Recommendations needed for battery cable connectors between truck and camper

[Stereo]

What connectors - exposed to the weather - do you recommend for a 4 AWG battery cable running between the truck engine battery and the camper battery?

With lots of help from you all on EP, I successfully wired my truck battery to my "house" battery with 4awg wire. It really did the trick keeping the house battery charged up (we rarely stay in one place for more than two days). However, it's time to pull the camper off the truck so I have to sever the cables. Following a few recommendations, I had purchased Anderson Power Poles to create a disconnect but after more reading, few advise using anything but an Anderson crimper. I can't afford it and I can't find any business that has one that might be willing to make 4 crimps. Other people have wondered how weatherproof the Anderson's are (though they do have moisture resistant covers).

Any suggestions on what connectors would be good that I can install with a generic hydaulic crimper?

 

[ripperj]

What’s special about the Anderson lug? I have a set that came installed on #2 wire and I do recall seeing that the crimp was done from 4 sides(IIRC) , but that’s not typical of crimps in general.
What are you hearing is the issue with a hydraulic crimper??, which when used with the proper combo of lugs/wire/crimp dies -provides a 100% void free crimp(essentially making a single homogeneous conductor out of the lug barrel and all the conductor strands)

I too was concerned about dirt and debris getting in the connector, and currently have a freezer bag zip tied around it. ( the rubber cover I have does not keep dirt from entering the rear(wire side) of the connector.
My camper feed ends by my rear bumper , tuck up high next to the spare( Ram HD CC SB)

Edit: just woke up enough to realize that the Anderson connectors were likely installed by Julian Electric who makes the winch power kits for Superwinch, not sure if it’s the proper Anderson crimper

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[Retired Tanker]

What’s special about the Anderson lug? I have a set that came installed on #2 wire and I do recall seeing that the crimp was done from 4 sides(IIRC) , but that’s not typical of crimps in general.
What are you hearing is the issue with a hydraulic crimper??, which when used with the proper combo of lugs/wire/crimp dies -provides a 100% void free crimp(essentially making a single homogeneous conductor out of the lug barrel and all the conductor strands)

I too was concerned about dirt and debris getting in the connector, and currently have a freezer bag zip tied around it. ( the rubber cover I have does not keep dirt from entering the rear(wire side) of the connector.
My camper feed ends by my rear bumper , tuck up high next to the spare( Ram HD CC SB)

Edit: just woke up enough to realize that the Anderson connectors were likely installed by Julian Electric who makes the winch power kits for Superwinch, not sure if it’s the proper Anderson crimper

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You can coat your connections with RTV to keep the moisture out. You can glob it all over the connection, cable crimps, etc. It will tear right off if you have to disconnect them later.

We used that all over the tank especially wherever there was a high amperage connection like starter and alternator connections.


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[Stereo]

Alternate idea

What’s special about the Anderson lug?

As explained on the Powerwerx website, if the crimp isn't a circle, it may not fit correctly into the housing which could cause any of the dangerous things that can happen with any poor crimp. Hydraulic crimpers create a flattened hexagon. There are lots of posts and videos on how to solder the terminals instead of crimping, but that has its own issues. The Anderson crimper for cable costs $500. PowerWerx sells a quality knock-off but it's still way too expensive - $90 - for four crimps.

I now have another idea, though, that may solve a couple issues. Using the large Anderson connectors, the connection would necessarily have to be outside the camper because the terminal couldn't be threaded through a small hole into the camper where it would be out of the weather. However, I now think I'll just crimp battery lugs onto the two sections of wire - one that stays on my truck, the other that stays with the camper. With a smaller terminal, I can thread the cable inside the camper and just bolt the battery lugs together on a stud that I can attach to the floor or the wall. Or perhaps I'll bolt the stude under my truck. That way, I can keep the longer length of cable inside the camper during storage. Come summer, thread the length of cable with the battery lug out of the camper and down under my truck bed to wherever I decide to locate the stud. Bolt the lugs onto the stud, cover in dielectric grease, and tape judiciously to keep moisture and grime out during the season of use.

Anyone see any problems with my idea?

 

[ripperj]

I have not done the mod yet, but I bought a 4" marine round hatch. It's the type that just snaps in. I bought two, so I could mod one to be installed when the wire was going thru it, the other intact for weather.


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[ripperj]

http://www.defender.com/product3.js...-vent&path=-1|6880|2290180|2290183&id=1120928


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[Freebird]

Soldered mine. Little pellets of solder either came with the anderson connectors, or were sold to me by the battery shop.
Easy as pie with a cheap miniature torch.
Best way IMO.

 

[IdaSHO]

agreed

add some adhesive heat shrink to seal the insulator to the anderson lug and you have a watertight cable.

Done worry about the lugs not being watertight. Not an issue.


Ive had the house bank in my camper tied to the truck and a 200A continuous duty relay via #2 wire and anderson connectors for years now.

Camper has been removed (and connectors disconnected) from the truck dozens of times.

Soldered, not crimped, and adhesive heat shrink. The fit into the connector is tight, but wasn't an issue.

Never a problem with the anderson connectors, and highly recommended. Solid connection, and fast charge while the engine is running.

 

[ripperj]

I found these, looks like separate part number for each side
The ones I have just cover the front.

https://www.waytekwire.com/item/37700/Anderson-Power-Products-3-6037P1-Boot-with-Cover-/



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[Arclight]

If you need something skinnier than an Anderson Power Pole, you might want to visit your local welding shop. They have single-pole connectors for wire 4 gauge and up.

Arclight

 

[ajmaudio]

Anderson should be fine. Solder it up and be done. Get the nice environmental boots if you want.. I have some on my camper and they are pretty decent. That said.... if you want some fun look up Cam Lok connectors... the mini cam lock would be ideal for stuff like this. We use the big version in live production work daily. They are simple and very very robust.