# A caution On the Harbor Freight $49.95 hyfdraulic wire crimper.



## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

To all,

I just recieved one of the first batch of this newly listed tool. Harbor Freight tool number 66150-0VGA.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66150

The tool itself seems to be well made. 

*BUT they seem to have misrepresented the die sizes.*

*They say*

Crimps 12 to 00 AWG copper and aluminum wires 
Includes 9 pairs of chrome-plated steel crimping dies 

The 9 hex die sets I recieved are marked 00, 0, 1 down to 12 awg, but they seem to be a number of sizes smaller then the number printed on them.

I will be contacting Harbor Freight Monday to see whats up and will report back on the result.

Meantime I will be trying to get dimensions on the real 00 die size and will take one of the smaller dies and grind it out so I can use the tool.

For the price it is a real nice tool. The closest I've seen to it is on eBay from Barron tools and he wants big money for his.

Moderator Move this and/or duplicate it as needed.


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## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

Jimdear2 said:


> To all,
> 
> I just recieved one of the first batch of this newly listed tool. Harbor Freight tool number 66150-0VGA.
> 
> ...


they may not have mis-represented at all...? But I'm no electrician. I think there is a big difference between 00 and 0/1, 0/2. I have a manual crimper that does 8-4/0, and it is a BIG sucker, and I dont see an 00 on my dies. The selector goes from 1 to 1/0, with no 00. The 0/2 die I used for my welding cable lugs on main battery pack measures at 1/2" in the 'closed' position.


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

dtbaker said:


> they may not have mis-represented at all...? But I'm no electrician. I think there is a big difference between 00 and 0/1, 0/2. I have a manual crimper that does 8-4/0, and it is a BIG sucker, and I dont see an 00 on my dies. The selector goes from 1 to 1/0, with no 00. The 0/2 die I used for my welding cable lugs on main battery pack measures at 1/2" in the 'closed' position.


 
Dan,

I'm also the furthest thing from an electrician, but I did ask around and was told by some knowledgable people that 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0 etc. was a shorthand way of expressing 0 awg, 00 awg, 000 awg, 0000 awg etc.

Some of the articles I read during research on this also suggest the same

2/0 wire is supposed to have a core diameter of about 0.450 or so and of course the lug barrel O.D. should be at least 0.550 to 0.600 inch uncrimped. The flat to flat measurement of the closed 00 awg hex die is 0.307.

All of the dies appear to be undersized. Last night i did a bit of fiddleing around and found that the die marked 00 awg does a beautiful job of crimping a 6 awg wire and lug. All of the dies seem to be miss marked by the same amount.

I'm sure it is an inadvertant error in converting metric to awg.

I hope that the correct size die is available because this is a sweet tool for the money.

Even if there are no dies available I will keep the tool and take my grinders and files to one of the smaller dies and make a correct sized die for the wire and lugs I will be using.

Have a good one,


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## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

Jimdear2 said:


> 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0 etc. was a shorthand way of expressing 0 awg, 00 awg, 000 awg, 0000 awg etc.
> 
> 2/0 wire is supposed to have a core diameter of about 0.450 or so and of course the lug barrel O.D. should be at least 0.550 to 0.600 inch uncrimped. The flat to flat measurement of the closed 00 awg hex die is 0.307.


aha
now we are getting somewhere! I didnt know 00 was 2/0. anyway, that is what I used, and the flat-flat closed width looks like exactly .50 on my crimpers. The manual version takes quite a yank... hydraulic would be nice. I also paid $229 for mine....

d


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## ARti (Oct 27, 2008)

Bummer. I picked up one this weekend ($59 at a local HF store, no shipping). I haven't used it yet, but I was looking forward to cranking out consistent, well formed connections. I don't trust my ability to consistently get the right force on striking one of the hammer dies, so the idea of having dies and the hydraulic ram sounded good. Let us know what you wind up grinding out to.


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## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

ARti said:


> ...the idea of having dies and the hydraulic ram sounded good. Let us know what you wind up grinding out to.


ok, I got out the dial calipers... for 2/0, the flat-to-flat closed width on my (manual) hex crimper is .45. The original (not round) OD of a uncrimped lug is about .625

f


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

ARti said:


> Bummer. I picked up one this weekend ($59 at a local HF store, no shipping). I haven't used it yet, but I was looking forward to cranking out consistent, well formed connections. I don't trust my ability to consistently get the right force on striking one of the hammer dies, so the idea of having dies and the hydraulic ram sounded good. Let us know what you wind up grinding out to.


Arti,

Are yours like mine marked as AWG 00 on down but actually smaller? 
Bummer if they are. I was hoping mine was a just a wrong article/mistake.

That AWG 00 die does a wonderful job on AWG 6 wire and lugs.

I'll let you know the result of my Email to them as soon as they answer.

I'm also still waiting for the carbide cutters I ordered from them (missing from the shipment and now they say it is also backordered) so I won't be reworking the die just yet.

When I do rework one I'll probably take one of the smaller dies and open out to just under 0.475 across the flats for the 1/0 wire I'll be using. I have a smaller ratcheting crimper for up to AWG 12 so it will be the largest one in overlap between the two.


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

I sure hope you can get it to work because that looks like a damn nice tool. $50? wow

Keep us posted.


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

A quick update,

No answer from Harbor Freight customer relations department yet.

Made an attempt to drill out one of the smaller die sets, couldn't because they have been hardened. Can't find my carbide 3/8 drill and Harbor Freight finally notified me that the set of carbide 1/4 inch shank die grinder tools that I ordered is on back order. This is three weeks after they shipped my order and indicated the carbides were shipped but they weren't in the box. 

I'm going to try using a abrasive discs in the die grinder and dremil and see if I can't carve something out. I just bought 93 lugs and a lot of wire. Tried the hammer crimper . . .YUK

I'll let you all know if there is any contact from them and I'll lest you know how the grinding goes.


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

Jimdear2 said:


> A quick update,
> 
> No answer from Harbor Freight customer relations department yet.
> 
> ...


For all interested,

I finally got hold of someome at Harbor Freight about the $49.95 number 66150 Hydraulic terminal crimper. 

I spoke with Peter Parker in their customer support office. Actually their customer support group is in New Deli India so don't expect anything from them, especially through e-mail. If it can be done sitting at a computer out of an operating manual they might be able to help, otherwise . . . . .

I talked to someone in their technical support group (in the USA), a very nice lady (I wish I had gotten her name for later praise). They are aware of the problem with the dies not being as represented, but unfortunatly unable to check it out because their entire stock of these tools had already been shipped to customers before they became aware of the problem. They do not have one to look at right now.

They say they are investigating the problem with the supplier (in China)

The sent me an RMA if I want to return the tool for credit and also gave me a tracking number so I can keep abrest of the investigation if I decide to keep it. 

I am going to keep mine and see if they can fix (get new) the die problem. Meanwhile I am going to see a machinist friend and see if I can't get some dies made to fit the tool. It really does a nice job.

So, for now, it's hammer away to make my cables, two vehicles, 22 batteries, fuses, contactors, shunts and controllers disconnects and battery charging ports. Ouch  That's how many cables???

Y'all be good now.


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## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

Jimdear2 said:


> ... I am going to see a machinist friend and see if I can't get some dies made to fit the tool.


wow... for the cost of making dies, you might wanna look into the 'rental' program for the big manual crimpers that www.evsource.com offers where you basically just pay postage.


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

dtbaker said:


> wow... for the cost of making dies, you might wanna look into the 'rental' program for the big manual crimpers that www.evsource.com offers where you basically just pay postage.


Thanks for the link. 

I had thought about rental but the number of cables plus two vehicles made purchase attractive because of the time span of the work.

Another factor was that we will be compeateing in the field with these tractors and wanted something we could take along for repairs and such. 

I did say machinest friend. I'll use his mill, I plan on taking a hunk of tool steel to the mill and make a few passes to duplicate size and locating pin, Then drill a starting hole, cut it in half and tool it out to the final hex. Maybe 2 hours on the mill to make a 1/0 and 2/0 die set.

That's not so bad.


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## Bruce A (Jul 17, 2008)

Thank You very much. I bought the only crimper they had in stock at habor fright in Pasadena California, used carbide tooling on my mill, This Crimper works excellent. 

Thanks 
Bruce A
http://www.diyelectriccar.com/garage/cars/72


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

Bruce A said:


> Thank You very much. I bought the only crimper they had in stock at habor fright in Pasadena California, used carbide tooling on my mill, This Crimper works excellent.
> 
> Thanks
> Bruce A
> http://www.diyelectriccar.com/garage/cars/72


Bruce

Glad to see it worked out for you. Did you buy the tool knowing in advance you would need to modify the dies? 
What size did you recut dies for.
Did you stay with a hex or just drill it out?
To be honest I have been rushing to get the tractors done before I go on vacation and haven't had time to do this, or even find the dimensions.

If you have pictures of the finished dies and any dimensions, please post them and save us all a bit od time.

Be well, your Aztek looks good.


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

I know some people have cut sockets in half and welded them on to bolt cutters to make crimpers.


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## Harold in CR (Sep 8, 2008)

OR, just grind out the shapes IN the bolt Cutter blades. They are interchangable so you still can cut things with the same tool ???

Did that 35 years ago, in the Wind generator business I had.


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

JRP3 said:


> I know some people have cut sockets in half and welded them on to bolt cutters to make crimpers.


JRP3,
I actually bought a pair of bolt cutters that I was going to use that way. I was looking for a cheap impact socket set in Harbor Freight when I saw these crimpers.

I'll got to tell you, using the sizes that came with it you will get a beautiful crimp on the correct wire (seems to be 2AWG and down. Thats why I want to keep it. It's small and handy will be great for emergengy repairs because you can get it into really tight places.

The tool seems to be a smaller, cloned, version of some professional crimpers I've seen on the web for around $400.00. Those sets go up to 4/0 AWG. 

At this point I just need to know the dimensions of the hex I need for 0, 1/0 and 2/0. The existing die sets seem to work with wire from 4 awg on down.

Thanks again for the Idea.


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Harold in CR said:


> OR, just grind out the shapes IN the bolt Cutter blades.


I'd think you'd end up with too narrow a crimp, though I suppose you could double crimp. I've actually got an old Nicopress swage tool that I was thinking of trying with multiple crimps. Or just make up your own jaws out of 1/4 inch stock or something.


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## Harold in CR (Sep 8, 2008)

I worked as a Lineman for a Power Co. for 12 years. I am very familiar with Nicopress hand crimpers and Burndy Electric Hydraulic Crimpers. The Bolt Cutter will do an excellent job, if you rotate the crimp 90° every time you make another crimp. You should be able to get 2 or 3 GOOD crimps, using the 6 sided shape, 3 on each jaw.


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## Bruce A (Jul 17, 2008)

I think you can get the same results with a hand grinder.


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Jim, did you ever hear anything more from HF on the die sizes, did they ever fix the problem?


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

JRP3 said:


> Jim, did you ever hear anything more from HF on the die sizes, did they ever fix the problem?


Guilty ! ! 

I admit I never followed up to see iif they got the size issues resolved.

I even finally got the carbides I had ordered and didn't modify one of the smaller dies. By the time the carbides came I had hammer crimped around 100 lugs and was just lugged out.

I just went on the Harbor Freight site and I see thart the ad is still the same. I'll get hold of their U.S. based customer people tomorrow and see what is going on with this. They may have dies that are properly sized now.

Thanks for the kick in the butt.

I have been so involved with tuneing and fixing the two pullers when I was able to work I just have let a lot of other things go.

I blew up a differential in the Cub and had to change transaxles and I'm trying to resolve a gearing problem in the rear motor ultralight. I have spent al lot of time tracking down HD parts for the Cub as well. 

When they don't break they are awsome.  Sorry off subject. 

I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow.

be well


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## Thunderknight (Sep 7, 2009)

Jim,

Did you ever hear back from Harbor Freight? The tool is on sale for $50 through the 21st of the month. I'm curious to know if they resolved the issue.

Thanks


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## Thunderknight (Sep 7, 2009)

I stopped in at Harbor Freight today. They had 3 on the shelf. I opened one up and did an eyeball on the die sets. They looked way too small for the size they were marked so I did not buy.


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

I also finally got a chance to stop by a Harbor Frieght store and check out the current version (it's a differeny color with different packaging). 

I have never been able to contact anyone that would give me a good answer since that first time. All I seem to get is their on hold message.

The dies are still not as marked. I think the biggest lug you could crimp would be a 6AWG ou maybe as large as a 4AWG. I still plan on either making a new die or grinding out one of the Dies I have to do the 1/0 wires I'm working with. 

So if you buy one do so knowing that it's a good tool but the dies are undersized.


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## tcvt (Oct 28, 2009)

Can you tell us what the dimensions are for the 00 dies when jaws are open and when jaws are closed. 

Tom


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

tcvt said:


> Can you tell us what the dimensions are for the 00 dies when jaws are open and when jaws are closed.
> 
> Tom


Tom,

Just got back from a week in the hospital. It will take me a couple of days to get back on track, get downstairs annd get accurate dimensions. A quick, inaccurate, answer to your question is the closed Hex dimention is about 3/8 of an inch. The open jaw dimension from opposed flats might be as much as 1 inch. The closed dimension is smaller then the bare wire diameter of 00 cable (I think that is 0.513???), never mind the OD diameter of the lug. I didn't try a crimp on my AWG 0 cables because I didn't have a lug to waste but the result would have been a barrell that had a partial hex and two wings. The way I see the crimp forming, the wings would be likely to crack.

To answer another question you didn't ask, the 00 jaws in this tool does a beautiful job of putting a hex crimp on a AWG 4 cable and lug. (or was it AWG 6 ??, I'll have to check when I can get downstairs again)


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## tcvt (Oct 28, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. I wrote to a seller on ebay selling the same crimper. The only information he could give me was that he has had a few buyers wish there were bigger dies available. I need to crimp cables for my alternative energy batteries and am trying to use UL parts in case it ever needs to satisfy an inspector. 

I think I'm going to try this crimper:
http://www.evsource.com/tls_cabling_tools.php

I'm using these lugs.  They specify the 3/0 lug for 2/0 fine strand cable. 
https://www.ilsco.com//ProductsDeta...=L6iGmzT7HACEFRUfcyC+rqMJJH6tTRE9BCh44vijaNo=

And here they list the crimping tools that can be used to remain within within UL specs:
https://www.ilsco.com//StaticContent.aspx?id=9d1ka6Cd4ib6J0J8xYu69A==

Tom


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

tcvt said:


> I think I'm going to try this crimper:
> http://www.evsource.com/tls_cabling_tools.php
> 
> 
> Tom


 
Tom,

If you rent or buy this crimper, please send a photo of the die sets along with their physical external dimensions. It may be that the dies used in this crimper might fit the Harbor Freight crimper. 

Once it is established if the dies would fit we may be able to order replacement dies from the manufacturer of this tool. The actual hydraulic ram in this tool is very similar to the HF tool.

Be nice if it works out.

Thanks,


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## tcvt (Oct 28, 2009)

I have a feeling that they dies will not be interchangeable. The Harborfreight dies are positioned by pins on their ends, and I think it was in the ebay description where I read the the HF crimper can be positioned several ways. I'm guessing the dies can swivel on the pins. The EVsource crimper looks like the dies are positioned on rails on the sides.

Tom


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

Tom,

You are probably right, but one can hope. If the phisical size is compatible maybe they could be modified. If not the dimensions of the ID of the hex for 1/0 and 2/0would be helpful when I modify some of the existing dies. 

Have a goooooooooooood day.


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## Wirecutter (Jul 26, 2007)

A friend of mine owns one of those monster Amp crimp tools with 18" long handles. It's bigger than just about any bolt cutter I've seen. This thing has 4 way dies that can be rotated to select the crimp size you want. I think the dies in this tool cover from about 4 AWG to 3/0 or 4/0.

I've been ah, _storing_ this tool for my friend for a few years now. Of course, periodically I dust it off, inspect it for any defects, and run it through a bunch of "test" crimps.  On occasion, I've crimped the wrong lug size or wire length. After cutting a lug off, I sawed it open and inspected it. I can't distinguish the wire strands in the area of the cable that has been crimped. That thing really smashes that copper together nicely.

Anyway, the point wasn't just to gloat. Having used this tool on 4 electric gokarts and a few cables for a welder, I can say that it's worth a lot of money. If I didn't have access to this thing, I'd go out and spend as much as $400 to get one. I'm not what most would consider a wealthy guy, but life is too short to struggle with crummy tools. Oh yeah, and you'd be amazed at how hot a bad crimp can get when you pump a few hundred amps through it. After all, my MIG welder only tops out at 140 amps.

Back on-topic, though. If the dies in the HF crimper truly are hardened, isn't the only "resizing" option by _grinding_? I've machined tool steel _prior_ to hardening it, and I've wrecked tools by accidentally trying to machine it after hardening. Still, you could resize your crimp dies with a Dremel tool and a couple packs of cutoff wheels and grinding attachments. Usual disclaimers apply, no affiliation, etc, but you can do some amazing things with a Dremel.

-M


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

I took an old pair of bolt cutters, maybe 24 inch handles, and ground out a die for 2/0 cable. Put the crimp on a nail and lifted myself off the ground. I think it's a good crimp. You can buy cheap bolt cutters all day from Harbor freight and make a crimper for different sizes if you need them for a lot less than $400. If you're careful there is probably enough room on the jaws to grind profiles for two different smaller crimps, like a 2 gauge and a 4 gauge. I could put a 6 or 8 gauge on the end of my 2/0.
As for cutting a lug to look at the crimp, I'm not sure that's a good test. While you're sawing through the cable the sawing action may sort of mush the strands together making it look more cohesive than it really is. I think taking a thin cutoff wheel on a dremel and slicing the lug lengthwise then pry it off the cable and see what the strands look like. Frankly I think if you can hang from a crimp it's probably tight.


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## Wirecutter (Jul 26, 2007)

JRP3 said:


> You can buy cheap bolt cutters all day from Harbor freight and make a crimper for different sizes if you need them for a lot less than $400.


 I'd have to agree, I'm just saying that a case can be made for paying the money and getting back to making connections. Had I not seen and used a nice crimp tool like this, I wouldn't be able to appreciate the value. Value isn't what the item costs, it's what it's worth. I can believe it cost that much to produce a good tool and make a reasonable profit. (Unlike in the Ebay world, where value is merely what _two_ people are willing to pay for it.)



JRP3 said:


> As for cutting a lug to look at the crimp, I'm not sure that's a good test. While you're sawing through the cable the sawing action may sort of mush the strands together making it look more cohesive than it really is.


 Sure, I know what you mean, but it sure is cool to see the degree of compression going on in there. It's also interesting to use the cable cutter to cut the wire _just_ as it exits the lug, with a lug that's been crimped all the way to the end.



JRP3 said:


> Frankly I think if you can hang from a crimp it's probably tight.


 Let's face it, neither of us are UL, CE, or VDE.  (Certification agencies) Cutting up lugs or hanging from crimps aren't definitive by themselves, but if you're careful enough to use quality materials, well-made tools, and attention to detail, you'll know what you're getting.

Many hobby machinists that I've heard from generally make some assumptions about the less expensive Chinese-made tools of all sorts. If you're careful, you can find some real bargains, but you have to be prepared to do some of your own touch-up or tweaking on your new tool when you get it. For 10-50% of the cost of comparable US or Japanese-made stuff, many folks feel that's an acceptable trade-off.

In my case, I was just very lucky.

-M


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## tcvt (Oct 28, 2009)

I have had decent luck with Chinese tools in the past, so I just went ahead and bought this crimper:
http://www.evsource.com/tls_cabling_tools.php


As I said earlier, I wanted to make the alternative energy battery cables UL compliant, just in case someone in the future is going to care. The ILSCO site lists all of the different crimpers which can be used with their lugs to make UL connections:
https://www.ilsco.com//StaticContent.aspx?id=9d1ka6Cd4ib6J0J8xYu69A==

Here is a page about UL connections:
https://www.ilsco.com//StaticContent.aspx?id=TYjeW0/vJQbMpPBK9hEdVA==

I came across the spec for pullout forces for crimped lug connections here:
http://www.andersonpower.com/files.php?file=1s6363(1).pdf

And finally, two web pages that give military spec measurements for different die sizes (same pdf, different sources):
http://www.everyspec.com/MS+Specs/MS9/MS90000-MS99999/download.php?spec=MS90485E.017978.PDF

http://assistdocs.com/search/docume...Number=1312&status_all=ON&search_method=BASIC

Here is a page for sourcing the above crimper from China showing the crimper's relatives:
http://www.tlead.net/hydraulic pliers/hydraulic pliers1.htm

Tom


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

To all for those of you still looking for an inexpensive crimping tool. 

The YQK-70 crimper shown in Tom's link, below just may be what the Harbor Freight tool says it is and should be. 

In another thread Jack Bauer purchesed one of these for 30 English Pounds on eBay. here is his link 
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170402065920&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
The description and photos from that eBay page make it clear that the dies included should do the job.



tcvt said:


> Here is a page for sourcing the above crimper from China showing the crimper's relatives:
> http://www.tlead.net/hydraulic%20pliers/hydraulic%20pliers1.htm
> 
> Tom


You all be good now,


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## Woodsmith (Jun 5, 2008)

While we're on the subject, I am also wathing the same crimper and also this one as it has a larger range.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270452052741&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


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## tcvt (Oct 28, 2009)

Woodsmith said:


> While we're on the subject, I am also wathing the same crimper and also this one as it has a larger range.
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270452052741&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


This ebay crimper, a YQK-300, is one size larger than the YQK-240 I bought from evsource.com With shipping, total cost for me was $178 for the YQK-240. The two seem nearly identical except for the addition of the 300 die size to the YQK-300. That looks like a very good price for the YQK-300 on ebay.uk. The crimpers can be seen on this link:

http://www.tlead.net/hydraulic pliers/hydraulic pliers1.htm

The YQK-240 #70 die worked well with 3/0 Ilsco lugs and fine strand 2/0 welding cable. The #50 die left little wings of 'flash' on the lug after crimping. I didn't do any pull tests on the crimps I made. There is a link to the 3/0 Ilsco lug and other links in my post on 11/05/09 in this thread. The 3/0 lugs are specified for 2/0 fine strand cable. Here is a zip of three pictures of the crimps with the 50 and 70 die:
View attachment 5649


Here is the three page manual to the 240 crimper:
http://www.evsource.com/datasheets/tools/YQK-240_Hydraulic_Crimping_Tool.pdf

Here are the dimensions of the die sizes, measured when closed:
DIE# -------SHUT HEIGHT or GAP(mm)
16 -----------6.1
25 -----------7.2
35 -----------8.6
50 ----------10.2
70 ----------12.0
95 ----------14.2
120 ---------15.8
150 ---------17.7
185 ---------19.0
240 ---------21.0


Hope this helps.
And remember, that looks like a good deal on the 300 crimper from ebay, if it can be shipped to the U.S.

Tom


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## sjc (Oct 28, 2008)

There are now several sellers offering 8-ton hydraulic crimpers on eBay. Even though they both claim to have 00 lugs, one of them says the closed crimp of the largest lug is .45", while the other says 5/16". Hmm.

Here's a smaller one.

Here's a larger one.

Will either of these, at least at first glance, suffice for 0/2 battery cables?

sc
--


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## jackbauer (Jan 12, 2008)

Well i've been using mine for 70mm square cable with no problems. Makes a good crimp. I doubt if it would hold up to everyday use but for a diy conversion its great.


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

sjc said:


> There are now several sellers offering 8-ton hydraulic crimpers on eBay. Even though they both claim to have 00 lugs, one of them says the closed crimp of the largest lug is .45", while the other says 5/16". Hmm.
> 
> Here's a smaller one.
> 
> ...


sjc,

I have been watching these and believe that any of the kits that list the die sizes in AWG will have the undersize dies.

I have no idea why this is so but I went through every US eBay seller and they all listed the kit with the undersize dies.

The kits that list the die sizes in metric dimensions appear OK. The problem here is that US eBay sellers only list the sets with the undersize dies i.e. up to AWG 2/0. The non AWG set (YQK-70 appears to be a common part number) with up to #70 (12mm closed dimension) dies is the minimum acceptible.

Refer to some of the earlier posts by woodsmith, jackbauer or especially tvct.

If you are US based you need to find a seller outside the country to get a crimper with the die set with a 1/2 (approx 12 mm) inch die.

If you plan to buy from a US seller you should inquire if the largest die set measures at least 1/2 inch flat to flat when closed before commiting to purchese. The set I got from Harbor Freight measures I think 0.380 across the largest die (too cold outside  to go out and recheck the size).


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## sjc (Oct 28, 2008)

Jimdear2 said:


> I have no idea why this is so but I went through every US eBay seller and they all listed the kit with the undersize dies.


Well, I saw them with two different-sized listings (both listed the closed size of their largest die); the larger one was .45"; the smaller was 5/16" (I linked to one of each in my earlier post).



Jimdear2 said:


> The kits that list the die sizes in metric dimensions appear OK. The problem here is that US eBay sellers only list the sets with the undersize dies i.e. up to AWG 2/0. The non AWG set (YQK-70 appears to be a common part number) with up to #70 (12mm closed dimension) dies is the minimum acceptible.


12mm = .47". That would *seem* like those saying .45" are of an ok size. 

I did read the entire thread, and followed the links; I posted because it looked to me like some (not all) of the eBay sellers were now selling legitimately-sized dies. I'm suspicious, though, because all the kits look the same in the pictures.

So I could spend ~$55 for one of the larger ones and hope they mean what they say, or $100 for a YQK-70 (there's one of those on eBay for that). In the end, I'll probably cough up the extra $50 and go for the known-good product.

sc
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## tcvt (Oct 28, 2009)

SJC: The two crimpers you link to appear to be the same and look like they are the YQK-70 on the page here which I believe is the Harbor Freight crimper:
http://www.tlead.net/hydraulic pliers/hydraulic pliers1.htm

On 4/26/09, Jimdear, the original poster, said the 00 (2/0) die measured .307 inches closed which is pretty close to the 5/16 inches (0.3125) stated on one of the ebay listings you showed. This is nowhere near 2/0. The 5/16 inch closed dimension for the die they 'call' a 2/0 is most likely accurate.

Now, JackBauer saying that he uses his Harbor Freight crimper for 70mm square cable (around 2/0 to 3/0) has me wondering. Which die does he use? What lugs? What do the crimps look like? Is he actually crimping 70MCM cable which is smaller, approx. #2 to #1 AWG?

Tom


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

tcvt said:


> SJC: The two crimpers you link to appear to be the same and look like they are the YQK-70 on the page here which I believe is the Harbor Freight crimper:
> http://www.tlead.net/hydraulic%20pliers/hydraulic%20pliers1.htm
> 
> On 4/26/09, Jimdear, the original poster, said the 00 (2/0) die measured .307 inches closed which is pretty close to the 5/16 inches (0.3125) stated on one of the ebay listings you showed. This is nowhere near 2/0. The 5/16 inch closed dimension for the die they 'call' a 2/0 is most likely accurate.
> ...


Tom,

The Harbor Freight crimper does not appear to be the YQK-70 crimper. I would like to have the die set from a YQK-70 crimper. 

I don't know if the Harbor Freight crimper is a bad Chinese knockoff of a Chinese copy or there was a miscommunication on die sizes or bad meteric to SAE conversions when the sets were commisioned. I think that the company that made them are just dumping them.


These eBay resellers are buying this stuff based on a specification sheet published on sites like Ali Baba. You know the Chinese will sell bad stuff over here. Then when the sh%t hits the fan the company just goes away and reappears under a different name

The information that is in those internet ads is right from the blurb sheet that comes with the crimpers. So even if it says 0.45 inch, I would still be VERY CAREFULL.

Unlerss I got a *guarenteed* actual physical measurement from the seller that the die set went up to the #70 (12mm closed dimension) like used in the YQK-70 I would pass.

I don't beleive Jack got his through Harbour Freight. I beleive it was through a European eBay seller and he paid (from my memory about 30.00 English pounds for it) about $48.00 USD (todays exchange rate).

I went downstairs and got my Harbor Freight Crimper and did a visual inspection of mine against a photo of the YQK-70 crimper. There is a definate difference. The H.F. crimper is longer overall and the pump handle is shaped different. The Dies for the YQK-70 crimper are plated (I think hard chrome) the H.F. tool has a parkerized finish on the dies. The plastic case appears to be about 2 or 3 inches longer and a bit narrower. The YQK-70 tool has the model number metal stamped into the barrel, the HF tool has a sticker on it.

The biggest wire treminal I could crimp with the HF tool dies was 6 AWG. That was done with the dies marked 00 AWG

If someone finds a US source for the YQK-70 or the larger versions as shown in this link
http://www.tlead.net/hydraulic pliers/hydraulic pliers1.htm
let me know.

As it stands, IMHO the HF tool appears to be a copy of the YQK-70 tool. The tool shown in the photos used by the eBay sellers appears to be the same as the HF tool. (No I did not check each one)

From the research I've done I think that:
Parkerized (black) dies BAD
Plated (shiny) sies MAYBE GOOD

Maybe someone should check the European/UK resellers and find out what it would cost to ship one of the real ones over here.

Good Luck

EDIT 
I went and looked at the picture of one reseller (so far) that at least the picture shows the bigger plated die sets.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-8-Ton-Hydra...lectrical_Equipment_Tools?hash=item35a6ab4a53

$58.00 with shipping is not too bad.

End EDIT


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## sjc (Oct 28, 2008)

tcvt said:


> The two crimpers you link to appear to be the same and look like they are the YQK-70 on the page here which I believe is the Harbor Freight crimper:
> http://www.tlead.net/hydraulic pliers/hydraulic pliers1.htm
> 
> On 4/26/09, Jimdear, the original poster, said the 00 (2/0) die measured .307 inches closed which is pretty close to the 5/16 inches (0.3125) stated on one of the ebay listings you showed. This is nowhere near 2/0. The 5/16 inch closed dimension for the die they 'call' a 2/0 is most likely accurate.


I agree; they look identical from the photos. It's possible that the base crimper is the same, and they ship with different sets of dies. I'll ask one of the sellers of the claimed .45" die size to give me a measurement on it.

BTW, this one has shiny dies.

Steve


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## DC Braveheart (Oct 12, 2008)

sjc said:


> I agree; they look identical from the photos. It's possible that the base crimper is the same, and they ship with different sets of dies. I'll ask one of the sellers of the claimed .45" die size to give me a measurement on it.
> 
> BTW, this one has shiny dies.
> 
> Steve


Before I butt in please note that I know next to nothing about this ... but the entry on AWG in wikipedia is interesting (full entry here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge) where it says:



> The AWG tables are for a single, solid, round conductor. The AWG of a stranded wire is determined by the total cross-sectional area of the conductor, which determines its current-carrying capacity and electrical resistance. Because there are also small gaps between the strands, a stranded wire will always have a slightly larger overall diameter than a solid wire with the same AWG.


Is that the problem here - the dies are sized for true (i.e. solid) AWG cable, but you are all using stranded cable of the same 'size' (which is physically bigger according to the wiki).

Again apologies if I've got the wrong end of the stick.


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## tcvt (Oct 28, 2009)

It looks like you have it figured out, Jim, that the YQK-70 is not the Harbor Freight. The plated dies on the crimper for which you sent the link definitely appear larger than the dark dies and it probably IS the YQK-70. I'm looking at the size of the die compared to the size of the screw on the valve knob to guess how big the dies are. I assumed the YQK-70 was the harbor freight - bad assumption. For the price, these are a great deal as long as you don't want to go above 2/0 or 3/0 crimping. This one would have worked well for my purposes, at a savings of about $100 compared to the one I bought at evsource which has a few larger dies and more crimping force. I think you are also probably also correct that the plated die units are accurate and the non-plated are the misleading culprits to avoid. You solved the mystery.

The thought of a cheap Chinese knockoff of another cheap Chinese knockoff is scary.

Tom


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## sjc (Oct 28, 2008)

Jimdear2 said:


> EDIT
> I went and looked at the picture of one reseller (so far) that at least the picture shows the bigger plated die sets.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-8-Ton-Hydra...lectrical_Equipment_Tools?hash=item35a6ab4a53
> ...


That's the same one I found (in my "this one has shiny dies" post above).

Dare I risk it? Hmm...

sc
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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

sjc said:


> That's the same one I found (in my "this one has shiny dies" post above).
> 
> Dare I risk it? Hmm...
> 
> ...


sjc.

I think you might be safe but wait until I get an answer back from the seller. I'm thinking of buying one myself as soon as I hear back. I have asked for a guarenteed dimension.

I am also looking for the next size up crimper set, like the one tvct bought from EVsource for $170.00. It will do up to 0/6 wire. So far I've only found one on eBay UK for about 1/3 less then EV source, I am still looking.

It would be a continuation of the sizes I already have with the HF crimper. If I can find one of those for a reasonable price I will get that instead. I plan on donating both to the Michigan chapter of the EAA when we finish the next project.

*NOTE*
The article that Steve found on the Wikipedia might also explain the undersize dies of the HF tool. If the dies were sized to solid wire because the Chinese engenieer/tool designer didn't understand the specifications. 

Like tvct says; A knockoff of a knockoff is scary.


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## sjc (Oct 28, 2008)

Jimdear2 said:


> I think you might be safe but wait until I get an answer back from the seller. I'm thinking of buying one myself as soon as I hear back. I have asked for a guarenteed dimension.


Heh, heh. I already asked him the same thing (awaiting reply), and said that there was pent-up demand for these things if they were of the right size. So you just reinforced my point with him!


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## tcvt (Oct 28, 2009)

Either of these look good - 
the smaller 8Ton one for approx $48 plus ship:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170402065920&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

and especially, the bigger one for not being much more expensive than the smaller one for approx. $96 plus ship:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270452052741&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Oddly, the same seller has it listed for 10 pounds less (approx. $80)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/16mm-300mm-HY...ls_Supplies_Electrical_ET?hash=item3efc59562d

The bigger one on ebay is a good price compared to what I paid ($168 to my door) at evsource for the same crimper without the #300 die set. I wish I saw these a few months ago. 

Tom


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## sjc (Oct 28, 2008)

I got a reply from one of the "dark die" sellers on eBay, who lists his largest die as 00 AWG and .45" in his ad. He said that it's actually 5/16 closed.

So another point in favor of the "dark die == small" hypothesis. I'm still waiting for an answer from the seller of the shiny dies.


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## sjc (Oct 28, 2008)

sjc said:


> So another point in favor of the "dark die == small" hypothesis. I'm still waiting for an answer from the seller of the shiny dies.


I got a non-helpful reply, saying they're "just like the Harbor Freight" ones. I asked him to please measure the die...


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Took a chance on this one, got burned:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230455026475

It shows the silver dies and claims 0.45 closed on the 00 size. Turns out it's a Harbor Freight unit, black dies, and is about 0.35 closed on the 00 size. I mentioned the problem to the guy, he said he's sold a few hundred of these and never had a problem but was willing to refund all my money plus return shipping. I told him I'd keep it and modify it for my use, but that he really ought to fix the listing to reflect the reality of the sizes. I see he has not, as of yet. I even pointed him towards this thread. Here's what I did, drilled it out for the right size 










then ground the edges out a bit










I did it to the smallest die "12", which looked pretty useless at around 18 gauge maybe. Drilled pretty easily once I got through the outer surface.


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

JRP3 said:


> Took a chance on this one, got burned:
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230455026475
> 
> It shows the silver dies and claims 0.45 closed on the 00 size. Turns out it's a Harbor Freight unit, black dies, and is about 0.35 closed on the 00 size. I mentioned the problem to the guy, he said he's sold a few hundred of these and never had a problem but was willing to refund all my money plus return shipping. I told him I'd keep it and modify it for my use, but that he really ought to fix the listing to reflect the reality of the sizes. I see he has not, as of yet. I even pointed him towards this thread. Here's what I did, drilled it out for the right size
> ...


JRP3

Sorry you got burned. I almost went with this guy myself. I e-mailed him and asked for assurance/money back gurentee that the dies were in fact silver in color. When he didn't answer I figured he might be scamming.

You did exactly what I ended up doing, enlarging the die. It is a shame that we cannot get the kit with the silver dies because the tool is very good considering the price. It seems that the kits with the silver colored dies are only available outside the US.

If any one is interested, you can buy the kit with silver dies through eBay from sellers in Austraila and England (probably other countries as well) but the shipping and duty will kill you. I checked and it more then doubles the price.

There is also a crimper and die set available through those same EU and AS sellers for bigger wire sizes then the one we are looking at. It overlaps the sizes in the black die tool and goes up to awg 4/0 (maybe bigger) If you decide to try for one of the sets with silver dies, Go for that one instead. 

I placed a link a few posts back that will lead you to information about them

Jim


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Frankly it was so easy to drill out the die I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you have a drill press, or know someone who does, you might as well get the HF unit.


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## mikk (Aug 17, 2010)

Is this a good silver die one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-8-Ton-Hydra...7QQcategoryZ66987QQcmdZViewItem#ht_1672wt_911


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## Jimdear2 (Oct 12, 2008)

mikk said:


> Is this a good silver die one?
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-8-Ton-Hydra...7QQcategoryZ66987QQcmdZViewItem#ht_1672wt_911


The picture sure appears to be the one with the good die sets. But be aware that a seller on eBay was picturing the good set and selling the set with the small dies. 

A good Idea to get confermation from the seller before you buy. Check with pay pal and see if your are protected if he is scamming the small die sets while picturing the big die sets.

If you buy give us a report on the outcome.

Although sometimes clumsy to use, the tool does a good job when paired with the right die, I've used a drilled out die and the crimps are good for the 1/0 AWG wire.


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## Woodsmith (Jun 5, 2008)

That looks very similar to the set I have.









The dies are hexagonal and to crimp 35sqmm I had to use the 25sqmm dies.


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

mikk said:


> Is this a good silver die one?
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-8-Ton-Hydra...7QQcategoryZ66987QQcmdZViewItem#ht_1672wt_911


No, that's the same one I bought, same guy, and they came with black undersized dies. It's the Harbor Freight unit. As I said it was easy enough to drill out the dies and the price is right, so it's not a bad deal, though you might get the same thing cheaper or with free shipping from HF.


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## mikk (Aug 17, 2010)

The Fall harbor freight catalog has the hydraulic wire crimping tool and says.

"Includes 9 pairs of chrome-plated steel crimping dies"

The catalog picture has black dies lol.

Its possible they might be switching to the chrome dies. I'll look next time I go to the store. Do the catalog codes work in store? 66150-1DBM $44.99


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## sjc (Oct 28, 2008)

FWIW, I just bought a set at HF a few weeks ago, and it has the black dies. I'd decided to go ahead and drill out one for 2/0 wire.


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## goingbush (Jun 20, 2017)

Bringing up a Seven year old thread .

I think I just bought the same Generic Chinese 8 ton crimp set. $37.95 on eBay Australia 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2016-8-T...Crimping-Tool-Kit-9-Die-4mm-70mm/172106864001

Seven years later they still have not fixed the Dies size numbering.
If thats why its only AU$37.95 (which is like $25.00 USD) then I'm happy. I don't care what size they say it is.

Crimping a 70x8 lug onto 70mm2 cable (equiv 00B&S) , the Die labeled 70 is way too big , try the Die marked 50 and I get this result . Happy Days


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