| Author | Message | ||
| vern rainville
Rating: N/A |
Starting the coach portion of the wiring. Can anyone recommend a national chain store for my wiring supplies? Wire,grommets, connectors, splices,terminations, crimping tool, power distribution, ect. I do not want to shop for the "best deal" as time is still valuable to me.And yes Pete RTS / Daytona, I am starting the dash. Vern (in RI) | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Rating: N/A |
I get my wiring and supplies from WayTek Inc. www.waytekwire.com They handle many different kinds of automoble wiring as well as terminals, cennectors, heat shrink tubing, circuit breakers, external truck lighting, etc. I feel they have great quality at a fair price. Jack | ||
| bowlingshoegiverouter Rating: N/A |
the first fellow told you correctly....don't pay any attention to stan...he's a troublemaker | ||
| Larry Rating: N/A |
Harbor Frieght .................. | ||
| John that newguy Rating: N/A |
Almost any hardware or automotive parts store has bulk stranded wire, Crimp ends, etc., all of decent quality. The cheaper stuff may not be of the same quality. For dashboard work, I wouldn't want the crimp end falling apart, or insulation cracking. Having a tie-wrap break isn't quite the same as having the oil, or heat gauge quit, or to lose brake lights, or the ability to start the bus.... The tools are cheaper at Horror Fright, but you may be making trips back to replace them; save your receipts. They're good at replacing any item that breaks, even better than Sears and at 1/3 the price.... If you have the time.. | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A |
Srtay away from the cheap stuff!!Buy quality connectors and a crimping tool from Waytek or similiar. The pep Boys type terminals are no good for permanent connections. Richard | ||
| BrianMCI Rating: N/A |
If you choose pretty carefully you can have good results at Harbor frieght... As far as solderless crimp connectors and terminals go I have found that almost any xolderless connector will lose it's plastic insluator if exposed to sunlight for very long... they become very brittle. As long as the connector is wraped in tape or heat shrunk and the terminal is not exposed to sunlight they hold up really well. There is only one type of connector that strongly advise against... 3M splice-loks a bad connection waiting to happen. When it comes to solderless connectors the one piece of advice I would like everyone to take to heart is this: When you crimp the connector or terminal onto the wire SQUEEZE the crimper like you mean it... Then grab the wire and PULL on the terminal or connector. Nothing worse in wiring diagnosis than a bad connection because of an inadequately crimped terminal. Brian | ||
| Cliff (Floridacracker)
Rating: N/A |
Hi Vern, Check out Waytek, their prices and quality seem to be in the ballpark and no chasing around for individual items. Order the catalog online and you can drool over everything. I think I just removed my 2000th rivet and the roof is going up in the next couple of weeks. Have fun on the "Big Bus". Cliff | ||
| R.C. Bishop
Rating: N/A |
Waytek....hands down. >  ( thanx to Scott Whitney...BTW, where are you Scott? ) RCB | ||
| Glenn MC-9 Rating: N/A |
Well, here's my opinion. Most any electrical product will "get you by" but you want to do it right the first time. So this is what I would recommend... 1. Use good quality "solid barrel" lugs. What I mean is the area that you'll be crimping to the wire should not have a split in the barrel; it should be solid. Burndy and T&B make them. If a “split barrel” is used, you may or may not get a good crimp on your wire. 2. Buy a good quality crimping tool. Again, Burndy or T&B makes a good one. You can find either at Lowes or Home Depot for around $18.00. NOTE: Some crimping tools are marked for insulated terminals or non-insulated terminals. Some are even marked for both. There is a difference! 3. Don't use cheap tape. 3M makes a good quality tape (Scotch 33+). It will take the extreme temperature changes that you wiring may be subject to in the future. 4. The same goes for "heat shrink" tubing. The cheaper stuff is subject to split if you get it to hot and also is not very pliable after it cools. Again, 3M make some that will not split, plus it stays pliable so you can bend and shape it in tight places. Understand that I’m not saying that Harbor Freight or the other stores have inferior products. I've used some of the products they offer for different projects with decent results. But, when you’re talking about your electrical system; you don’t need to go with “the cheap way out”. I always have to remind myself when I doing work on our coach…”If you have time to do a job over… you had time to do it right the first time”. Glenn | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: N/A |
If you prefer the fine marine wiring that most of the Name pro converters use , there are many discounters. By brand the Anchor line of wire and terminal ends can't be beat. Cole Hersey makes fine DC and AC (yes there IS a difference) switches. And many co. make circuit breaker panels that are small , and built to be seen , rather than basement mounted like Home Depot stuff. Excelent wiring will make your coach a pleasure to own , but harder to sell to the insurance company. FAST FRED | ||
| CoryDaneRTS Rating: N/A |
LOL, FF I can't agree with you more..... I think marine wiring has its superiority but the insurance co seems to ask a lot more questions. They don't ask all those question about the car I insure, nor the boat. What gives? cd | ||
| Vin (Billybonz)
Rating: N/A |
I solder all my terminals, whether solderless or not. Doesn't take that much time or additional cost. Vin | ||
| vern rainville
Rating: N/A |
Thanx guys, I got enough to get going. Learned some tidbits, too. Vern (in RI) | ||
| steve souza (Stevebnut)
Rating: N/A |
Hey Vern-- My brother got me some stainless crimp terminals. They are tough to crimp but once done they don't come apart. I then used heat shrink for a seal. Worked for me and i think they can be had at any electric supply Steve in mass | ||
| CoryDaneRTS Rating: N/A |
(" I solder all my terminals, whether solderless or not. Doesn't take that much time or additional cost. ") I used to to that exactly, especially in my teens when wiring hi powered amps and things for cars. The problem was, the wire would always eventually break or be very brittle where the wire meets the solder. Even when soldering in the crimp, when the wire was soldered, it became solid, and the valuable ability to be "flexible" was lost, and the wire took on a different kind of storage behavior. NOW, I do have some uses for soldering, but, I tend to CRIMP, fold over and tape. This is also benefitical for soldering only you need to be assured that the soldered joint will see no movement between the flex wire and the point where the solder meets. Tape it really well to prevent that weak point to be able to break the wires. When attaching the connectors to a terminal, again just crimping is good but soldering tends to give a better electrical connection, BUT you must tie(tape) all the wires together back to prevent movement. Where the solder meets the wire is the weak spot and preventing the movement of any kind will maintain a good tight connection free of breaks. " Thinking soldering can make a strong connection and help reduce heat from connections as long as you 'protect' the soldered joint from movement" cd | ||
| Vin (Billybonz)
Rating: N/A |
"The problem was, the wire would always eventually break or be very brittle where the wire meets the solder." CD, That can be a problem but the key is to not let the solder wick up to the insulation. All I do is strip the conductor a bit longer than the barrel of the terminal. Then crimp it, flux and solder right where the conductor peeks out of the barrel. The main thing I'm looking to do insure the wire can't be pulled out of the terminal. To waterproof the terminals I use Dip-It, that plactic rubber stuff used on tool handles and what-not. Just bend the wire in a J shape and submerge the barrel. This also helps reduce any vibration strain at the crimp. Vin | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: N/A |
"My brother got me some stainless crimp terminals." MUCH UNGOOD , Stainless only has 3 or 4% of the amp capacity of pure copper. Change them out ,for happy DC use. FAST FRED | ||
| CoryDaneRTS Rating: N/A |
I have tried to solder just the tips of wire sticking out from the connector. Its a trick to not wick into the wire. The hot solder moves fast and the connector holds the heat. I think you do the best you can to keep the solder in the connector but still tap well to prevent movement. Iv'e done this for many years now with success. for low currents just crimping is more than efficient. For High currents, I like to solder the connector on. Another problem can be the connector getting hot enough (loose screw, wire problem) to melt the solder. if the crimp is not tight, or not crimped at all, the wire can come out. Well, it is a learning curve and to everyones prefference. I am sure everyone may have had differing experiences. As long as you are satisfied with your connections and secure that they will be safe, then you are set. My experience is above for anyone to use as ideas. Good luck cd | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A |
1. Many of the marine components that FF advocates are not UL listed and are typically much higher priced than components manufactured for the electrical industry. A fire inspector could reject an insurance claim if the coach was not wired utilizing UL listed components. 2. Crimp style terminals are not designed to be soldered and a UL inspector will reject them. You must use a latching type crimper which will assure proper crimping tension and the copper of the conductor will "flow" into the copper of the terminal. Stainless is no good, as it will not flow properly. 3. The highest standard of wiring that I am aware is NASA, and they do not permit soldered crimp terminals. Richard |