Well the wire cable manufacturers, distributors, and custom cable makers disagree with your electrical guys. Check the manufacturer websites..see what the folks who actually make the cable what applications they will certify their products.

 

I'd disagree with me too if I was making a profit selling a product. But I'm not.

 

So multiple multi million dollar companies, with certified Electrical Engineers on staff, who's customer base includes NASA, DOD, major airlines etc, and who actually send certificates of material and manufacturing out with their products.... I should not believe them, but instead believe a guy on the Internet who knew a guy... Hummm.... tough choice:

As Abraham Lincoln once said.... don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

 

was these folks, they also build up custom cables.

Performance Custom Cables

https://www.performancecustomcables.com/

 

if you use 2-O cable with proper terminals, and use a Hydraulic press, and Heat Shrink:
there won't be any corrosion.

just to make sure, I coat the terminals with Fluid Film, this pix is for batteries I bought 30 months ago

 

I really don't care if you believe me. I've seen the effects of corrosion on welding cable in automotive applications first hand. I could show you some math, but I won't waste any more keystrokes on you.

 

I want to see that math. Your keystrokes would not be wasted.

I've tinkered around with battery cables since 1977, and am still learning new nuances on the topic, that continuously evolves with advancements in materials.

 

I wanna see the math! The science or any study done on the subject...

Kinda like having my transmission built by BTS, and wondering when to change the fluid
Should I call Brian, the guy who built it and has to warranty it, or listen to a guy on the Internet who knows a guy.
These wire / cable manufacturers, make it and certify it for particular applications, they have to stand behind their products.

 

Welding cable is too coarse, too few strands. Leaves a lot of open voids for air/acid to creep in.

2-O battery cable is over 5,000 copper strands in it.
and a properly crimped terminal will make those strands like a single strand, squeezed so tight, it is impossible to corrode, if the outside is properly treated.

Shrink Wrap and a coating:
for me, Fluid Film / Woolwax, other lanolin based products.

 

(chanting) Let's see the math! Let's see the math!

And let's stop dismissing each other as "some guy on the internet."

We are all here to help. We are all here to learn. We are all here to see perspectives outside of our own experience. And we are all here to share our own experience.

How do we manage to do all this?

By being on the internet. Obviously, we are all on the internet.

Tin cans and string have limited reach.

In pot meet kettle irony, how can I dismiss someone for being on the internet... when I encountered them by being on the internet myself?

Rather than find fault with the messenger, or the means by which the message was conveyed, let's find fault with any fallacies, and focus on finding facts.

Ford ran out of OEM battery cables, and the aftermarket is a swamp that can mislead when only looking at the surface. Alligators and undercurrents exist below the surface, so it is good to take a deeper dive beneath the surface once in a while to share tips and best practices when choosing between battery cable offerings and solutions in the aftermarket.

That is what this thread is about.

So let's see that math!

 

I went down a bit of a rabbit hole when I rewired my boats followed by the trucks.

In this discussion, wire is simply a conduit to transmit electricity. When we start throwing out terms like welding wire, battery cable etc..that really makes it confusing, because these classes of wire service many other applications.

There are basically three classes of wire for automotive battery cables that I know of
First is the Walmart/ AutoZone type cable very few, thick strands of copper. These are good to 60 v, amperage is based on cable size

The second is Class k, which has a lot more thinner strands, good to 600v, commonly called welding cable

The third is Class M, with even smaller and more copper strands, good to 1000v, called diesel and locomotive cable.

I use Class K, very flexible, good oil heat resistance and resistant to cutting, scuffing. Good mid-range between Walmart and Class M

Each of these Classes have industry standards as to strand size and number of strands per wire gage which can be easily located on mfg sites.

 

But I'm not some guy on the internet. I'm me on my computer (or other device), you're the some guy on the internet. Of course I'm going to blame the messenger if the messenger tells me something I don't like, who else am I going to blame?

I agree with you and others on the "welding cable". It costs more, but brings the advantages of better flexability for routing and IIRC increased current carrying capacity. That first one is generally enough of a reason for me to use it. Seems like welding cable is also usually a better quality of material than wire typically marketed as battery cable.

Is there some truth to the corrosion angle that @Pikachu mentions, possibly. For corrosion to be an issue it has to be exposed to a corrosive environment. If the welding cable is properly cleaned before terminating, properly terminated, and properly protected at the terminals, there is no exposure to that corrosive environment. If you aren't going to do those things, then it isn't going to matter what type of cable you use, it's going to have corrosion issues.

I'd join your "Lets see the math!" chant, but I wouldn't know what to do with the math if I saw it. Or if I did know what do do with it, I couldn't be bothered to do it. Math is great, but it doesn't always hold up once exposed to real world variables that it doesn't account for. In these situations I'd rather go with the real world tested results, which say that welding cable makes for great (but expensive) battery cables.

 

Just to be clear, I do not use, nor do I advocate the use of, welding cable for battery cables on a vehicle.

I don't oppose the use of certain types of welding cable as battery cables in a vehicle... but it would depend on the type of welding cable, and I wouldn't be inclined to seek that solution.

And I have a 200 feet of unused heavy gauge welding cable coiled up around here that has probably trebled in value since I bought the spool many years ago.

There are a lot of factors to consider, and I'm interested in reading what other's have to say about it.

 

Well in the interest of being clear, I don't intend to purchase welding cable to make cables for my F-250. Although I have the equipment to make cables, when the time comes I'll be going the CE Auto Electric route. IMO the time and effort saved by purchasing them is worth the price increase over buying materials to DIY.

I did purchase and am using welding cable as battery cables for a special project. I've got a 5k winch for use with my flatbed trailer or anything else I may need a similarly sized winch for. It is mounted on a reciever hitch for versatility, and as such there is no vehicles to mount control box onto. The couple of times I've used it in the past was sans control pack, with a battery hooked directly to posts via jumper cables. It works, but not the greatest idea. I've got a plastic "ammo can" purchased for the purpose of building a control box for the winch, but regular battery cable is too stiff to make a neat install with the needed bends. Welding cable is going to do the job great.

 

Thanks for the suggestions folks.

Thought about DIY but decided the cost savings isn't great enough. I am not a cable builder.