When working with wires and connectors, you will often need to crimp them. Four gauge wires are no different. If you don’t know how to do so yourself, read on for a quick solution. This article provides the details you need to stop a bad electrical connection from scaring you.
Step 1: Choose the Right Size Ferrule Connector
Since you have a four-gauge wire, go for a four-gauge ferrule connector. This way, you’ll minimize the risk of having loose connections at the end of it all.
Step 2: Strip the Wires
Use a crimping die that matches your wire gauge, which is four for the best result. After that, place ¼ inch of the wire’s end into the crimping die.
Note: The crimping dies’ color-coded holes can guide you on where to place the different colored wires.
Measure the ferrule tube’s length and then strip the same length of the wire insulation.
Step 3: Insert the Stripped Wire’s End into the Ferrule Terminal
Insert the wire’s end gently, ensuring the ferrule’s bell-type entry guides the stranded wire smoothly to the insulation. Stop doing this as soon as you notice the conductor is no longer visible, and the wire’s tip touches the tube’s bottom.
Remove more wire insulation using a wire stripper if the strip section is shorter than required.
If this section is longer, use ordinary wire cutters or a pair of diagonal pliers to cut it to length.
Step 4: Crimp the Ferrule Assembly
Use your crimping tool to crimp the ferrule assembly. To do this, insert the ferrule terminal assembly inside the crimping tool’s jaw and squeeze the handles firmly. Once you’ve tightly secured your four-gauge wire into the ferrule connector, move on to the next step.
Here are other steps (Perform if you are not sure whether the connection is firm:
Step 5: Perform a Pull Test
Ensure the wires are firmly crimped. To do this, try to pull the ferrule off. If you notice any wiggling or it comes off, repeat the last two steps above.
If the ferrule remains firmly attached, you’ve made a high-quality connection.
Step 6: Solder the Wire
If the pull test reveals that the connector is loose, you can solder the wire to the connector. Choose this method if you have the required soldering skills and don’t want to start all over.
Here are the steps to follow to solder the joint between the wire and the connector with ease and get the desired result:
- Insert the hot tip of the soldering tool into the joint.
- Apply a small amount of solder wire.
- Solder the joint until the wires are firmly crimped.
Note: For the best result, you need to use a 30-W to 60-W soldering iron that solders at between 500 and 600 °F (260 to 316 °C).
If the tip of the soldering gun gets messy, clean it. This ensures the connection remains as clean as possible.
If you want an alternative method, you have one. Though, it’s almost the same as the one we’ve seen above.
These are the steps:
Step 1. Purchase the appropriate crimper.
Step 2: Strip the wire and twist the exposed part together to increase its density.
Step 3: Attach the connector. Be sure you squeeze the crimper over the barrel with a lot of force until you get the desired result.
Step 4: If the wire remains loose, follow the same steps above to solder the wire to the connector.
Step 5: Seal the terminal with a heat shrink or electrical tape.
FAQs
How can you crimp four gauge wire without a crimping tool?
If you don’t have a ferrule crimping tool or crimper, you can still go ahead and crimp your four-gauge wire. Though, it would help if you took a lot of care here. You can use an ordinary plier.
Start by confirming the wire gauge. In this case, it should be four. Move on and choose the appropriate ferrule connector. Once you are done, strip away the insulation on the wire’s end. Remove approximately 1 cm.
Fix the ferrule connector over the wire end and ensure the wire strands fit inside the ferrule tube. At the same time, ensure the stripped wire goes through the metal tube, and the insulation touches the tube’s top.
Use your pliers to crimp the ferrule terminal assembly. Now that you are using pliers crimp the terminals twice instead of the standard crimping tool. Start with the conductor end and then proceed to the insulation. To ensure a secure bond, you should crimp with different settings.
Lastly, inspect the bond and heat shrink the joint. You can solder the join if necessary.
When should I use a 4 gauge wire connector?
You can get good results by using a four gauge wire connector to crimp your four gauge wires. For that to happen, crimp a small part of the barrel onto your wire insulation and another portion of the stripped wire end.
You can also choose these connectors if you want a crimp that works as a metal extension to your wire ends, offering different configurations.
Is a 4 gauge ferrule crimper ideal for crimping your wires?
Yes, a four gauge wire ferrule works almost the same way as a four gauge wire crimp connector that we’ve just talked about above. You can use any of them to crimp your wires without any problem.
As already said, crimp connectors enable you to crimp part of the barrel onto the insulation onto the wire insulation and the stripped wire end. However, you only get results for ferrules if you crimp the metal tubing onto the bare wire.
Another key difference is that a crimp connector serves as a metal extension, while a ferrule tube serves as a cap that wraps the stripped-stranded wire.
So, once you understand how a four gauge ferrule and four gauge wire crimp connector work, you can decide whether to use the crimper or not.
Conclusion
With the basic tools and tips we’ve shared here, you can crimp your four gauge wire without any issue. After using a 4 gauge ferrule crimper or four gauge wire crimp connector a few times to attach your wires, you’ll perfect the art of crimping your wires and significantly reduce the time you spend doing so. We trust this article has given you the information and morale you require to start crimping your bad wires straight away.