Battery terminals

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Danbury

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I'm just working out how to replace my battery bank... and one of my ponderables is what terminal types are best ? I will be replacing all interconnecting cables and have a good hydraulic crimper for making up the cables. Flat tabs ? Round posts ? if Round posts, what clamps ? etc. etc.
 
Danbury said:
I'm just working out how to replace my battery bank... and one of my ponderables is what terminal types are best ? I will be replacing all interconnecting cables and have a good hydraulic crimper for making up the cables. Flat tabs ? Round posts ? if Round posts, what clamps ? etc. etc.
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Depending on what batteries you buy, it may be decided for you, my Trojans for instance have vertical threaded studs and nuts. When I had batteries with posts, I used clamps which had a stud for connecting to. personally, I don't think it matters too much, choice of battery is far more important.
 
My new batteries don't have protruding terminals as such, rather there is an M8-threaded hole at each side with a washer-sized ring of metal around it. The cables each have a lug with 8mm hole crimped on, and a bolt is passed through all of them and screwed into the battery. I like this system - it's neat, secure, and doesn't result in lots of extraneous metal for things to short to.

Pete
 
Threaded studs (or bolts in to threaded holes) are far preferable to old-style tapered posts and clamps. I never use grease on battery terminals.
 
doug748 said:
If you go for battery posts, this style is quite compact in terms of vertical height, clamps securely, can be easily dismantled for cleaning and is simple to connect additional wires to, too:

View attachment 69027
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Hi Doug - I too think this style terminal clamp are the best to use.
I would recommend you look out for brass terminals that are heavy pattern tin plated. These give much better corrosion resistance and conduction than the standard types on the market.

:encouragement:
 
Spring_Breeze said:
Hi Doug - I too think this style terminal clamp are the best to use.
I would recommend you look out for brass terminals that are heavy pattern tin plated. These give much better corrosion resistance and conduction than the standard types on the market.

:encouragement:
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Sorry, but those are horrible, they corrode far to easily and do not make as good a connection as hydraulically crimped terminals that bolt on.
 
Spring_Breeze said:
Hi Doug - I too think this style terminal clamp are the best to use.
I would recommend you look out for brass terminals that are heavy pattern tin plated. These give much better corrosion resistance and conduction than the standard types on the market.

:encouragement:
Click to expand...


Yes, thanks, I will look out for them. Mine are not the finest quality costing about 3e in a French supermarket :-)
 
Spring_Breeze said:
Hi Paul - not at all.

Have you tried this type battery terminal?

https://www.greasemonkeydirect.com/collections/battery-terminals

They hold up well against corrosion for me. Installation couldn't be more straight forward too.
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If you are talking about the ones at the top, with two screws, they aren't really very good, sorry. The stranded core gets chewed by the screws when you tighten them up and contact is nowhere near as good as using hydraulically crimped terminals that bolt onto the batteries. I've changed a great many of those where the wiring has loosened and/or corroded.

I always use hydraulically crimped terminals with heatshrink tube over the joint. I know that not everyone has such a crimper, but most boatyards and marinas would have one and i'm sure most would crimp ends on for people, some will even lend the tool out. I personally wouldn't lend mine out, but i'd be happy to do a few crimps for anyone in the marina that needed them, no charge.
 
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