Four Great Ways Anyone Can Replace a Battery Clamp

Battery clamps can corrode, get loose or crack--and some customers will come looking for a way to put a new clamp on their existing cable. There's the old inexpensive saddle-type clamp, but that isn't a very good solution. There are actually four very good ways anyone can replace a battery clamp without special tools.

Easiest and best: Quick Cable Compression Connectors. These are high quality cast copper heavy duty connectors you install with a wrench and a screwdriver. These are tried and true and actually the first product Quick Cable brought to market as a Quick Connector.

Not quite as easy, but a super connector: Quick Cable Fusion Connectors. These connectors are cast copper, heavy duty, and have solder and flux built in. You need a pair of Vise Grips or something to hold the connector and a torch, but you can make a superior, permanent connection easily. There are safety considerations if you're working under the hood with an open flame--you have to be well away from the battery, fuel lines etc.

Almost as good as the first two: Quick Cable Tie Bolt connectors. These work on cable from 6 to 1 gauge; the patented tie bolt design clamps down around the wire for complete contact so there is a secure electrical connection.



All three of these ideas are great as long as you have enough battery cable available. Sometimes, though, if you cut a bad clamp off, then the cable is too short and if you put a new clamp on, it won't reach. That leads to the last idea: Quick Replacement Ends.

Quick replacement ends put together a replacement battery connector, a length of cable, and either a tie bolt or a compression cable connector. Now, you can replace a connector without special tools and without worrying about whether you can reach the battery.

You don't have to have all the specialty tools that a cable making shop has to fix a battery cable. You just have to have the right connectors. With the right solutions you can help your customers out of a bind and help them do a DIY repair that works.

Is That a Jump Pack in Your Trunk?

If it is, it's the start of a good idea. No matter what the calendar says, winter is here and it's starting out with some serious cold and bad weather.



So a lot of people keep a jump starter--like one of our Rescue Portable Power Packs in their trunk for emergencies. That's great but you have to remember one thing: Keep it charged!

The same cold weather that is challenging the battery under your hood is working on the battery in your jump starter, and over time it loses its charge. You don't want to be counting on your back-up system, only to find it is unable to do the job.

Quick Cable recommends charging your Rescue Portable Pack every 30 days or after every use. If you live in a really cold climate, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try to remember to bring it in the house and charge it up once a week overnight--say every Friday, or whatever makes sense.

It's a great idea to carry that jump starter. Make sure it's ready to do its job when you need it.

Get a Clean Start

It’s that time of year again. The first major cold wave has hit, driving temperatures down even in the south. Atlanta had the coldest Thanksgiving in 100 years. Ice and snow are crippling Tennessee and Kentucky; it’s cold even in Texas.

If you’re in the battery industry like many of our customers are, business should be picking up. And if you’re in the mobile vehicle service business, demand might be outstripping supply.

It’s a good time to remind your customers: Good clean battery connections can make a big difference when it gets cold and you want to start your car.

You can help your customers to help themselves by selling the 120145 Battery Terminal Protection kit. In one convenient package you have battery terminal washers, spray cleaner, spray protectant and a terminal brush.

The package is perfect for setting up near your checkout area, and it only takes a couple of minutes to show people how to use the products. And they can make a big difference.

Helping your customers to help themselves avoid trouble is good business. Who wants to be out cleaning battery terminals when it’s 17 degrees and the wind is howling?