How To Crimp Wire Lugs & Ring Terminals on 4/0 - 22 AWG Wire 

Excellent video straight to the point and informative. I should have watched this video about 20 years ago before fighting with nylon insulators.....Thank you!

Thanks for posting this, love your videos, ya'll are great presenters. We were just planning on working on this next week, perfect timing. Hope ya'll are staying safe, take care.

love this series!! thanks so much for sharing all these juicy facts, Nathan!

👍 Danke fürs Hochladen! 👍 Thanks for uploading!

Precise, concise, and effective. Thanks!

Yeah putting that uninsulated bootlace ferrule on really cleans up the wire ends and makes for a good connection . Enjoying your videos , kind of different , good content for DYI solar , for those wanting to learn , you are a good teacher and you have picked up some good habits. Your a smart guy and it shows ! I went to college electrical and mechanical engineer and I don't have anything on you , hey people you want to learn about solar.....watch this guy .... keep up the good work Bud !

Glue lined heat shrink.. thanks man!

Nice one; the shorter, specific videos are nice

thanks, keep up the good work. cheers

Good clear information. I would add that on the thicker cables, take into account the way the wire wants to curve. It will make it easy to connect on a terminal if you are not fighting the way a wire wants to go. Have a great day!

Awesome video - thanks for posting!

The less expensive 8 awg to 4/0 crimper works very well. As of July 2023, the less expensive one is $108. Only issue is that it tips over more easily, it seems, than the more expensive one ($160).

Thanks for the links, just bought the 22-10AWG crimper

Before applying glue-lined heat shrink, I clean the lug and cable sleeve with Isopropyl alcohol or acetone to remove any films/residues left over from the manufacturing process. Clean surfaces make for better bonds imho.

Excellent Thank you

Getting close to doing the electrical panel on my van build. Thanks for this vid an all your other build vids. Very helpful!

Thank you very much.

Your the man I'm greatfull for your videos

thank you so much

as it seems -- everyone knows how to do it, yet very few realize how to do it the best way and to avoid little mistakes that spoil the whole job. thanks alot for the showing the said best way! the only thing i wish is to see the kind of the heat gun you use.

At first I was going to just skip as this is basic for me but I am glad I watched to see how others work. Nice explanation. Looking forward to the next video!

I love your content! How can I support your efforts? I feel so guilty soaking up all your knowledge for free.

A good crimp tool is a must

Hi, thanks for the video. Is there best side to install the lug into the crimper? The extruded part inside (like this video) or back-side like one of your other videos (Multiplus install on the Transit I think). Thanks!

So I followed the instruction and cut and stripped wire. To 1/2inch then applied the 4 awg lug. When applying pressure it seemed a bit easy after a point. Then realized on one it went through the Lug itself to expose the wire. Wonder if 5/8ths or 3/4ths is better. Also wonder if I need to reorder lugs. It’s solid and I heat shrinks above so nothing is exposed but just wondering. Nothing looked terribly weird but I wonder about the metal.

Great!

Is that smaller crimper different than the one you used for MC4 connectors?

What tools to use to crimp insulated butt connectors 6 gauge also what's best to strip 6 gauge strand wire?

I have a ratcheting crimper from China. I don't know what I am doing wrong it will not crimp hard enough. I am using 18 awg wire with a 18 awg ferrel. Is there something I should know? I know you said you just started using them but I thought someone could help. Thanks for the video.

Love this series, it's exactly what I need as I'm learning my way through setting up our system in our travel trailer. Wondering if there are any alternatives to that big honkin' crimper for 4/0 cables. That price is hefty for a one-time project!

Nate, great videos and blog posts. Do you have an opinion or any references about indent vs hexagonal crimping of larger wires? I notice you used indent while I have a hexagonal tool. I’m willing to make a change.

Thanks god bless

First off. Thanks for all of these videos! These are super helpful. Question on tinned wire lugs vs bare copper lugs? I know the bare copper could oxide, but I'm planning to build a bus bar like you make. Which has that huge bar of copper, so should I be considered about oxidation on bare copper lugs?

Wiring my lynx distributer and MT2. 4/0 lugs I bought don't fit. Too wide. Been grinding them down Have a link to ones that fit?

My three stage crimper is polarised the colored dots go cable side not terminal, maybe I'm wrong?

Thanks Nate.. Great educational vid! Is it ok to use a step down connector for multi wire connection or is there something better? Also, on the crimper for smaller heat shrink connectors, is there a right or wrong way to insert the connector into the crimper? The right side jaw has a different shape than the left jaw. Thanks!

Hey Nate. I’m just rounding up all the parts I need for my DIY solar install. I found Lawrence Marine Supply for heat shrink with adhesive, but they offer heavy, medium/heavy, and flexible. What’s your recommendation?

I've been trying to crimp lugs onto 6 AWG wire and 10AWG wire. If I use the jaws with the same rating as the lugs, they don't crimp enough. If I use the next size down in jaws I get a sqiushed barrel with parts flatten out each side. The later is good enough for the job, but I wish I'd bought a better crimper.

DO A VIDEO ON HOW TO CRIMP WITH THOSE IRWIN AUTOMATIC WIRE STRIPPERS

What about joining two thicker wires? I need to connect stranded 6awg together... in the rest of my DC wiring I used the heat-shrink butt connectors but that was always 10+ awg. I see some non-insulated 6awg butt connectors on amz, I guess I could use those with the hammer crimp and then apply heat shrink over it?

Excellent! Thank you. Any thoughts on the hex crimpers for lugs up to 1/0? I like the neatness of the crimp and the fact that it stamps the wire gauge number into the lug which provides a final "sanity check" on my work before applying the adhesive heat shrink. They work best on well made "heavy" lugs like those from Ancor. Your crimper looks like the right solution for the large gauge wires though. Interested in your thoughts! Thanks again.

Is indent really better than hex-compression for very large lugs? The latter seems more commonly used for commercially-distributed cables.

Hi I hope you can help, I am doing a Small 24 volt Solar installation and my problem is crimping. I bought some welding cable 50sqmm I bought the 50 sqmm Lugs which are too big. The cable diameter is 11 mm so what Size lug is required and is this ok.

Hi Nate, in this video you show us how to use the Temco crimper for larger wire lugs like 4/0 awg all the way down to 8 awg. Specifically, in this video you say to insert the lugs with the top of the lug facing the indenting spike, but in your newer videos you are crimping the bottom of the lug instead. In my experience with the Temco crimper, it's very hard to get the smaller lugs, like 6 awg, into the crimper and crimp the top without deforming and bending the lug. They are just too small for the size of the crimper. I find that I get much better results when I crimp the back of the lugs, which I am assuming that is why you started crimping the backs as well. Is there a right/wrong way to do this or is it just a matter of preference?

Hi Nate, love all your great videos! I have a question for you (or anyone else out there)...why do you only show 4/0 cabling on your diagrams? In my 5th wheel, I am going to install 4 100ah Battleborns and a Multiplus II, and at 12V / 3000 watt that's 250 amps. Most cable size charts show I don't need 4/0 for this setup and 2/0 would be plenty for my very short runs (9in between batteries &

Hi Nate! If I did a longer run of AWG 12 to the location where I am installing a 12V Power Outlet Receptacle (cigarette lighter socket) and it came with an 18 AWG spades on the back, and 18 AWG wire kit with an inline 10A fuse would you use the wire that came with it (or just put a 10 A fuse in the panel? If so what is the right way to reduce to the 18 AWG size socket? If not, what is the right way to connect an AWG 12 wire to a 18 AWG Spade? On a related note the the LED lights for in the ceiling came with hubs, that don't seem as reliable (bouncing in van) as joints with adhesive shrink wrap. Would you recommend using the hubs or wiring directly to lights? Again, what is the right way to reduce from a 10 AWG run to an AWG 20 or 22 or so? These little things I did not see in your videos. If I missed it or a blog entry I am sorry but please refer me!

Hey Nate! I'm currently working on my electrical system and i have a question... I got the wrong hydraulic crimp for my larger lugs, it's a hex crimp instead of the crimp you're using here. It works, but is it the right kind of connection for a solar van build?

Do we use that huge wire crimper for 6 AWG, neither that one or the one for size 10 or smaller seems right because the 6 Awg lug is almost the same size as the indenting post on that big crimper.

Hi Nate. I have a question about the terminals. I have a Lynx Distributor but the Selterm Cable Lugs for 4/0 AWG, stud size 5/16" are interfering with or by the plastic insulators that separate positive from negative wire connections. This interference is on both the pos stud and neg stud. I checked the spec on the part at Amazon and it is the correct width. I could force it down by tightening it, but that just seems wrong. Should I shim it with washers to get the clearance?

I've recently heard that it's best to polish large tinned lugs with fine steel wool down to the copper where it will be touching the battery or bus bars. The reason stated is to reduce resistance which causes voltage drops and heat at high current levels. Do you agree or do something different?

A really solid yank! From a Canadian?😂😂😂🍻🍻

Do you prefer the hexagon or square crimpers or does it just depend on what the crimp is going into? If i dont wanna buy 2 of them, is one better at all ports than the other?

How did the Wirefy Crimpers hold up over time? I saw one review where they were out of alignment after their first heavy duty use day. But hoping that was technique not tool. Would you still recommend the Wirefy Crimp Tool?

Hi, I need to buy ring terminals for 24 AWG (40 strands) wires to fit 4mm washer and 4mm nut on one device, and to fit #8 washer and 8-32 nuts on another device. Could you recommend me some brands which do not have the nylon coat?

Are the crimp lugs a special type or are they the same as the solder type? Can you crimp a solder lug is what I'm trying to say!?

Hey Nathan Thanks A Lot

Can you use your wire lug crimped on a 2/0 wire lug?

Any European available brand tool for the 8 gauge to 4/0 recommandations ? I am tired of the cheap Chinese tools that are all over Amazon Thanks 👍👍👍

Will your tool crimp 6 awg wire lug ?

trying to understand how the Dewalt electric wire crimper is 3k.

If you're not crimping daily...you can find a good crimper at Hobo Freight

Holy cow. As of September 2021, the $$ 4/0 crimper is $150 on amazon, and the "inexpensive" one is $108.

What's the best thing to run your solar power system through the night

I've been recommended to not crimp on my own big cables and to have do it by professionals Their is an insurance argument But otherwise, do you think it's still a bit risky to crimp them yourself ?

Odd choice for a “super” crimper. Probably won’t crimp to 300lbs. Better (and cheaper!) options are definitely the hydraulic crimpers. Even the Harbor Freight one hasn’t let me down in 12 years. Hydraulic crimps literally combine wire, connector to one solid piece. No air gaps whatsoever. Safer, no hand pressure effort and gives you the best possible crimp.

Spend the small extra cash and get the Temco crimper. American made and very robust. The other is a chi-comm knock off. Copy right violation as they are known to do. Support American made products!

In 2022, price spiked to 149.00 and 107.00. I'll stick with hammer and flattened round chisel.