Which is Better? HYDRAULIC vs IMPACT Crimper For Large Gauge Electrical Terminal Lugs | How To Crimp

Crimping large wire gauge terminals requires special tools. In this video, I'll show how to crimp a 4 gauge wire using a hydraulic crimper and an impact hammer crimper and compare them to see which is better.
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[@a-fl-man640]

when i did it i pre-loaded a piece of shrink-wrap on the cable then mounted the lug in a vise with the cup facing up, heated it with a propane torch and filled it with solder. once filled insert the cable into the lug heating as needed to counteract the cooling of the cable. once the solder flowed into the cable let it cool and cover the joint with the shrink-wrap. worked for me.

[@engineerable]

Thanks for the tip. I've also tried it this way before I had crimpers to 2/0 gauge welding wire. I also thought it would be better than crimping, however the heat deteriorated the cable housing near the joint, and the solder wicked up the wire making it stiff and not flexible. It took some practice to get it down. Crimping is so much easier.

[@Somun-a]

FWIW, soldering a crimp connector is a bad idea. Especially for wires with gauges like these.

[@engineerable]

@@Somun-a Agreed. Takes too much heat and solder wicks up the cable, making it rigid.

[@BorgOvermind]

How do some crimpers make the perfect "hex"-like crimping ?

[@engineerable]

The die has to be perfectly matched to the terminal for a perfect hex crimp. With these hydraulic crimpers, the next size up was too large, and this size created the ears. I've read that this is a common issue, which happens with high end hex crimpers also, and that the solution is to partially crimp, rotate, crimp a little more, rotate and crimp the rest of the way.
I have some smaller crimpers for ferrules that have 6 independent jaws for perfect hex crimps, but I haven't seen a larger version of that.

[@BorgOvermind]

@@engineerableThanks, that sounds like a good start point. I'll do some testing. I have a bolt-cutter like crimper and I'm considering if to get a hydraulic one for a more accurate crimping.

[@reason2gether]

I use the hydraulic crimper all the time. It allows for better strand to lug contact and less strain on the strands. Shrink tube works fine on top of the crimp as well, even with the "ears" on the sides. Other considerations are that the hydraulic crimper allows for on-site crimping without the need for a work bench or solid floor to hammer against. All around a better tool in my opinion.

[@engineerable]

Any concerns that the "tearing" of the metal near the sharp corners of the "ears" makes the terminal weaker?

[@reason2gether]

No "tearing" is evident and the crimp is very strong without damage to the conductor strands. I would be more concerned that the strands are broken inside the impact crimp and therefore more likely to pull out if the strands break, they will be cut-off at the crimp edge location. With the hydraulic crimp you can see the strands are only compacted together and remain in the round shape they are made in. Preserving the shape of the conductor strands is more important than preserving the shape of the lug. @@engineerable

[@masmagalingako]

Did u determine which crimp is better?

[@engineerable]

The hammer crimp appears better from the point of doing less damage to the terminal. I will be doing some pull out testing now that I have the equipment to do so. I did not have the testing equipment when this video was recorded.

[@masmagalingako]

You could also do a resistance measurement using a milliohm meter.

[@engineerable]

@@masmagalingako Thanks for info. Is a milliohm meter good enough? I was reading that you need a 10A microohm meter, which is very expensive. Is applying a 10A+ current and measuring voltage drop accurate enough to compare? I've read that a pull out force test is used to test for proper crimping, because it indicates that enough force has been applied to break down the layer of non-conductive oxides on the wire and terminal surfaces to insure a good metal to metal contact.