Crimping DC Lugs for my RV & Marine Off Grid Power Systems

In this video, you will see how I put together my cables for my off-grid systems in the RV and especially on the boat. I’m crimping some common sizes today, 2/0 gauge and 6 gauge, using my new hydraulic crimper that makes a nice clean hex crimp. It’s fast and does a really solid job.

A company called Selterm, based in Illinois, sent me some free review samples of their tin-plated lugs and adhesive-lined 3-to-1 shrink tubing to try out. I like them because they’re UL listed, 99 percent copper, have closed ends to keep air and moisture out, and the flanged edges protect the wire.

The boat is pretty old, so a lot of the existing lugs are corroded or pitted, and I’ll be swapping them out this spring to freshen everything up. I also use antioxidant paste on the strands and inside the lug to fight corrosion and improve conductivity, especially important in a salty marine environment.

First, I prep the wire with my Vamplier electrician’s shears and cutters, coat it with the paste, slide it into the lug, and crimp it. I always do a solid tug test afterward. If it pulls, I drop down a die size and try again. With the fine-stranded welding cable, I had to go smaller than the chart suggested to get it really tight. Then I slide on the heavy adhesive shrink tubing and hit it with the heat gun on low, rotating it until the glue squeezes out and seals everything nicely.

Crimping Lugs onto DC Wires Demo Video

I’m happy with how these turned out. For the actual boat work, I’ll be using tinned copper wire for extra corrosion resistance. I’ve got a bunch more to do, so I’ll show the full upgrade in future videos and let you see how these Selterm lugs perform in real use. They seem like a decent product.

Products Mentioned:

• Selterm Amazon Store – Coupon Code: RAYLVRV10 for 10% Off
• AMZCNC Hydraulic Crimper
• Electrician Scissors
• Anti-Oxidant Paste
• Heavy Duty Cable Cutters
• Heat Gun