What is the size of the welding cable I should use to make up 6 volt battery cables. Is there anything else I should do or know. Should the cables be soldered ? Are they to be used for both cables ? Thanks in advance ! Wayne
I use 00 on both sides 6V or 12V. Some say it is overkill. If you have to choose and end up with heavier and lighter use the heavier cable on the ground. Try and run your ground cable as short as possible. I have run soldered ends and crimped ends both with good sucess. it depends on how well the end is attached for either. If you don't solder worth a **** than crimped is the way to go, but be sure that you get a good crimp. If you don't have a good crimping tool than learn to solder.
Thank you. Is 2 ought and double ought the same ? I am having trouble finding double 00 is there something close that will do the same job ? Thanks
00 is double ought is two ought. Same thing. Yes you need the same thickness on both cables. 00 is probably overkill unless the runs are pretty long...how long are the cables you need?
You can probably get away with #2 wire. The thicker it is, the more it costs, the more it weights, and the less voltage drop it has. Less voltage drop in the wires, means more voltage going to the starter. Info about wire gauge sizes: Wire gauge size uses numbers, the smaller the number, the bigger the wire. When you get to zero, you start adding zeros. So #2 is smaller than #0, and #0 is smaller than #00. The really big stuff is #0000 #00 is called "double ought" or "two ought" becuase the word "ought" means "nothing", same as "zero".
Wire size is important, but so is wire count. The more strands it has, the more contact surface, and thus less resistance which is why you want bigger cables.
I just go to the welding supply store and get a piece of the whip lead cable. The regular cable is too big for a battery cable. My store has the battery cable clamps in stock. and they have the proper tool for crimping the connector for the starter motor. They stock it in big rolls so you can get any length that you want. Get some large shrink tube for a finished look.
I just bought ten feet of number 1 the other day. It was cheaper then i thought. The guy at the store said that anything bigger was overkill and was even trying to talk me into number 2. But it is 12 volt. I have found 00 and 0 on big rigs so if there is a big truck yard near you, you could try that.
This is called "skin effect," and you are correct when dealing with AC current at high frequencies. In radar equipment, they even use hollow tubes for conductors to make up for this effect. Skin effect is not an issue with DC, and the only reason to use stranded is for its inherent flexibility.
Just a note on reading here, 6 volt will have higher amperage than 12v, and wire is sized by current, not voltage. That said, for a car, #1 wire is plenty good. I think I've got some 00 running back to a rear mounted battery, so 10' or so and I know that's overkill, but hey, you use what you got sometimes.
0 for a 12 volt system is enough unless the run is really long, but i'd allways use 00 for a 6 volt system
back in the Day when I built My Race Car (1968 ) all the Speed shops got together & ordered 200 strand welding cable for the Battery cable's since most of us ran the Battery in the Trunk and since I had some left over I ran it on my Merc when I changed it over to 12 volt & the Bat is in the Trunk on my Merc. just my 3.5 cents
I bought about 5 feet of )) at the welding supply store and took it to the battery shop. He leaded the ends on three cables. I used two grounds and a live ! One ground to the transmission and one to the frame. The car has never started as well and the lights have never been brighter. Thanks Guys !
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