Make Your Own Battery Cables Part 2 - Adding the Lugs | Polar Wire

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Add a lug to a stripped wire, and learn an electrician's trick for getting uncooperative stranding into a lug
In a previous video I showed you how to strip large gauge fine strand wire with a rotary cable stripper. We gave the wire a clean, flat cut and stripped the end, and the stranding is in great shape--undamaged and compact. The insulation is stripped back just enough that the conductor will fill the lug completely and make a good solid mass without any voids. And this cable is ready for the lug.
Strand turnback reduces the electrical flow, so for the best conductivity, check to make sure all the strands make it into the lug. Terminals that have a slight flare or funnel entry at the bottom of the barrel make it easier to insert the wire. The funnel entry steers all the stranding right into the barrel.
So what if your wire has gotten a bit frayed or feathered out and you can't get it into the lug? Here is a great little trick electricians use.
Smooth the wire roughly back into shape. Take electrical tape, and starting a half inch or so down the wire, wrap a light layer up and around the copper, pulling it tight to compress the stranding. Then work your way back down the jacket.
Insert the taped end into the lug, and holding the lug in place with the wire fully inserted, peel the tape out from under the barrel, pulling it gently sideways to ensure the strands stay inside the barrel.
Notice we don't have any strand turnback. We got all the strands into the terminal, and now I can give this a good solid crimp.
Our cable makers use this trick when they are working with really large gauge, like this 500 MCM wire. It really helps to keep the stranding under control.
One more thing before you crimp: be sure to turn the lug on the wire to the placement you want. When we make our custom cables we like to center the wire's legend on the side of the lug that will be most visible so that the wire information can be easily read. Be sure to determine how the ends should align with each other when the cable is in use.
Here is what a good crimp will look like on the inside. The copper stranding has been compressed into a solid mass and there aren't any air pockets that can cause corrosion, hot spots, or other problems later.
Did you know Polar Wire makes custom cables? We use our Arctic Ultraflex Blue ultraflexible arctic grade wire and high quality parts and processes to build flexible, durable cables that outlast and outperform the others.
Visit our website at polarwire.com and check out our huge online store.

[@benpatsy2076]

Just in case it isn't mentioned in the comments, I'd like to say that's a cute trick with the electrical tape.. ;-)

[@jason13533]

Tape tip of the year for me, legend thanks👌

[@802Garage]

Cool tape trick! Nice crimp cross section example too.

[@PolarWireProducts]

Thamks! Really appreciate your comment!

[@Dazed-84_]

I'm a commercial electrician and that's a great trick I'll be sure to pass it on👍

[@olenaerhardt7725]

The method w/tape is just genius, thank you. I have a question. How to bend the battery cable terminal lugs into a perpendicular form? Like you keep it in a vase at 16:50, how to bend it, with what? Do you need a special tool? I'm afraid to brake or scratch the new expensive cable I ordered. I need to bend the positive cable end, bcs such is the original form on the alternator connection. Thank you for the film.

[@PolarWireProducts]

We don't recommend bending lugs as we've found that they can weaken and crack at the bend. If you can afford to shorten your cable an inch or two, a better solution would be to simply cut the straight lug off one end, replace it with a 45 or 90 degree lug of the same size, and add a new piece of heat shrink. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching our video!

[@markpotter2485]

One thing you didnt mention...what isnthe best wire to use??? Imhave heard welding lead is best because it has more/finer wire. What say you?

[@PolarWireProducts]

Well, since you asked, we are VERY fond of our Arctic Ultraflex Blue wire and HIGHLY recommend it for making battery cables. store.polarwire.com/arctic-ultraflex-blue-wire/ It is a single conductor, fine strand 100% copper wire that is really flexible and super nice to handle. It's what you see in the video. We developed it for use in Alaska on the North Slope, so it's rated for -67F up to 221F. The stranding for 2AWG Arctic Ultraflex Blue is 665/30, for example. Also, it comes in more colors besides blue. :o) The jacket is tough and abrasion resistant, resists water, chemicals, sunlight, acid, and salt. Check it out!

[@VainasDominicanas809]

Greetings, which battery termination is better for a voltage inverter, the aluminum ones, or the copper ones?

[@PolarWireProducts]

We prefer copper for it's better conductivity, smaller bulk, and less risk of hot spots in the connections. Copper wire is generally more flexible than aluminum as well. We make our inverter cables with all copper wire and lugs. Aluminum's only advantage is it's a little cheaper than copper. Check your cable to see if it is copper or aluminum if you're replacing the terminals only.

[@VainasDominicanas809]

@@PolarWireProducts ok I understand thanks, it helped me a lot.

[@PolarWireProducts]

@@VainasDominicanas809 You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@imranraza1978]

How these cables can be connected with battery point as here points of lead / acid batteries are very bigger in size and the holes in these lugs are just merely 6/8 mm ? Please guide

[@SuperPolarWire]

For typical automotive type battery cables we use 3/8" lugs, but we make custom cables with whatever size lug is wanted. We used a variety of sizes in this video for the demos.

[@imranraza1978]

@@SuperPolarWire i need to know about lead acid batteries used in solar here the points are much bigger almost 1.5 cm to 2cm in diameter And specific terminals are rarely found and very expensive

[@imranraza1978]

@@SuperPolarWire if anyone attempting to make this at home with brass pipe a hole of approximately 1" be made would it be good enough ?

[@SuperPolarWire]

@@imranraza1978 You would need to know the stud size of the specific battery type and application you are intending to use.

[@trsfc1595]

Thanks for sharing

[@PolarWireProducts]

Thanks for watching!

[@PBS-nm1uu]

great presentation.

[@dirtymuleracing5321]

Great video guys, really enjoyed seeing it done properly and with pride in your work, I’m about to replace my second set of battery cables in my custom install and what I have just pulled out looks terrible. I will check out your website.

[@PolarWireProducts]

Thank you! We do a lot of custom replacement cables. You wouldn't believe the condition of some of the cables we replace! Easiest way to get a quote on custom cables is to give us a call. [phone]

[@overexposurevideo]

cool trick with the tape !

[@STARBOYGODD]

thanks for the tape trick

[@alanhughes1262]

great tip with the tape thanks.

[@mohammedarouri460]

Thank u for ure video..... please could u give the name, or mark of stripping machine

[@Ricktown___]

Use a bread tie to hold the strands tight while you insert into the lug. It's easy and doesn't leave adhesive residue on the copper from the tape

[@PolarWireProducts]

That's a good idea!

[@AliShuktu]

Or wind with thin copper wire around and leave it there.

[@davidjames1684]

Here is an interesting question for you. Suppose someone has a battery bank (like for a UPS or maybe solar) such that the arrangement of the batteries in 3x2 (3 deep and 2 wide) pattern/layout. Can a special cable be made with 2 end connectors plus a mid connector so that all 3 negatives of the 3 batteries can be connected in parallel? Of course another triple contact cable would be needed for the positive posts of those same batteries. Do you make such cables already or would they have to be custom made? Does such a crimp connector exist that will take wire from both sides? This setup can be thought of as an insulated bus bar to connect all the like terminals (positive or negative) of the batteries. It might help to keep things neater and not require stacking of cables (like 2 cables on the same battery terminal). Thanks.

[@PolarWireProducts]

Hi David, thank you for the great question! We make custom cables to order in all kinds of oddball configurations--we manufacture them to your specs. Sounds like you would need straight terminals on the ends and a flag terminal in the middle. What type of terminals do your batteries require? If it is easiest, give us a call at 907-561-5955 and we can work out the configuration you need and give you a no-obligation quote on the cables. We are happy to custom configure cables, and we can get them done quickly, depending on the availability of the terminals you need.

[@febynemenzo8579]

Sir,What the size or gauge of blue cable?thanks

[@PolarWireProducts]

We used several sizes in this video. The wire for the tape trick and crimp is 2/0 AWG. When we recommend aligning the legend with the terminal, we used a 1/0 piece. The custom cables with heat shrink already applied are 4/0. And the photo of the cable with heavy duty compression lugs is 500 MCM.

[@fox10169]

Instead of tape we just use single strands of copper to reign in those frayed ends, that way it keeps any adhesive off the copper

[@solidfuel0]

I was crying after 2 hours of trying

[@iblesbosuok]

I wanna substitute my car battery cable with 95sqmm welding cable. Unfortunately the cable shoe too big to fit on battery pole. My car is just 1.3l EP81 sleeper. OmG. Cheers from Indonesia

[@treyslashcar6790]

boss move with the tape player!

[@kenkoh1724]

What is the normal lug and nut size for a 12 v lithium battery?

[@Casavlog777]

Vraiment c'est fantastique 🖒🖒🖒🖒🖒

[@PolarWireProducts]

Merci!

[@thinshadow6669]

How many amps would a 3/0 gauge be able to handle?

[@PolarWireProducts]

Our 3/0 Arctic Ultraflex Blue wire has an amp rating of 380A at 30C and 355A at 40C. There are online calculators that will help you find the ampacity for your particular cable length. if you need more info, give us a call at [phone]. Hope that helps!

[@thinshadow6669]

@@PolarWireProducts I thought so. I was watching a video by smd and he used 500 amp fuses for a 2/0 wire

[@rydenroam5551]

i was wondering using your flez blue, could you use them for mobile audio power and ground wires??

[@PolarWireProducts]

Yes, you can use it as ground and mobile audio wire. Arctic Ultraflex Blue is a Class K wire, 100% copper with fine stranding so it creates better sound quality than lower class wire. The jacket is nice and flexible, which makes installation easy in tight spaces and it has excellent abrasion resistance so it would be a great choice. (Sorry for the slow reply!)

[@fasterthanaturtle]

What crimp machine is that? It does beautiful work

[@PolarWireProducts]

Our setup uses a bench mounted 6.2 ton dieless crimp head with a hydraulic pump system to power it. It's pretty sweet! We sell the system but the cost makes it more suitable for a shop or business. Give us a call if you want to know more!

[@davidjames1684]

Couldn't you just use string or something similar that wont leave residue on the copper strands? Dental floss perhaps?

[@Strange_Brew]

I use silver solder for my hv ev projects. Lots of amps!! robert the mad genius******

[@جواد-ن6ح]

انتم.مسلمين.بدون.اسلام. ومخلصين.في.عملكم. بدون.رقيب.بشري. هنيا.لكم.حياتكم. السعيدة. من.العراق. تحياتي. لكم.🌹

[@PolarWireProducts]

Thank you for your kind words.

[@watsonlow22]

Thanks for this video

[@betmon5986]

Wat kind and wer do u purchase the crimper sir

[@PolarWireProducts]

The crimper in this video is a bench mounted 6.2 ton dieless pnuematic compression crimper. It uses a hydraulic pump system to power the crimp head and makes a really top quality, solid four-sided crimp. Call us about the CT-BM-PW at 907-561-5955 if you'd like more info about it. We also carry hand held manual and hydraulic crimpers. Thanks for your interest!

[@khalilafridi267]

Very good sir

[@mohanji5530]

Dear sir all ur video is very good I want to know where I perches this wire stiper

[@PolarWireProducts]

It is available online at our store: store.polarwire.com/stripper-slitter-18-1-0-diameter-economy/

[@gulabk65]

the best of job

[@davidnee6157]

I am in the market for a set of battery cables (17 ft for a boat). I went to your website. I couldn't find the custom length section. I also found your website does not work properly. Not to mention very user UN-friendly. I own and run 2 very successful websites. "Y'all" need to fire your maintenance guy!! I'm going some where else to purchase now..

[@PolarWireProducts]

We acknowledge custom cable ordering on our store needs improvement, and we are working on it. Sorry you weren't able to order your custom length cables. If you are still in the market for cables, we'd love to make them for you. The easiest and fastest way to place your custom cable order is over the phone or by email. Thanks for letting us know!

[@millerkamarajmillerkamaraj5438]

Materials and tools name explain

[@PolarWireProducts]

The wire is our Arctic Ultraflex Blue single conductor with plated copper lugs. The crimper is a 6.2 ton pneumatic crimp head that we have set up with a hydraulic pump system.

[@millerkamarajmillerkamaraj5438]

clamp name pro

[@PolarWireProducts]

@@millerkamarajmillerkamaraj5438 They are plated copper top mount battery terminals. You can find them here: store.polarwire.com/battery-cable-fittings/solderless-terminals/top-post-straight/

[@gabrielsansar6187]

fails to mention cable size... um

[@PolarWireProducts]

The cable being stripped is 1/0, the electrician's tape trick is 2/0, the heavy black cables with red shrink and HD compression lugs is 500mcm, the cable being crimped is 2/0, and there are some 4/0 custom battery cables towards the end of the video. We used several scraps we had on hand when we made the demos. Thanks for watching the video!

[@gabrielsansar6187]

@@PolarWireProducts there we go.. cheers

[@Sunpowerenergy-t5d]

Excelente

[@عبدالسلامالانصاري]

ممتاز

[@arvindkumar-cd6fz]

Nice it

[@deweydodo6691]

nothing about using solder .

[@PolarWireProducts]

We don't use solder for our cables, so didn't address it in this video. While it is appropriate for many applications, one problem with solder in battery cables is that it makes a hard, inflexible mass at the end of the terminal, and makes the connection brittle. Then stress and fatigue can cause the fine stranding in flexible wire to shear over time at the point where the solder ends. Instead, we like to make sure we get a really good, secure crimp, and we apply dual wall or heavy wall adhesive heat shrink over the connection for strain relief and corrosion protection. There is a lot of discussion over the pro's and con's, but we lean toward not using solder for better longevity.

WTF? No crimp is going to turn copper wires into a sold mass. BS! That solid mass you show was actual battery connector cut in half just in front of where the cable will attach. Liar.

[@PolarWireProducts]

Wow. Okay, here is a photo of another crimped lug. You can see cleary that the cut is made across the barrel of the lug, between the orange crimp location marks. Hope that helps. www.polarwire.com/images/ultraflex-ecomax-20-crimped.jpg

[@sharons9367]

The link you sent for the other photo the cuts are completely different? If you cut a solid piece the cut marks will be equal

[@conleymacp]

Why the conspiracy theorists here? Do you people have to plan out each breath? The saw took a cut width from the wire and connector so it doesn't look the same. they didn't snap it in half 🙄

[@joepah51]

what kind of crimper is that?? Pneumatic? jeez

[@PolarWireProducts]

It uses a combination of compressed air and hydraulics and a 6.2 ton dieless head. It makes a good, solid 4 sided crimp without voids. Here is a photo of a terminal we cut in half to show the quality of the crimp. polarwire.com/images/polar-wire-battery-terminal-cross-section.jpg

[@วีระวีระ-ญ6ม]

abc

[@rrajeswari7480]

Hi

[@maximusl3369]

Толково.