Cable crimpers!!

[apprentice87]

Ok, so say you lot were going to buy a set of cable crimpers to stick the ends on 50mm cable..

First off...

What sort?? The once that do an "indent" crimp or the sort that do a hexagonal one..

Secondly, what would you buy, and what would you NOT buy..

I have seen cheap hydraulic ones on Ebay, and also videos on Youtube of people that seem pleased with them. but what do you lot think????

john..

 

[Rrrrr]

If you don't use them often just hire a set from a wholesalers, if you use them regularly then hydraulic every time. Nothing worse than struggling with crappy crimpers when in the middle of a shutdown

 

[apprentice87]

Did not know the wholesalers hired them out to be honest.. I only want to do a few crimps is all. I will go and ask if they have any..

john..

 

[Lurch]

We always used to hire them for the odd occasion when we went over 25mm². Some were better than others, like the ones that had a leaky cylinder so by the time I had crimped up a 4c 95mm² shaped SWA in a cupboard the size of an airing cupboard I was soaked with hydraulic fluid!

I've been looking at a hand held hydraulic cheapy from China via eBay, may or may not be a good purchase, but I have bought a pneumatic one for the workshop and it works well as long as you take the time to make sure the jaws and dies are parallel and set at exactly the right distance. I have found that it seems to be better with some crimp types than others, for no particular reason other than science.

 

[kerching]

I have 

cembre to 120mm

BICC Burndy to 500 fixed and remote head

some green fibre glass French one that takes the BICC dies, also takes indent and nest dies.....REALLY good ceimper

el,cheapo chinky chonky hex hydraulics one....90% of the time the lugs fall,off after crimping....pure diarrhoea water

locally the DNO will not use Hydraulic ONLY mechanical

AND they will only use CEMBRE Palm lugs on the trannies....which Contractor has to supply

just.....having a lot of crimpers!...I feel,an eBay moment coming on

 

[Sidewinder]

@apprentice87, I have a set of hex crimpers SWA, that will do 50mm sq, @Apache, used to have a set too!

I also succumbed to the useless hydraulic carp on eBay, but, I haven't thrown mine yet!

 

[Evans Electric]

Those manual indent type hanging on the upright have done me for years  up to 95mm anyway. 

After that its hire some hydraulics . 

 

[steptoe]

I have a set of BICC indents, up to 120mm iirc, 

 

[apprentice87]

Hi All!!

Ok, so i went out and bought a set of these from Ebay!! [I know I know]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HYDRAULIC10-120MM-LUG-FERRULE-CRIMPING-BATTERY-WIRE-CABLE-CRIMPERS-TOOL-CRIMPER-/290739583381?hash=item43b16df995:g:VggAAMXQRPRTHkPn

So, what can i say.. First off, when i unpacked the things the first thing that struck me was the nice looking good quality case they come in. I opened the case and the crimpers themselves look to be very nicely made too!!

All i have tried them on up to now is 35mm and 50 mm welding cables, but they seem to work very well indeed. i have to say i am MORE than pleased. The seller could not have been more helpful and the crimpers seem, [to me at least!!] to be great!!

I crimped two lugs to a short bit of cable, stuck a foot long bit of bar throught the lugs, stood on one bar, and pulled like hell on the other one, and can happily tell you that you will do your back in WELL before you get the lugs off...

VERY well worth £50, i have to say..

john..

 

[kerching]

Always worth trying a few different makes of lug.....there is a VAST difference

just saying

 

[apprentice87]

 I bet there is.. I got ones from Total Electrical, no idea what make, but they are a good fit on the conductor to start with.. Guess that is what makes the difference..

john..

 

[Tony S]

I had a motor repaired, fortunately I went to the rewind shop before it was despatched to our works. Typical of big companies the buyers had found a new source of lugs but they weren’t right for the crimper head, I pulled a lug off the cable easily.

Ergo, lugs and crimper head have to match.

 

[phil d]

We bought a set of those crimpers from the same person, we did all the lugs on the plant with no issues, I have had issues with crimps tho. one of my ex's fathers designed crimpers at bicc and he said they only test and certify them using their own crimp terminals. It seems the same with most reputable makers, their tool, their crimps.