On 8 Oct 2013 at 8:43, Lee Hart wrote: > If you're cheap, they also have a hammer crimper (stock #462, $10.36). > These depend on your skill, and you must TEST every connection you make to > be sure it's good (mechanical pull test, and electrical resistance test).
I've used a hammer crimper for years. They're a good choice for folks like me who aren't bodybuilders and don't have lots of arm/chest strength, but who can't afford a high-end hydraulic crimper. I agree that the crimps aren't of as high quality as a good die crimper's, but I've never yet had one fail. I think the key is to use a good, heavy hammer (mine is some kind of mason's hammer) and wail at it on a solid surface. (IMO, that solid surface requirement is the main downside of a hammer crimper. It usually needs a cement garage floor. You can't really use it under the hood or inside the rear battery box.) In recent years some EV folks have tried low-priced, Chinese-made hydraulic crimpers. These are sold at Harbor Freight and on Ebay. You'll find some discussions in the archive, but IIRC one problem was that the dies weren't the right size for US standard lugs. Yeah, here it is : http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html#nabble-td460816|a460822 or right to the source : http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/caution-harbor-freight- 49-95-hyfdraulic-30951.html I've stuck with the hammer crimper. If you have a reasonable amount of upper-body strength and want a frugal crimper, why not make something like Bill Dube''s homebrew 00 lug crimper? It's gloriously simple and direct, and not at all tough to make if you have a welder at your disposal. It's probably been at least 10 years ago that he made it from a pair of flea-market bolt cutters and a 13mm hex socket, and AFAIK he's still using it. http://www.evdl.org/pages/dubecrimper.html David Roden EVDL Administrator http://www.evdl.org/ David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
