with the crimper I have I need to use the 4ga dies with the heavy cable lugs I have or I get over crimped lugs. So for the 6 ga that takes 8ga lug I use the 6 or 7 ga dies, most time it is the 6 ga die.

 

[Rivets]

I use solid core solder used by plumbers. My dad was a pipe fitter and I started soldering copper pipe when I was 10. What I do is clean the inside of the lug with emery cloth, fill the lug with flux paste, heat the lug with a propane torch until it is liquid then stick the clean cable into the lug. After removing the cable I now have a clean lug and cable ready for soldering. Reheat the lug and fill with melting solder, and immediately stick the cable in and allow it to cool and harden. Done. This way I’m only getting a very small amount of melting on the insulation and have a solid clean connection. To my knowledge I’ve never had one fail.

 

[StarTech]

Ah an area that I getting away from. I am trying to be environmentally friendly here but I do know the method but I tend to sweat the joints and let flux draw in the solder. I currently using 63/37 mix. The old way just puts more lead and CO2 in to the environment. The hydraulic puts out only the CO2 I breathe out besides half the time I out Propane anyway.

 

[Rivets]

I really doubt that I’ve had any registered effect on the environment over the last 50 years doing it this way. One badly tuned push mower, used one season, is probably worse for the environment than all the lugs I’ve soldered.

 

[slomo]

Also here one that was over crimped that actually fused all the copper wire strands into one solid part.

That is what you are looking for. A good crimp turns the copper strands into a copper block if you will. Best is a hydraulic crimp tool.

Far as soldering goes, if you had a corroded connector drawing excessive amperage, that will heat up. Could get hot enough to melt some solder. Course that would be an extreme condition with a much larger starter than mowers use. Probably be fine to solder a mower battery lug. Still prefer to crimp battery connectors.

slomo

 

[bertsmobile1]

That is what you are looking for. A good crimp turns the copper strands into a copper block if you will. Best is a hydraulic crimp tool.

Far as soldering goes, if you had a corroded connector drawing excessive amperage, that will heat up. Could get hot enough to melt some solder. Course that would be an extreme condition with a much larger starter than mowers use. Probably be fine to solder a mower battery lug. Still prefer to crimp battery connectors.

slomo

If it gets hot enough to melt the solder then the insulation has already melted & started to burn and the battery has probably exploded.
Now if it was a 200A alternator feed ten things might be different but mowers are lucky if they manage to push out the rated 20 Amps.

FWIW
I crimp with a hex crimper then paint over with liquid electrical tape then cover the joint with 2 layers of heat shrink, the final one being a glued version.

 

[Rivets]

Very little melting of the insulation, because I’m not heating the cable until I insert it into the lug. Because I’ve clean and fluxed both lug and cable, capillary action makes the cable solid and fuses it to the lug. Had a guy question my results so I showed him how I did it, then cut a cross section through lug and cable. Looked like individual wires surrounded by silver insulation in a copper sleeve. Yes, you must insert the cable in quickly as the cable cools the solder very fast.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

i use a handheld battery cable crimper, i always clean the wire up good, my small dremel with an aluminum wire wheel on it works good, i then dielectric grease it, crimp it, and heat shrink over the whole sha-bang. and sometimes cleanly wrapped electrical tape over the heat shrink.