Homemade
Quick Connect Jumper Cables
To
start off, I already have the Warn Quick Connect
Plug setup that
came with my winch. It's just a set of cables that connect to the
battery with a quick connect plug on the end. If you don't have one of
these they can be easily made. More on that later.
Materials you
will need:
- 2x12' sections of 2 AWG (Or any
length really, I just wanted 12' jumper cables. Go to your
local welding supply or high end stereo shop to find this cable. You
want it to be as flexible as can be.)
- 1 Warn Quick Connect Plug w/
terminals AND
Dust Cover (optional)
(PN 22680-this is for 2 plugs with terminals, which you will need if
you don't already have the aforementioned battery cables; PN 25933 for
the dust cover). If you can't find the Warn plugs, a company called
Anderson Power Products makes the very same plug. Look on Ebay.
- Jumper Cable Clamps (available at
any parts store)
- Hammer-Style Crimping tool
- Big Hammer
- Wire Cutter or Razor Knife
- Torch or Hair Dryer
- Heat Shrink Tubing to fit 2 AWG (I got mine on Ebay)
Let's
start on the plug side. Use the wire cutter to trim back about an
inch and a half of the insulation. This needs to be long enough to fit
all the way down in the terminal.
After You have
trimmed down the insulation, insert the end of the cable
into the terminal. Place it in the crimping tool and beat the heck out
of it.
I
then cut off about five inches of heat shrink tubing and sleeved it
over the terminal end. I used a MAPP torch to shrink it, but a hair
dryer will work. Remember, we're only trying to heat the tubing, not
burn it.
After
you have repeated on the other piece of cable, simply slide the
terminals into the plug. I don't know if you can make it out in the
picture but the plug has plus (+) and minus (-) symbols on it to
represent positive and ground. This is very cool, because it is
impossible to insert the plug the wrong way. Positive will always line
up with positive and ground will always line up with ground. Pretty
sweet, huh?
Note:
If
you don't have the battery end cables that I mentioned at the beginning
of this write up you will need to repeat all the steps above to make a
second plug. You will have to get battery lugs to attach to the ends if
you make a set of these.
Now, on
to the business end of the jumper cables. The first thing
that I did was trim down about an inch of the insulation. In hindsight
I should have waited until I was ready to attach them to the clamps. I
had a lot of heat shrink tubing so I took a 9' section and melted it
around the plug end of the cables. This isn't necessary, but I just
wanted to burn something else.
MAKE
SURE YOU ARE WORKING WITH THE POSITIVE
CABLE COMING FROM THE PLUG! Thread
the cable through the clamp after removing half of the clamp (the end
should have a screw holding it into place.) Cut some heat shrink and
thread it down the cable BEFORE you clamp down on the brass end from
the jumper cable clamp. Now, before you clamp down make sure that the
heat shrink is in place and MAKE SURE
YOU ARE WORKING WITH THE POSITIVE CABLE COMING FROM THE PLUG!
Crimp the clamp into place and heat the tubing around the end of the
cable.
Now repeat with the negative side. After you are done triple check the
positive and negative connections.
Finished
product. I used a piece of cable wrap to tie
up the cables and
zip-tied the dust cover onto the cable so I wouldn't lose it.
There,
all done. Here are some links regarding quick connect cables. I
paid about $30 total for mine (Jumper Cable end ONLY). If you had to
fab up the battery end I would guess it would run you another $20 or
so. Still way cheaper than the Warn ($109.95) or Painless ($220)
systems. The Painless system comes with PARTS ONLY. So you have to pay
about $220 AND put it together yourself. Or you can spend about $50 and
do it my way.
Here's
a
link to
Pirate4x4 on a write up that inspired me to make my own.
And
in closing, NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER
attach the negative clamp to the terminal on the battery of the vehicle
that you are jumping off. Batteries can expel dangerous fumes that can
be ignited by the spark that jumper cables create when attached to a
battery. Attach the negative end to a good ground surface like the
engine block or the frame rail.
