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98 Ranger EV new old batteries

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howard.hansen:
Ranger Update long version:

The Ranger doesn't want to go and it's behind a snow bank so it's not moving very soon.  And the horrible van is stuck in the sand out of state in February.  There's no chance of that hitting the road in the foreseeable future.  I'll call the insurance company to drop coverage.  Getting the card out of the Ranger I notice the dome light doesn't come on.  Avcon refuses to charge Ranger.  So I contact the guy with the Cadillac Volt from NDEW last year.  His job includes the maintenance of backup batteries so the computers at his work never go down.  As a result he's regularly selling for scrap batteries that are not dead yet.  Excellent timing!  He's swapping some of his the following weekend.  Scrap value is 38 cents a pound.  Yikes!  That's about triple what I got last time I turned in a pack.  Still, $20 a battery is a good gamble.  And I have plenty to turn in as long as I hurry before the price changes.  I need 26 X 12 volts = 312 volts.  $600 later and 2 trips in my wife's lovely yet overloaded Rav4 hybrid I now have 30 12 volt AGM batteries, the same dimensions as what I had previously.  That includes 4 spares in case I get some duds.  Some of them had a load tester put on them to check their condition.  So yesterday I stuck them in the truck bed, found some miscellaneous 1/4-20 bolts, wired them all parallel and stuck the little smart charger on them.  They should be fully charged in a couple of days. 

Here's where my questions start.  The old batteries have studs and take 5/16" nuts.  New batteries take 1/4" bolts.  Is it unwise to use existing cables from Ford that have holes sized for the 5/16 studs?  Cables would fit better with a washer between the cable end and battery.  Should the washer be stainless steel?  Should I get stainless steel bolts?  Or should I get new cables?  If so I'll need advice on where to get materials.  I seem to remember there's a giant crimping tool for battery cables.  So I might be asking to borrow that. 

I'll appreciate any expert advice.  Hoping to get my grin on this spring!

jeff.green:
Its a lot cheaper to use stainless steel washers. You can make your own cables out of wire and copper pipe. The pipe is smashed down on the wire with a vice and then soldered in with electrical solder.

jeffrey.miller:
Howard

I am sure quite a few of us would like to help out building cables and all that. 

Make sure to use Antiseeze on Stainless bolts, otherwise they may gall and have real issues. 

Jeff has mentioned the cheap process for making cables, and there are crimpers around if you want to use the nice but expensive connectors. 

Let me know if he has some more, I am interested in a set of 10+ for various home/car projects.  The best 10 would power a a pair of 6KW UPS I have here that I want to use for summer peak shaving. 

Good luck
Jeff

rich.rezny:
Make step bushings out of copper tubing. 5/16 O.D. tubing has an I.D. of 1/4". Use a flaring tool to make a flat on one side.

tim.moore:
I think Rich Rezny ideas should be the first option.

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