battery terminals

You might try here:

Ned Simmons

I've seen kits over the years that consist of cable, terminals and a covered box for locating battery terminals at the rear of a vehicle. They might be called remote battery/jumper terminals or something similar, a handy accessory (for a service vehicle, for example), to jump start other cars without having to pull up front end-to-front end to jump a battery.

NAPA and other dealers probably have these kits.

WB .............

Back when I had a brand new '76 Ramcharger for a service vehicle I had welder cable plugs on the front fender for boosters.. Had them connected to the battery with a constant duty solenoid, switched in the cab. I ran #2 welding cable from the plugs to both pos and negative battery terminals.

(clip)with forklift type connectors connected the end of the cables (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Why not USE forklift type connectors?

Another suggestion: I have seen towtruck drivers, responding to a dead battery call, jump out and plug in their jumper cables without raising the hood. They must have must the kind of connectors you need mounted in the grille area. Why don't you try to find out what they are using?

Or check with any store that sells off-road truck goodies- putting the battery in the cargo box is a good idea because serious off-roading can weaken the OEM battery mount to the point where it falls apart miles from home. Don't ask me how I know this.

The remote battery kit I installed in my 4X4 was, IIRC, a Mr. Gasket (or maybe Moroso) job.

-Carl

I AM going to use forklift type connectors - at the FAR ends to connect to the winch, either front or rear mounted.... What I'm looking for is a way to attach (with a good, solid connection) three cables, #1 going to the front for the winch, #2 going to the rear for the winch and #3 going to the 2000w inverter (probably #4 or #2 stranded copper) AT THE BATTERY post (along with the original starter cable. I'm thinking of some sort of a heavy duty bussbar of sorts with setscrews used for clamping the wire into a hole of the proper size and having the bussbar mounted to the terminal of the battery. Ken.

The link Ned posted was a nice site. We have a large Interstate battery distributor down the road and he has all sorts of crimp-on connectors, including pass-through types for double battery setups. The cheap and not so dirty way is to get the type with the threaded stud on the top and crimp eyelets to your accessory cables. Burndy has all sorts of exotic multi-tap crimps if you want to avoid stacking the eyelets.

Why not make something like this?

There's several ways to do this. The absolute best is to go with one cable to the battery which runs to a buss bar or solenoid mounted on the firewall. The other cables including starter cable hook up there. The master control solenoid is a good idea since you can shut off these extra cables when not in use or if a short happens to occur then you've got a easy way to shut down the current to the cable.

The other way that I've done it is to use a wire clamp like is used on large gauge electric wire and just splice into the side of the cable going to the starter. I generally only use this method on my jumper cable plug on the front of the truck. I prefer to have a way to shut off the cable going to the rear (to many chances for it to get shorted).

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

Ken,

Check out this supplier:

They specialize in heavy duty alternator and multiple battery hookups. They have all sorts of heavy duty wiring products. I would be suprised if they didn't have a product to solve your problem.

Ron

Unicorn Iron and Metals in La Habra California, on Lambert Rd (one of my secret sources) has s 55 gal drum full of these, nearly new with a short stub of welding wire on them. '

If you cant find them local, Ill pick you up a set. I think they are the flat bladed interlocking electric forklift type

Gunner

"Aren't cats Libertarian? They just want to be left alone. I think our dog is a Democrat, as he is always looking for a handout" Unknown Usnet Poster

Heh, heh, I'm pretty sure my dog is a liberal - he has no balls. Keyton

That site isn't bad, but still nothing like I'm looking for. This link shows a terminal something like I need, so I know some company out there makes them.

solenoid idea from Wayne (and others) is a GOOD idea as I was thinking of somekind of a 200 amp fused switch - the solenoid wouldn't act as a fuse, but would permit quick disconnect (as long as the solenoid internal contacts didn't weld together ) Ken

Nice thought, I wouldn't use it. Too many high amp connections in a corrosive environment. Could lead to problems.

I'm with Wayne with this one. Get a new battery and starter cable made and run it to a buss. That way if they arc and spark there is less chance of blowing up a battery. Also makes for a neater installation.

I also like the idea of a remote battery. If you run the leads tot he bed you can also use more than one battery. NOTE: this would bring up charging and circuit issues, unless two 6 volts were used in series.

Unless your connections are going to be soldered make sure their properly crimped/ lugged.

I've done plenty of this work. That's why I've stayed out of this thread. You seem determined to stay with hooking this directly to the battery terminal which is something I would resist. Given a choice I never run anything to the battery terminal.

I have done similar things.

First, I wouldn't trust the frame for the megative at those kind of currents, run wire pairs.

I would make two beefy brass terminal blocks, one for -ve and one for

+ve and mount them on a piece of lucite or micarta. I would mount these as near as convenient to the battery and connect them to the battery using #0 wire and crimp on connectors (see below). Then I could run my leads from the brass busses. I think this would be cheaper, better and more versatile than something that mounted right on the battery. Any auto supply will have replacement battery terminals that you could use for one end of your #0 jumper.

Crimp type connectors are very reliable and give very low resistance IF the crimps are done with the proper Amp or equivalent crimping tools. If you don't have those and can't borrow them, solder the wire into the connectors designed for crimping. Not as good but nearly.

Ted

Mark, Not *determined* to make the connection at the battery post - and Wayne's and your idea of a short cable from the battery to the solenoid with the starter cable being connected there makes sense... I guess you gotta think outta the battery box .... I like the idea of doing it this way (other than the fact that the factory original cable connected to the +terminal now is really short laced into the harness (but I still think do-able). Thanks for the suggestions (which is exactly what I needed). Ken.

Thanks Ted, and all others for suggestions. I was doubting the reliability of using the chassis for ground (considering the currents), and was hoping someone would confirm it. I think (given the few extra dollars of expense) that running the extra ground cable is a good idea. Ken.

If you are in the Seattle area, check Boeing Surplus for wire. I haven't been there in the last few years but they used to have an enormous selection at really good prices.

Ted

The solenoid idea from Wayne (and others) is a GOOD idea as I was

I recommend crimping the connections. You can crimp 3/8" eyelets on the conductors and then connect them on a copper busbar, then brush on Scotchkote insulation. Doing the connections away from the battery will also help.

Yeah, I've been hearing about all you guys getting great deals there, but, sigh, I live in below Pittsburgh, PA. (Ya don't think Boeing would be willing to relocate here, do ya?) Ken.