Can you crimp these lugs?

[Pro7]

What happened to not believing anything until being thoroughly tested? I think I remember you being pretty adamant about that theory in a recent thread.

[Jessica]

well, the weird thing is, that style lug in the 14 or 12 ga size, you can crimp and it works fine. I personally feel for large wire those don't work very good crimped. Maybe i am doing it wrong but the closed end terminal that you should solder work better crimped because its a solid piece and holds its shape better.

So why do you flip flop the way you connect them after a certain size?

[kingsuv]

What happened to not believing anything until being thoroughly tested? I think I remember you being pretty adamant about that theory in a recent thread.

Exactly. Just because someone tests and tests and tests does not mean he was doing ANY of those tests correctly. You can have all the tools in the world, but if you don't use them correctly, then it doesn't matter.

Crimping an open "split" lug needs to be done correctly. Split lugs are used in more industries then just ours. Plenty of companies have white papers on the proper way to crimp their products.

You can see the way i'm talking about on the left. The ears overlap. Does it mean the one on the right wont work? Not necessarily. Using the right lug for the wire is the key. The one on the right was the wrong way to use a crimp on the given products. Assuming all lugs should work with all wire is like saying all subs should work with all amps. regardless of size and ratings. Knowing the product you are working with even though it might not be the best solution can still achieve desired results. You can clearly see the right was done incorrectly, Yet the left with the same materials is a solid connection all by using the tool correctly.

Prime example of wrong lug for the job. This issue becomes even bigger with the use of cheap wire. That can be a whole other discussion in it's self.

This one is a proper lug crimping the proper size wire. No gaps. No need to overlap the ears when it has the right amount of wire inside.

If you are really concerned with wire "pullout" that you feel that every connection needs to hold 100 lbs of dead weight, then maybe you need to address wire management in the entire system. There is NO REASON there should be any movement in any part of your install.

[kingsuv]

My personal preference is to solder connections whenever possible. I feel that the connection strength between the 2 ways when done correctly are the same. I have only had an issue with either way when I (me) didn't make the connection correctly. Either by bad crimp or solder. And i've done plenty of both in my 20 years.

I find the closed end lugs to look better for my taste. on big wire I do not like the look of a crimp under heatshrink. Personal preference, nothing to do with performance.

[SnowDrifter]

^^Disagree

Just because it may stay in place with a quick tug doesn't mean it's a good connection. I've tried that, crimped them with a 16 ton crimper with 0 gauge OFC wire. Wiggle it a bit and it comes out.

Tried it a couple times with various crimp settings. Even getting it down to something a hair larger than a pencil. Same result.

Conclusion I came to is because it's a mechanical connection - the lug is squeezing the wire, holding it in place vs. being fused with it. Those lugs are comparatively(vs an amp terminal or fuse holder that is designed to squeeze) thin, they can only "squeeze" so hard before they give. That's why I can wiggle them loose

I guess I know nothing. Thanks for clearing up my mistake

Oh you stop