Crimping tools with interchangeable heads, Question.

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sw_ross

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I’m looking at some battery operated crimp tools that have interchangeable heads.
I’m trying to understand the differences in the heads and the information is confusing me.

I’m looking at a 6-ton crimp tool. Interchangeable heads are

One head has “O Fixed Die/D3 Groove Crimping Die”
The other head has “BG Fixed Die/D3 Groove”

Both heads are compatible with W-style dies.

what is the difference with O Fixed Die and BG Fixed Die?
What are the pros/cons of each?

What I’m looking for in this tool is the ability to do butt splice crimps to repair damaged wire, or extend wire length. Or to install a crimp connector to install on a stud lug.

The tool won’t be used daily. I want to be confident in my purchase before dropping ~$3K...

I’ve asked some related questions on this topic in the recent past, just seeking some clarification.
Thanks.
 
Maybe I should just be focused on using the W-style dies,
in which case it doesn’t matter which toolhead I get since I can’t find an explanation of what the O Fixed die and the BG Fixed die are and what the difference is between the 2 of them...
 
sw_ross said:
Maybe I should just be focused on using the W-style dies,
in which case it doesn’t matter which toolhead I get since I can’t find an explanation of what the O Fixed die and the BG Fixed die are and what the difference is between the 2 of them...
Click to expand...
The O die is for things like smaller size H taps.
BG is for things like what you are doing with lugs, etc.

you need to ask yourself, are you going to use H taps or round taps like insulinks.
 
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Hv&Lv said:
The O die is for things like smaller size H taps.
BG is for things like what you are doing with lugs, etc.

you need to ask yourself, are you going to use H taps or round taps like insulinks.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info.
Would I be correct to assume that H taps would allow an irreversible crimp for a GEC?
I would like to be able to do that...
 
CF44-1 is non reversible That takes BG just pay attention to the difference of the CF44 versus the CFS44. Same wire, different design.
also the nico press sleeves that take an XPJ tool.

ABB INSTALLATION PRODUCTS CF44-1 Taps, Cable-Cable | WESCO

Taps, Cable-Cable: Connector Type - Compression Overhead Cable Tap; Material - Copper; Shape - Figure H; Conductor Type - CU; Run, Solid - 4-6 sol CU; Run, Str
buy.wesco.com buy.wesco.com
 
oldsparky52 said:
I do not understand the push against dieless crimp tools. I would use nothing else.
Click to expand...
We have some of those also. Some engineers don’t like them for whatever reason. I have a set at home I bought about 35 years ago. I have an old hammer indent also if nothing else will work.
 
tom baker said:
Have you considered a dieless tool? Seems like Milwaukee makes a battery version
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I have used a dieless tool (hydraulic hand pump Greenlee) when I worked for another contractor.
It worked fine and was simple. You didn’t have to be concerned about dies.

I keep going back to the idea of going dieless to keep things simple but they’re not cheap either so I had thought that if I could figure out the die thing I could have a tool that would produce a better crimp (?).

The reason I was looking at battery operated tools is the capability to install a butt splice on a 4/0 wire when you only have access to sixteen inches of wire in a trench that’s 30” deep and you’re on your belly in the dirt...

Milwaukee make a nice looking battery operated dieless crimped that does what I want but it’s $4,500.
I thought if I could figure out the die thing I could get a tool that would do what I wanted for less than $4500.

Klein makes a crimper with head that uses dies for about $2K. I could get Burndy dies for $1000.
Or I could get a dieless hand pump Burndy crimper for about $2500.
 
sw_ross said:
The reason I was looking at battery operated tools is the capability to install a butt splice on a 4/0 wire when you only have access to sixteen inches of wire in a trench that’s 30” deep and you’re on your belly in the dirt...
Click to expand...

www.galco.com

USPA-350SS-DB

AL MEC INS (A)350-10(B)350-10 UL
www.galco.com www.galco.com
 
sw_ross said:
The reason I was looking at battery operated tools is the capability to install a butt splice on a 4/0 wire when you only have access to sixteen inches of wire in a trench that’s 30” deep and you’re on your belly in the dirt...
Click to expand...

How often do you do this and is it worth the cost?

I do have hand crimping tool that was expensive enough for no more than it gets used most the time, but have had it about 25 years also. If I need to splice that conductor in the ground the back hoe doesn't complain too much about making the hole big enough to get the tool (plus myself) in the hole.
 
kwired said:
How often do you do this and is it worth the cost?

I do have hand crimping tool that was expensive enough for no more than it gets used most the time, but have had it about 25 years also. If I need to splice that conductor in the ground the back hoe doesn't complain too much about making the hole big enough to get the tool (plus myself) in the hole.
Click to expand...
That’s my issue.
I wouldn’t use it very often and I’m having a hard time justifying the price.
 
GoldDigger said:
Some inspectors may look for the imprint of die size/type to confirm proper tool was used. Unlikely, but possible.
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While he is down in the hole looking for it I can start backfilling, right? :unsure:

I only have the O, BG and D3 dies on a hand crimper, O and D3 are fixed and the BG installs within space taken by the D3 and none of them even leave an ID imprint. I think just the W dies leave an imprint - if they would be installed and used.
 
sw_ross said:
That’s what I’ve been using since I don’t have a crimper. I used 6 of them to repair the triplex cable that was damaged last week.
Do you feel the integrity of the splice is as good as an actual crimp?
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Probably not, but we have many in the ground that are over 30 years old with no problems.
We still use them for bad undergrounds
 
Some crimpers (Greenlee Gators) have interchangeable die adapters so you can use say U dies and KC dies on the same crimper.

The big advantage of die crimpers is they are MUCH cheaper if you want hex crimping. On smaller lugs at 600 V or less where single indent is acceptable you can hand mechanical or hydraulic crimp up to around 4/0. After that generally in the indent crimpers mostly what I see are the quad crimp types. These are OK at 600 V but once you get up into medium voltage many of the termination kits specifically forbid these. Not so much the stress cone types but the molded fittings like elbow connectors specifically only allow hex crimps.

In terms of dies U and I think W are standardized and universal. So a Greenlee die works in a Milwaukee crimper. Theoretically there is competition so the dies should be cheaper but in reality it’s basically “house brand” vs. “name brand” so U dies are more expensive than say Greenlee KC dies. There are a lot of dies and crimpers for utilities but when it comes to one hole and two hole copper lugs and barrel splices not as much available. 6 ton crimpers tend to stop before you get to 500 MCM so I suggest getting the 12 ton so you can do any common electrical crimp.
 
electrofelon said:
For underground, particularly aluminum, I dont really think the type of connection is that important to longevity, the important thing is the waterproofing.
Click to expand...
Well yes, even no connection but whith a hole in insulation will still cause underground aluminum to fail usually in pretty short time.
 
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