Make Your Own Battery Lugs WTfWONk?

[bubbatrucklover]

So while using Google to find other sources for 0 gauge cable lugs/ring terminals I came across an article on making your own out of copper tubing.

So I went to the plumbing aisle at Home Depot and while looking at my options the employee in that section told me he use to do the same thing on his race car.

So when I got home I grabbed the handful of lugs I had INCLUDING the 15 pk I JUST got from Amazon and sure as shit that's what the manufactures did. You can see on the end where it was compressed together.

It's not only CHEAPER but, you can drill out the terminal hole to the individual thread size you need. Instead of using a 2 gauge (for the 5/16" hole size) and trimming wire OR using the bigger 0 gauge which has the 5/16" or 3/8 " hole size options.

WHAT AN IDIOT I AM.

 

[Lonesome7.3]

Photographs maybe?

 

[Bigredmariner]

Have done it many times when we've needed lugs and been at sea.

 

[bubbatrucklover]

Photographs maybe?

Here's a link to the post I read Lonsome:

How To Make Your Own O Gauge Ring Terminals. - Car Audio Forumz - The #1 Car Audio Forum

I'll make my own "How to" as I am going to tweak a thing or two.

Have done it many times when we've needed lugs and been at sea.

Jarrod was there any importance given to using certain pipe gauge (i.e. "M" ,"L" or "K"?) I held the 2 available ("L" and "M") next to each other and couldn't see what I would think was an important difference in wall thickness.

I bought the "M" (it was available in 2' and 5' sticks as opposed to the 10' "L" stick.) and it looked the same thickness (to the naked eye) as the store bought lugs.

 

[Bigredmariner]

I'm not certain on the L, M & K that you saw listed. But generally we try to carry mostly medium duty tubing onboard for use. For example, a 10mm tube in Light duty rating may have a wall thickness of 1.50 mm, Medium duty would be 2.00 mm, and Heavy being in the 2.5 to 3.00 mm range.

Unless you are pulling hundreds of amps through the lug, I'm sure the differences would never be noticed.

Hell for that matter, I have a lug in service now that I handmade 5 years ago from 19mm tube that continually flows 750 amps and is still alive and kicking.

On paper I'm sure all those letters mean something to some pencil pushing engineer, but in the real world redneck engineering and common sense will still get the job done just fine.

 

[bubbatrucklover]

I only have a 200 amp max 100 amp idle alternator. I doubt I'll ever see the 200 amp side of it. Just wanted to make sure and yep , "the redneck engineering and common sense will still get the job done" is tried and true.

Thanks

 

[Black02Silverado]

Great info! What sucks is why didn't you post this about three days ago. I just ordered lugs and cable to make new battery cables for our golf cart. This would have been a heck of a lot cheaper.

 

[bubbatrucklover]

Great info! What sucks is why didn't you post this about three days ago. I just ordered lugs and cable to make new battery cables for our golf cart. This would have been a heck of a lot cheaper.

Hey just like my original post said....WHY DIDN'T I find this BEFORE ordering a 15 lug pack that I prob won't use but, 1 or 2 now.

 

[Lonesome7.3]

I see now. I did the same thing when I made my own welding spoon.

 

[bubbatrucklover]

I see now. I did the same thing when I made my own welding spoon.

Based on Google pics (I'm not a welder) yep same principle.