Battery Terminals with Jumper Cable Connectors
By
Staten Island, NY Posted: 1/18/2015 1:00:00 AM
Am I the only one that noticed that jumper cables are a pain in the neck because they don't fit the terminals?
I've got a set of the top-of-the-line Sears Jumper Cables. Yes, they were expensive, because they are the best ones they make. The cables are heavy duty gauge and extra long, and of course, they have the best clips. You know what? They still suck when it comes to getting them to clamp onto the battery terminal. What good are they if you can't make a good connection?
To me, this is one of those Emperor's New Clothing things. I bet everyone has trouble getting those suckers to clamp on the battery terminals, but nobody seems to talk about it or do something to improve it. Essentially what we need is a dedicated place on the battery to clamp the jumper cables.
To be honest, you can't blame the jumper cable designers. It's not their fault. The trouble is car and battery makers have done a horrible job of making a battery and terminal that has an easy way to jump it. The terminals are big, and the nuts holding them down are oddly shaped so the cables don't make a good connection. If the positive one falls off, you create a short, create sparks and risk an explosion of battery acid.
I'm not an engineer, but it would seem to me there is a very simple solution. All it would take is a slight modification to the clamps on the battery terminal, that give you a solid surface to clamp the jumper cable to. That's it. Just design a place on the terminal specifically where the clamp will go, so you don't have to struggle to get the jumper cable on.
In fact, it would be quite easy to retro-fit an older clamp by making a simple piece of metal that slides under the existing clamp and extends out about an inch from the battery. Think of it as a big washer with a bolt sticking out. Once you slide it under the existing clamp, you'll have a nice sized bolt sticking out in the event you need to clamp a jumper cable to it.
Joe Crescenzi, Founder
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