Is flexible welding wire okay

Stewbuntu

I have about 20 ft of 2 guage welding wire I have left over from upgrading my stick welder to a higher guage. The strands seem looser than the stiff wires that came with my cart. I'm thinking if it can handle welding it can handle a cart as long as the connector ends are stiff enough to no flop around and fray. I have shrink wrap, dielectric grease, and can probably find a dozen+ connectors on Amazon for a decent price (although I haven't looked yet) . I just walked past the coil hanging on the wall after installing a new ignition in my cart and it got me thinking.

Thanks in advance, you guys have really been helping me out with this new-to-me cart.

Sent from my Lenovo PB2-650Y using Tapatalk

BGW

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum

BobBoyce

2 guage welding wire is the best, it's what I use. I buy the terminals from the welding supply store where I buy the wire. They are more expensive than online, but I can buy without having to wait for shipping.

yurtle

Make sure to buy larger lugs for the solenoid. Use 100% rosin flux and the best silver solder you can find.

BobBoyce

That would be silver bearing solder, and not the lead-free variety. The lead-free solders require more heat and wet (bond) to the metals you are soldering less. The result is often solder joints that the solder has not wicked fully into, ie more resistance in the connections. Even lead is a better conductor than copper oxide against copper oxide. I have been battling this ever since lead-free solder has become the new normal at the suppliers.

yurtle

Mine turned out well, and since I had never soldered anything as large as AGW 2, I cut the first one open, to make sure it looked OK. It not only covered 100% of the strands, but even wicked slightly into the insulated part. I then marked the solder, to make sure I got the right amount, and having done a lot of plumbing soldering, I learned to tell when the joint was ready, by the color of the lug.

Attached Images

	IMG_2211.jpg (148.6 KB, 0 views)
	IMG_2203.jpg (166.4 KB, 0 views)
	IMG_2235.jpg (230.2 KB, 0 views)

Stewbuntu

I have always just crimped my boat, winch, etc terminal connectors, won't that be fine? Soldering seems like way to much work for me. Does anyone have numbers - what's the difference in resistance?

What about a bigger gauge? It doesn't cost much

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

yurtle

I have no experience with crimped. I know there are very strong feelings here that favor one, the other, or even both.

Buckle your seatbelts.

JohnnieB

Attached is an excerpt from a Trojan Battery Company White Paper on battery cables, which is also attached in its entirety in PDF form.

Note that the IR photos have different temperature scales, so there is more heat difference than first meets the eye.

Also, the wire gauge vs Amps chart on Pg-1 is continuous amp flow. When driven normally, the continuous amp flow for most carts is in the 50A to 75A range.

Attached Images

Trojan battery cable White Paper - IR Images.jpg (248.8 KB, 0 views)

Attached Files

WP_BatteryCableGuide_0512.pdf (293.1 KB, 0 views)

BobBoyce

Each strand of copper wire is coated with copper oxide, and the surfaces of copper lugs are oxidized. When you only crimp, your electrical connection is made through these resistive oxide layers. During soldering, the flux removes the oxide layers and allows the solder to bold to all surfaces, eliminating the resistance. Sure, lead is not a great conductor, but it is a much better conductor than copper oxide layers.

Stewbuntu

Very interesting stuff. It esp makes sense with the high amps out carts deal with. I read that copper pipe Flux is better for copper oxide as it's more corrosive.

So do you fill the connector with Flux, dip the wire in, crimp, then solder, but how do you get it hot enough inside the connector without melting the wire jacket, but hot enough to pull in the solder?

I need to try and find some videos on YouTube to see the color copper has to be in order to melt solder (plumbing type videos), I can't remember after years.

I put in a new ignition last night after I jumped it for a day, and we are loving our new cart. On the first day of it running we went out for breakfast and my wife giggled a lot while driving it. When she put it in reverse, drove all the way around a restaurant building, and crossed through some grass near the forest - she is like a kid :)

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk