FTZ 94284 Terminal Crimper

[jviss]

I took the plunge and invested in the FTZ crimper. I wonder if many others on SBO have, also, and if those with experience have any hints or tips for using it.

Mine arrived with two somewhat redundant instruction sheets. There's a blurb on calibrating, and this wasn't a very satisfying experience; it's not like it "clicks in," it's just a measurement between the arms of from 14 to 16". This did help align the dies better on mine, but it's hard to tell, without test crimps, if its set up correctly.

I've ready MaineSail's excellent article that covers this tool.

I'm interested in hearing others' views and experiences.

 

[Terry Cox]

I'm interested in hearing others' views and experiences.

Nice looking tool. No plans to purchase one here. The last time I had a need for such a device was in 2004 when I replaced our charger/inverter. It required that I build a couple of new cables to connect the new unit to the boat system; the old ones were too short. Pacific Power was the place I purchased the new heavy marine grade wire and terminals. They let me borrow their crimper to complete the task.

Done the same thing when it comes time to replace anchor chain. No plans to purchase a link cutter here, either. The place where I purchase the anchor chain lets me borrow their link cutter to complete the task.

Now if I were in the business of crimping wire or cutting chain links regularly, these I would add to my tool box for sure. Hope no one considers this a hijacking. Certainly none intended.

 

[JimInPB]

Duplicate Post, moderators please remove

 

[JimInPB]

That looks like one of the infinitely adjustable crimp tools. They are real handy when you run into an oddball size that you had not planned for.

I've been having surprisingly good luck with the hydraulic crimp tool from Harbor Freight. I had to make one set of custom dies to get me out of trouble one time, but other than that, I've just been using it the way it came right out of the box. https://www.harborfreight.com/hydraulic-wire-crimping-tool-66150.html

In a pinch, I've gotten by on large cables by just hitting a crimp with a hammer. The result isn't pretty, but it works.

 

[IStream]

I have this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-K09...11243095&sr=8-1&keywords=greenlee+lug+crimper

It's a joy to use.

 

[jviss]

That looks like the style of tool that is infinitely adjustable for different size crimps.

It's actually not infinitely adjustable, it is adjustable to eight sizes (according to the documentation) via rotating dies. The rotating die crimper would be a design type, I think, with the "Rolls Royce" of crimpers, the Amp/Tyco Roto-Crimp/Rota-Crimp being the prime example. The Greenlee mentioned below seems to be of this type, too.

The rotating die is a plate with the dies cut into the edges. You rotate the plate to the die position required by lifting a captive, spring-loaded pin. The plate is held in the correct position by the pin. A set of two tables adhered to the handles indicate the correct left and right die positions for various sizes of either "battery terminals" or "flared lugs." I assume the "battery terminals" table corresponds to the heavy duty FTZ lugs.

I guess one could experiment with this, find out if the die position selected works well with the lug and wire in question, but this could get expensive: I paid $31 (free shipping) for 25 of the FTZ Extreme Duty Tin Plated lugs in for 4AWG with a 5/16" hole (part #91726). That's $1.24 each. Not so bad, really, but you'd like to make a good crimp without having to experiment. The lug is marked with the dies to use, and these line up with the table for "battery terminals," and both are from FTZ, so I have confidence it will all work out.

We'll see. I also have to purchase some adhesive heat shrink tubing.

 

[jviss]

I have this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-K09...11243095&sr=8-1&keywords=greenlee+lug+crimper

It's a joy to use.

That's a beauty. Is it U.S. made? It's about $100 more than the FTZ.

I looked at the docs on Greenlee's page, and I couldn't find a table that explicitly lists which die to use for which lug, but it does have a table that covers lugs from Anderson, Blackburn, Burndy, Ilco, Panduit, T&B, and Penn-Union. Not FTZ! Oh, well. The doc states:

Select the proper die setting by rotating the die, matching the cable size and colored dot at the top of the die to the cable size and colored bands of the connector. Release the post so that it returns to its original position. Repeat this process for the opposite die, making sure both dies match.

https://greenlee-cdn.ebizcdn.com/media/IM1289REV03.pdf

This leads me to believe there's an industry standard color code for these. Is that so? I wonder if it is so, if the FTZ lugs follow this. The FTZ lugs are color coded, but the FTZ tool and table ignore this.

Here's what I came up with for lug color codes, FTZ compared to the industry standard. The table shows the colors of the FTZ Extreme Duty battery lugs, industry standard for the others. I suspect that FTZ deviates regarding gauge because their lugs have thicker walls than the industry standard connectors. And I further suspect that the Greenlee, Amp, and other industry tools will crimp FTZ lugs just fine, as long as the color codes are followed. Do you think this is so?

Lug Color Codes

• jviss
• Nov 21, 2017

 

[JimInPB]

It's actually not infinitely adjustable, it is adjustable to eight sizes (according to the documentation) via rotating dies...

The multi-head die type are pretty convenient. With them, you never misplace the dies. The only down is that you are locked into using the specified brand of crimps or an exact equal if you want to make perfect connections. Not all crimps of the same AWG rating have the exact same wall thickness. If you use crimps with thinner walls, you get loose crimps. If you use crimps with thicker walls, you get stretched crimps &/or flanging of the crimped lug. If you measure wall thickness of a different brand of lugs with dial calipers & find them to be the same within a few thousandths, you are probably OK. One quick trick that I have sometimes used when the correct die was not available, is to add a small steel rod or dowel pin on top of the lug before placing it in an oversized die.

High quality crimp joints are actually a somewhat sophisticated thing to produce. Peak electrical conductivity & peak corrosion resistance usually occur right around the pressure where the air space between the wire strands just disappears & then the conductivity will usually drop off after that. Peak mechanical integrity usually develops just before that point & usually drops off before the best electrical connection is made. Mechanical integrity usually drops off significantly once the crimp starts to elongate. Inspection processes for high end crimps can get pretty crazy, sometimes involving cutting, polishing, acid baths, optical comparitors, etc, as well as actual amp vs. temperature over time tests.

Then again, as I said before, I've gotten away with hammered-on crimps when I was in an area where available tooling was limited & I had to make something work on short notice.

 

[IStream]

That's a beauty. Is it U.S. made? It's about $100 more than the FTZ.

I looked at the docs on Greenlee's page, and I couldn't find a table that explicitly lists which die to use for which lug, but it does have a table that covers lugs from Anderson, Blackburn, Burndy, Ilco, Panduit, T&B, and Penn-Union. Not FTZ! Oh, well. The doc states:

https://greenlee-cdn.ebizcdn.com/media/IM1289REV03.pdf

This leads me to believe there's an industry standard color code for these. Is that so? I wonder if it is so, if the FTZ lugs follow this. The FTZ lugs are color coded, but the FTZ tool and table ignore this.

Here's what I came up with for lug color codes, FTZ compared to the industry standard. The table shows the colors of the FTZ Extreme Duty battery lugs, industry standard for the others. I suspect that FTZ deviates regarding gauge because their lugs have thicker walls than the industry standard connectors. And I further suspect that the Greenlee, Amp, and other industry tools will crimp FTZ lugs just fine, as long as the color codes are followed. Do you think this is so?

Lug Color Codes

• jviss
• Nov 21, 2017

The dies on the Greenlee have the nominal wire gauge stamped on them as well as a color dot. I use the FTZ heavy duty lugs exclusively and have found that the color dot matches the colors printed on the FTZ lugs, so you don't even have to refer to a chart. Note that the color dot generally corresponds to one gauge larger than the gauge stamped on the die. For example, the 2/0 die has a black dot and the 3/0 die has an orange dot while the FTZ 2/0 heavy duty lugs have orange stripes. Hence, when using the FTZ 2/0 lugs you select the 3/0 die to match the color, not the 2/0 die to match the lug's wire gauge. Note that this example is from memory so have mercy if I got the specifics wrong!

 

[jviss]

The only down is that you are locked into using the specified brand of crimps or an exact equal if you want to make perfect connections.

There's an industry standard for these. Any terminal following the standard, which will be color coded, will work with any crimper that also follows the standard.

The Greenlee tool documentation states "This tool is cUL and UL classified for use with the following connector brands," and goes on to list terminals from ANDERSON, BLACKBURN®, BURNDY, ILSCO, PANDUIT, T&B, and PENN-UNION.

I just spoke with someone at FTZ, and they said that the color code on their terminals follows the industry standard. He noted that you might see a difference between color code and wire gauge that's printed or stamped on the lug, compared to other companies' lugs, and that's probably because of wall thickness differences, but to follow the color code for crimping. So, yes, this confirms @IStream's observation, above.

 

[marchem]

I took the plunge and invested in the FTZ crimper. I wonder if many others on SBO have, also, and if those with experience have any hints or tips for using it.

Mine arrived with two somewhat redundant instruction sheets. There's a blurb on calibrating, and this wasn't a very satisfying experience; it's not like it "clicks in," it's just a measurement between the arms of from 14 to 16". This did help align the dies better on mine, but it's hard to tell, without test crimps, if its set up correctly.

I've ready MaineSail's excellent article that covers this tool.

I'm interested in hearing others' views and experiences.

I bought one based on Maine Sail's article. Used it when I rewired our Catalina 27 and will use it even more when I finally do the rewiring on our Catalina 310. Every crimp I've made so far came out looking good, at least as far as I can tell. It does take some space and muscle to do the big ones. Having a second person to hold the wire and the crimp can be helpful. I haven't bothered with calibration, maybe I was lucky that it started out ok.

 

[jviss]

I haven't bothered with calibration, maybe I was lucky that it started out ok.

It appears to me the calibration is for die alignment. There is no such adjustment on the Greenlee tool, I suspect the dies are aligned "by design."

 

[IStream]

It appears to me the calibration is for die alignment. There is no such adjustment on the Greenlee tool, I suspect the dies are aligned "by design."

This is correct. In fact, the Greenlee dies "float" a bit in the sense that they are free to rotate a few degrees. As the left and right sides come together they self-align on the upper and lower mating faces of the die halves.

 

[JimInPB]

There's an industry standard for these. Any terminal following the standard, which will be color coded, will work with any crimper that also follows the standard.

The Greenlee tool documentation states "This tool is cUL and UL classified for use with the following connector brands," and goes on to list terminals from ANDERSON, BLACKBURN®, BURNDY, ILSCO, PANDUIT, T&B, and PENN-UNION.

I just spoke with someone at FTZ, and they said that the color code on their terminals follows the industry standard. He noted that you might see a difference between color code and wire gauge that's printed or stamped on the lug, compared to other companies' lugs, and that's probably because of wall thickness differences, but to follow the color code for crimping. So, yes, this confirms @IStream's observation, above.

If you stay with a few of the better name brands of terminals, you should have a good chance of achieving consistent results. My experience tell me that trusting the color coded terminals, in my local supply shop's bulk bins, will give variable results due to wall thickness variations. I had some wires pull out of properly crimped terminals that were done on controlled-cycle ratcheting crimp tools. The failures occurred during JIS testing that was done on wiring harnesses prior to shipping finished products to a client in Japan.

 

[marchem]

That looks like one of the infinitely adjustable crimp tools. They are real handy when you run into an oddball size that you had not planned for.

I've been having surprisingly good luck with the hydraulic crimp tool from Harbor Freight. I had to make one set of custom dies to get me out of trouble one time, but other than that, I've just been using it the way it came right out of the box. https://www.harborfreight.com/hydraulic-wire-crimping-tool-66150.html

In a pinch, I've gotten by on large cables by just hitting a crimp with a hammer. The result isn't pretty, but it works.

I'm glad the HF hydraulic crimper worked for you. But based on Maine Sail's report, https://marinehowto.com/making-your-own-battery-cables/, I went with the FTZ model.

 

[JimInPB]

Thank you for the link to Main Sail's report. I just read it for the first time. It was informative & in-depth, as his reports always seem to be. I have no doubt that the tool he recommends works well with the lugs that he recommends. My only caution was that the lugs that I see out the wild do vary, so with any fixed die tool (even a Cadillac rig from Amp), you need to be careful what lugs you use.

As for the HF tool. I think that the tool itself is good. I agree with him that the labeling of the die sizes is a farce. You need to figure out which ones are actually for what lugs all by yourself. To me, that doesn't mean that it is a bad tool, it just means that it came with bad instructions. I think that the HF tool is also an excellent platform for driving custom dies. The magnets in mine work well. I have not lost any dies in the bilge yet.

 

[jviss]

If you stay with a few of the better name brands of terminals, you should have a good chance of achieving consistent results. My experience tell me that trusting the color coded terminals, in my local supply shop's bulk bins, will give variable results due to wall thickness variations. I had some wires pull out of properly crimped terminals that were done on controlled-cycle ratcheting crimp tools. The failures occurred during JIS testing that was done on wiring harnesses prior to shipping finished products to a client in Japan.

Wow, yes, controlling the source and quality of the terminals seems to be important. I would have imagined that in a manufacturing environment they would do so, with QPL's, QVL's, and so on. Untraceable open stock is dangerous!

Fortunately, for me it's easy, as I'm buying these in small quantities, will pay attention to vendor and spec., etc. My boat yard stocks the FTZ terminals, so that works in my favor, too.

 

[JimInPB]

Sounds like you have it dialed in.

 

[Stu Jackson]

for 4AWG with a 5/16" hole

All 5/16"? Do you have no 3/8"? Back in the old days, 3/8" worked for + and 5/16" was for (-). Just curious.

 

[jviss]

All 5/16"? Do you have no 3/8"? Back in the old days, 3/8" worked for + and 5/16" was for (-). Just curious.

That's a good point, Stu. I just went downstairs and measured: on the AGM's and Interstate flooded, both terminals are 5/16"; however, on the Crown flooded, the negative is 5/16" and the positive is 3/8".