no more chewing!!

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I hate chewed-up terminals on my batteries. I'd rather give or get jumpstarts without popping the hood... . I can!
Went to the welding-supply place and obtained the following:
50-ft roll of 1 guage welding cable

2 mated pair (male/female) of 3/8" cable extensions (for extending welding cables on large projects)(mfr. is "Tweco")

also got 2 terminal connectors, to use at the battery end of the feed cable

at Wal-Mart, I got some liquid plastic (black and red), a fresh roll of black electrical tape, a fresh roll of rosin-core solder, and a pair of 600amp clamps

from my scrap-heap/workbench a short (5-6") piece of 1-1/4"x1-1/4"x1/8" angle-iron and a couple of selftapping hexhead screws.


first, I drilled the angle-iron to accept the female ends of the extenders, and also the hex-screws, then sprayed whole thing with black plastic spray... when dry, dunked 1/2way into the red to colorcode the 2 holes

then, I measured the distance from the driver's side battery terminals to the place where i wanted the bracket, and cut the cable accordingly (2 pieces, approx 3' and 4' long----been several months/don't hold me to that measurement)

stripped about 3/4-1" from end of cable (both) and soldered them into the terminal ends... . when cool, sprayed both with black liquid plastic

ran the cables thru the gap between the radiator/intercooler and chassis (not "hot" yet), assembled the female pieces to the angle-iron, and connected the cables to the back part of the fittings... . then mounted the bracket to the bumper, in the oval-shaped hole, out of harm's way. Connected to battery/verify correct polarity with a voltmeter (red+/black-)

the jumpercables were not nearly so involved. took remainder of that 50' roll and cut in 1/2... connected clamps and male plugs... painted both plug ends with red/black liquid plastic to match the clamp color... . works very well, and the outlet can also double as winch-power later. . total cost was about $100 (copper's expensive!)
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[This message has been edited by rich m (edited 01-13-2001). ]

 

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Nice setup rich,first thing I notice when I pop my hood is the chewed up connectors from giving jumps. One thing that could make the install easier and polarity foolproof is to use a battery plug for an electric forklift. These plugs are used when you disconnect the battery from the lift for connection to a charger. They only push together one way and the end that stays on the lift has bolt holes to attach it,eliminating the need for the angle iron. They are all plastic,no rust, and are designed to accept heavy gauge wire. Not sure of the price,but they couldn't cost too much.

 

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Howdy, BF---- I was super-tempted to do it that way, or to get the quick ones from Warn (expensive as all-git-out! and probably identical!) but couldn't find a convenient source ... the lifts at work (clark, i think) seem to have fairly light-guage wire, like what cranks a gas V8... eventually i wanna get a winch on a quick-mount and run another pair of cable to the back bumper. . then i'd be able to winch or jumpstart from either direction... . I'd just as soon have as heavy of a cable as practical, and not trust some sales geek's approximation, if ya know what i mean... . rich in the rainy desert

 

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Bill, you mean something like this?
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You can buy these, as well as all kinds of other HD automotive electrical products at Wrangler NW Power Products
Andy

 

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Andy,that is exactly it. The connectors on my in the boneyard old Clarklift would accept 3/0 cable and are about 2½"-3" wide. I know they make them in smaller sizes,I once ordered four $3 items from Northern Tool,they sent me four pairs of this type of connecter for a winch by mistake,I looked in their catalog, they wanted $45 a pair for these small ones that would only accept #1 wire. I bought a pair of connectors from Clark to make jumper cables for my forklift charger and remember them being much cheaper than that. It might be better to check with a forklift supplier for these connectors,they are a common item for them,while they are a special item for an automotive supply.

Checking Andy's link,they want per pair $24 for 1/0,$38 for 3/0. The housing is the same,you buy connectors for whatever size wire you want to use. They even have dust covers for them for $8. All the prices seem reasonable to me.

rich,snowing here today,I was supposed to be in the Four Corners area today,glad I looked at the weather map beforehand.

[This message has been edited by illflem (edited 01-11-2001). ]

 

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I don't know if Summit Racing would have anything that might help also. I have seen many gas racers at the strip with this type of setup. Between racing they recharge their batteries.

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Scott
92 Ram, Bright White, Club Cab, LE package, 4x4, 130K, 3. 54 gears, Auto, Extra transmission Cooler, 285x75x16 Cooper Discovery A/T, 16X10 American Racing rims, RS9000, Tekonsha, Running boards, Lund Sunvisor & bug shield, Marker lights, Tonneau cover, Full cap, DynoMax, 5" Chrome tip, 16 cm Turbo, Isspro Boost, 23 lbs Boost empty, Oil Pressure Gauge, Pump Adj, Sprayed in Bed-liner, Rubber mat

'SHAKES, RATTLES & GOES'

 

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Originally posted by Andy Perreault:
Bill, you mean something like this?
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You can buy these, as well as all kinds of other HD automotive electrical products at Wrangler NW Power Products
Andy

3/0 !---where was this when i could have been more convenient? might get the 1/0 size for the van (it don't get drove much, and goes dead)

 

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I like the setup, but do you have anything that keeps stuff from getting in there. I wouldn't feel too good about driving in the rain with a direct connection to my battery right out in front.

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B I G O R A N G E AMBER-FIRE (BURNT ORANGE) / BRITE SILVER 2001(. 5), 2500, SLT, Q-CAB 4x4, SWB, AUTO, 3. 55, LSD, TOWING PACKAGE
ADD-ON'S: LINE-X, 1/4" STEEL LONGHORN HITCH COVER, WESTIN NERF BARS, YELLOW-TOP OPTIMAS

 

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jwgary-Don't worry about water, etc. getting in to the connector-it won't hurt anything. I have the Anderson S. B. connectors on everything I own, have had for years. No problems. If you are paranoid about it-then get a "dummy" and fill the end of it full of silicon. E-mail me-I am in the business and can get these things cheap- they are good for 175 amps. I use a smaller (50 amp) connector for chargers and on the boat batteries, too. No corrosion and stupid proof!

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2001,2500,QC,SLT,4x4,
Cummins HO,6 spd. ,3. 54 gears,SBox,Dark Garnet/Pearl, all options but leather/snowplow/Sport, the elusive front license plate bracket,"Cup Smoothie" Autometer gauges on A pilar, LineX bed liner, Cobra CB,Westin nerfs, Power tailgate lock,auto on/off headlights, backup alarm, real backup lights. More To Come! Big Dog on the Mountain! Engineer Pass,Co.

 

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Originally posted by jwgary:
I like the setup, but do you have anything that keeps stuff from getting in there. I wouldn't feel too good about driving in the rain with a direct connection to my battery right out in front.

I keep a piece of hard plastic, wrapped (for diameter match and friction) with electrical tape, stuffed into the (+) terminal port... makes it look kinda like a big tooth

 

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I know I worry too much - but something else to consider is how this set-up would perform in a wreck. If the bumper is pushed back and cuts into the cable, it could short out your batteries and start a nice little fire.

Gosh, I sound exactly like those owner's manual warnings, don't I? #ad


On the other hand, installing an electric winch does exactly the same thing, and we never give it a second thought.

[This message has been edited by HC (edited 01-12-2001). ]

 

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Did the same thing with mine, except used 2/0 welding cable... Kinda expensive & havent needed it... yet.

 

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If short circut protection is what you're after you could use a solonoid or knife swith to energize the hot lead when needed. If it were cut in an accident or just rubbed through due to chafing it would be a defalt dead wire.