Crimping and arthritis

One of the hardest things to do these days is to use my spade lug crimper. I sometimes can put the crimpers on a hard surface and lean down on them with my body weight. But most times I make bad crimps because I no longer have the hand strength to squeeze them with the force that's required.

Today I tried a pair of Robogrips to squeeze the handles of the crimpers and that sort of worked but it's awkward. I am going to hunt down some clamps and see if I can't make some grooved slip-over jaws for them. I would be afraid that a c-clamp or even a vise-grip type plier would slip off the crimper handles.

I see that there are crimpers that use different forms of leverage to make them easier to use. I am just wondering if anyone owns a pair of such crimpers or can recommend a way to use the one I have now more effectively.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Reply to
Robert Green
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If you are using one of those cheapies, something with more leverage may be better.

This is the kind I've used for 40 years

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Reply to
philo 

What size lugs? Some of the hydraulic crimpers are down in the $50 range. The supplied dies go down to about 4mm but you might be able to adapt something. Then it would just be pumping like a Greenlee hydraulic chassis punch.

Reply to
rbowman

Maybe you can try one like this ebay number.

eBay item number:

380862395211

It ratchets and will not release before the full crimp is made.

I don't use them for terminals but use some similar to them for crimping coax connectors with.

I use the ones like philo uses for the electrical terminals, but if I had troubel with them, I would try the ones that ratchet.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

Might be of no use, but....

  • Can you put the lug on back of your vise, and pound it shut with a hammer?
  • Would a C-clamp work better?

Arthritis is totally no fun.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I used to suffer from arthritis but not any longer.

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Reply to
Jimbo

I added 15 inch long tubes over the handles of my nail nipper, not from pain, just weaker. Can you add tubes over the handles? Twice the leverage may make it comfortable again.

Reply to
RobertMacy

You just reminded me! We used to have a pneumatically powered crimper in Production! like using an automatic stapler, insert, thing senses the insertion and stomps, done.

With all the manufacturing moving offshore, bet you can pick one up somewhere.

Reply to
RobertMacy

I recall getting a tire repaired and a few days later needed to remove it to do a brake job.

The shop way over torqued it and I could not get it off with my

4-way...so I put a large pipe over it. Rather than removing the bolts, all I managed to do was convert my 4-way into a pretzel.

I took the car back to the shop and had him loosen the bolts. I showed him my deformed 4-way and told him: "I could not loosen them, and it's not because I'm a wimp."

Reply to
philo 

I think there's a testosterone thing about put lugs on so tight the next guy can't get em loose. I've had that happen enough times. I've taken to insist on finger tight, and I'll torque them in the parking lot. The air heads give me a lot of crap about that "wheel will fall off".

On aluminum rims, it's essential to retorque, the next day and 2nd day after. Those are at risk of falling off (this, I know....)

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Mostly the 1/4" female quick disconnects that are found on small 12V gel cell batteries - the kind that a normally done by a "cheapy" unit that's all a wire-stripper with different sized holes along the inside edges of the tool.

Haven't found any likely candidates so far but I am still searching. I found a fairly nice kit but it was for coaxial hex crimps, something I couln't crimp with non-hydraulic tools even before arthritis found me.

Yes! That's exactly what I need. I have a pair of Ideal waterproof coax crimpers that are articulated like bolt cutters that I can still use but I haven't found anything like them for spade lugs and don't see how I could adapt them to do what I want.

The search continues . . .

Thanks for your input, Mr. Bowman (and my apologies if you're a Ms. )

Reply to
Robert Green

Very similar to these which might do the trick:

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Otherwise I am thinking of welding or bolting threaded rod to one handle and then feeding it through a hole in the other handle. Then I can use a huge wingnut or a large hex nut with a socket wrench to tighten it. Rube Goldberg would be proud.

Thanks for your input, Philo.

Reply to
Robert Green

The one you found looks like a goods one and is less expensive that the link I had posted. Should be better than the Rube Goldberg method

Reply to
philo 

Ball peen hammer, and anvil?

C-clamp?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Wow! We may have a winner here! They are articulated like bolt cutters and my Ideal coax crimper.

I suspect we own the same coax crimper.

I can hardly type the last few days I jammed up my hand so badly trying to crimp a replacement connector.

Only downside is that shipping is almost as much as the crimping tool. Oh well. If I had to drive around looking for these, it would probably cost a lot more in time and gas that $11 - hmmm Ebay has been redesigning their pages again - why is it showing me Canadian postal rates- ah, this is Ebay du Canada! Are you from the Great White Way?

Actually, the item's listing lead me to a very productive search phrase for Google:

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There's a lot of potential winners out there.

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That's the kind of leverage I need in the handles.

It's funny. My first Google searches were pretty inconclusive but once I read a few replies and picked out the important search terms, there's a whole hardware store full of "crimps for gimps" out there. Thanks, Ralph.

Reply to
Robert Green

I've seen some pretty hefty crimpers but a pneumatic one, while intriguing, might be a little too bulky. I will search Ebay however. I want one that's articulated like bolt cutters so that a large movement of the handles results in a tiny but very powerful movement of the crimping jaws. But I suspect I am going to go with the kind that Ralph M. suggested.

[time passes]

In fact, I just bought:

S&G Tool Aid 18900 Professional Ratcheting Terminal Crimper for $19.88 from Amazon because they're pretty good about returning things. I hope that a ratchet mechanism will compensate for my weakened hands but it's also possible I'll need one with longer handles for greater leverage. The ones I've found so far are in the $60 range. However, if the S&G unit doesn't work, I'll spend the money since a bad crimp can be a real problem.

Thanks for your input, Robert.

- Bobby G.

Reply to
Robert Green

I bought a ratcheting crimper from Amazon for $20 (free shipping!)

S&G Tool Aid 18900 Professional Ratcheting Terminal Crimper $19.88

But I am already having buyer's remorse because I think with weak hands longer handles trump a ratcheting mechanism. The Channel Lock style crimpers have a cutter on the end and I can always use another cutter, especially with superlong handles. We'll see. If the S&G doesn't work out, I'll go for the Channel Locks. I came across what I thought was a Vise-grip style crimper - really the ideal solution because of the force they can apply, but it was made by them but not like a pair of Vise-grip pliers.

FWIW, your post led me one level up to a page listing of all sorts of crimpers which eventually led to the Channel Locks (and the S&G unit I ended up buying, so thanks!

PS. My wife was reading over my shoulder and asked me what I would do when my Rube Goldberg threaded rod solution snapped the handle off my cheap crimper and embedded a fragment of it in my skull. Note to DD: wives ARE getting smarter!

Reply to
Robert Green

Wow, you must have *really* thick fingernails. Oh, wait, you mean hammering type nails. (-:

NOW you tell me!!! Where were you when I was clicking "Buy it now?" I'll bet that would work because what I need most is increased leverage. Oh well, a new $20 toy isn't too much of a burden to bare. (-: If it doesn't work out, your idea is next up on the list.

Reply to
Robert Green

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Hope it works for you. It looks like it should to the trick.

Even though I Rube Goldberg everything, I get the best tools I can afford. It's worth it.

Reply to
philo 

That was just the first one I ran across. There should be lots similar to it. The one (actually have several) I have you can replace the jaws for differant things, but there was not too much differance in the jaws and the whole think , so I just went with the whole thing.

Once you get the connector started you can use both hands on them. Maybe even extend the handles if needed.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

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