Solder large terminals. Crimp smaller terminals. Just what I've done that works over many overlanding trips in USA. However, always recommend that people go with what they find has worked best for them. We all have different experiences, and so we all have different opinions. Great vid. Confirming some practices. Learning others. Always great content from you guys! Thanks so much!

Affordable and Redarc should never be in the sentence!

Cheers Shauno, this is one of the best tutorial type videos I've seen yet, really easy to follow and everything makes perfect sense. I'm a diesel fitter and aviation engineer by trade (ex coal mining and ADF) and the tips and hacks are solid advice in keeping with best practice that I know of, it's really helped me with the planning of my 80 series tourer build so thanks to you and the team for putting this together.

The most useful video on KZfaq, the exact help I needed to redo a shitty wiring job on my secondhand hilux. Cheers boys.

I'm always game for some great wiring/soldering tips. Great info here, especially about crimping. Also, it's not a bad idea to pre "tin" the inside of the connectors before hand if you're going the solder route, reduces a bit of stress on the wire insulation during the final soldering stage by minimizing the overall heating time. That also helps keep one from applying too much solder, which will also keep the wires flexible at the end of the joint. Finally, I often pull up the heat shrink immediately to allow the joint to do most of the heat shrinking. Thanks for the vid!

This video helps confirms me paying for install haha

Went the redarc setup on my prado 150. I know my car is safe with my family out the bush in all climates. Keep up the good content showcasing Aussie products.

Great episode lads! really good to see the content about the simple things where people come undone!

Apologies for the delay legends - technical difficulties yesterday!

A friend of mine installed a budget 12v setup in my Land Rover Discovery 1. He used a starter motor solenoid as charger which is activated from the ignition of the car. When the car is turned off the solenoid opens and isolates the accessories battery. It’s been a solid performer and never given me a problem in the 10 years since it’s install. I also crimp + solder all the connections in my rig where possible. Something else I did you might find interesting is. I’ve installed a 3 gauge pod on the dash of my Disco. All the wires going to the pod come through a vent in the top of the dash to a 6 pin plug, then from the other side of the plug to the pod, so if i ever need to remove the pod I don’t have to cut all the wires going to it.

You legend brother, great advice. I'm a electrician / 4wder and that is the best advice I've ever seen on KZfaq. I did an install on my 4wd exactly the same, except I used a cheaper charger. The charger you have chosen switches off with the ignition which is soo important. My cheaper dcdc charger does not have this feature and often I see it charging the aux battery when the car is off. So i saved money on the charger and basically killed my crank battery and my car didn't start one day. Lesson learnt.

I usually try to crimp and solder if the terminals allow. Anderson plugs I flood solder. Haven't had any issues yet. Great info in here.

On ATV's I run the positive winch cable in 1/2" (13mm) heater hose. Awesome way to protect the cable from chaffing.

Great video and great advice. Thanks. For those that don't do hard-out 4WD, and don't feel they have the skills for DIY 12V solutions or want to spend for a custom solution, a hybrid vehicle not only solves the problem, you don't even need an additional battery. You already have a much more powerful hybrid battery with a built-in generator. That's what I do so I can run my -22C freezer 24/7 when I go to the South Island (NZ) to fish for salmon and trout. As long as you have fuel in your tank, you have endless electricity - no additional infrastructure required.

my battery charger just failed and I wanna go on a 4 week trip in august. Thanks to your videos I got me a Redarc BCDC 1225D and can´t wait till it gets here to install it.

Good tips! I'd agree with crimping over soldering. My buddy worked at an industrial electrical engineering place and they tested both widely and came to same conclusion.

This has been the most helpful video I've seen on installing the extra battery, cheers mate. Love the video quality. Love the information. Love the personality.

I love that you over-engineer everything. It'll be good to you in the bad bush!

been wanting a tutorial like this for over a year, great job guys very very helpful

I had zero confidence in building something like this. Now I do. Great breakdown of components and install tips.

haha this is my install tomorrow perfect timing!!!!

I just installed the Kings dual battery kit and I crimped and soldered the heavy terminals as you guys just showed!

Dang. This video is the benchmark for DIY tutorials. Not a single word or second wasted. ❤

Thanks Shauno, very informative great stuff 👍🏻 I’ve just finished making my back board and ready to be wired up so this videos came at right time cheers

Only one thing I'd recommend. On your earth, for the frame, after you got all the connections on there and tighten up the bolt, put some dielectric grease on top. It helps keep it from corroding, same to be said of your battery terminals, just keep in mind only put it on AFTER everything is secured, picture it as a waterproof blanket that sits on top of the connections. You do not want to put it in your connections, ie between the connector and bolt or battery terminals, because doing so will make your connection worse. Other wise great video guys!!!! Glad I stumbled upon your channel!!!

Good video and nice tips! Easy understandable, no pros needed.. :) happy to have someone explain these things so easy, always bothering with the guys with campervans when it comes to modern vans with DC/DC or BC/DC power boosters... Keep on doing this! Right now 4x4 24/4 is one of my favourite video channels! All the best from Germany!

Thanks for the info guys - learnt a lot! Totally agree buying quality products whenever possible is always the way to go. Crimp or solder? I do a lot of sailing, no harsher environment for electrics than sea water or damp in general. In marine we always favour solder terminals, we even use fully tinned copper as opposed to basic copper wire as the solder/tinning protects far better against corrosion thus preventing a future potential failed connection. If the cables either side of the connection are secured properly a good solder joint will not fail. Crimping in a generally warm climate like Oz might be fine but here in the UK and in many other temperate countries solder is definitely the way to go in my opinion. Great vid though guys. Looking forward to the next DIY vid.

I've used soldering for many years and crimp connectors, I prefer soldering connections but a good crimped good connector with proper sealing works. I've got soldered connections for driving and fog lights that was still working after almost 30 years.

I’ve been wanting this video for so long, stoked you finally made one

Fantastic video Shauno!!! Very informative and well presented. Thanks! (All the way from SA)

Love that I learnt about Marine connectors and the glue that's in them.

Excellent Tutorial - especially the 2-battery setup with a separate charger, to safeguard start battery life.

What a great video guys. I am just about to put a 12v system in my ute and this has helped me out a lot in terms of what products to buy etc. keep up the good work!!

Great show Shauno well demonstrated mate 👍need more of these shows 🍻

Just have to say, you rock. Thanks for this great video! So detailed and easy to follow.

Extremely informative and comprehensive - thank you very much.

Leave it Australia to go into further detail than most made in US, with a cool accent to go with. Perfect video. Cheers!

I have also soldered with heat shrink, I always secure the cable so you have minimal issues with vibration.

Just about to start my solar & 3rd battery install on my 80 so this will help heaps. Cheers guys

Yup, different points of view. I have never had a properly soldered joint fail. Can't count how many crimped joints have failed. I hate crimped joints. If you run and secure your harness properly there should be no stress on the joints.

Probably the best video about 4x4 car electrics! You mention "burn" and "fire" and even show it :-) Very important to get that into people's minds. Wouldn't use split conduit on the outside though. Yes, it's a pain to get the wires through closed conduit but you can use a single thin wire and route it through first. As for the cloth tape (Tesa rules! ;-) there is a type (51026) you can use in the engine bay (re temperatures). But it smells a little :-) So on the inside I'd use the other type (51608). I wonder if Andersons mounted on the outside are good in wet climate? I believe they have no IP rating?

Essentially, this infomercial was brought to you by Redarc and Pinnacle 4x4. Great video, wish I had this info 12 months ago.

this absolutely great mate. simple, easy and stay local with local products. Thank you

Love my redarc system, Hasnt let me down yet. Great Aussie brand

I always crimp my wires and never have any issue. Great tips thanks.

Love the Video boys, really informative and looking forward to doing it

Nice work guys, very informative, thanks 👍🏼

Great Vid Shauno really valuable info right there!

Great video. To protect connections one should secure the wire close to the connection itself-to minimise movement of the wire entering the connection. I have used solder and crimping for years, solder on the large ones-because I have never had a crimper big enough.

Great vid shauno I reckon you might have just saved my rodeo from a firey death, new channels great for the campers as well as the 4x4 boys No front diff no problems 😂

Thanks for the good info. Im not sure that I like crimping over soldering although I do like the combination of both as the solder will sweat into the joint making it very solid. CheersI

Great video and tutorial. I appreciate all the little tips and tricks that make it easier and better. Thumbs up!!!

When I did my diesel mechanic apprenticeship a very old and well established gentleman auto electrician told me to never use a crimp and always solder a join or connection. He’s words were a crimp is a point of failure you are adding into the circuit where a soldered joint will never fail. With solder it keeps contamination out where a crimp can get dirty and rust and short. Sounded logical to me and still does but end of the day I’m sure all joints and applications have there purpose. Great informative video too guys thanks 👍

Wonderful tutorial, just what I needed, very well explained. Thanks

Please people don't forget "PUT HEAT SHINK ON CABLE B4 CRIMPING" or u end up throwin 4 letter words left right n center😉

Thanks Shauno...great video and great advice !!

This make me wanna go through my battery system and neaten it up

You guys are awesome love watching you guys !! 🤙

Fantastic presentation, loads of information to work on, thankyou.

Glad to see this episode boys, keep up the good work, didn’t think my instagram response would be the one you put up on the socials haha

great video mate ! thanks for being so informative !

Great tips. I'm a crimper on the smaller lugs but I'd never give those basic crimp pliers room in my toolbox. The double roll crimp type is the only one I'd ever use. Single point crimps just pull out too easily. Not bush quality in my book.

Keep up the amazing work fellas!!

Thank you very much for this informative video. I learned a lot from it and I am going to start my project soon based on the knowledge learned here. :)

Awesome vid. very informative

Cheers for the vid guys!! Very insightful!!

Great video guys. Would be good to give people an idea of what amps to expect out of what size cable. Cheers keep up the good work

Excellent vid 👌

I adore this channel. Makes me wish I lived in Australia. I think it’s important though that we/you/somebody mention that the length of the wire is also VERY important to amp capacity, that’s why that teeny wire didn’t just *POOF* in your example. I use a pocket reference, it’s available here at Harbor Freight, and most book stores, online as well. It has all sorts of ratings, capacities, and alllllllllll kinds of useful info. For around $4USD if I remember correctly. Thanks for the content! EDIT: Forgot to mention (in terminals), I crimp, solder to seal the connection, then, “double wall” heat shrink! 👍👍👍

No problem anything you guys put on here my fiance and I love watching and learning

I rarely use anything other than low heat solder connectors and heat shrink crimp connectors on 12v wire to wire connections. Unfortunately, I haven't done much wiring in the past few years that required anything outside of that. Great video though, super informative for someone planning an overlander build in the next few months.....

This blokes idea of simple is next level hahaha

For the Post delay, will we be compensated with a second video this week? For emotional distress

I work in the industry. We solder our battery terminals as crimping can lead to oxidization of the terminal and failure through voltage drop and resistance heating. Hydraulic crimpers are the only way to get a decent crimp on heavy gauge wire if soldering is not an option. Side cutters have no place crimping and should be in the bin. However fabric tape is awesome stuff. It doesn't get the same uv degradation that occurs with regular tape and handles the heat well. Good video thou guys.👍

Nice, very comprehensive video. Great ideas.

Solder or crimp. Crunch or fold. The age old questions. Well done. Very informative

I do both solder and crimping on my connections. I crimp the connections first. Them I drop just a small amount of solder into the connections on both ends. This is to keep a better connection to the wire. Then I use heat shrink after that. I didn't think about marine grade connectors. In the past I just wrapped a little tape around the bigger gauge connections after that. 1 or 2 wraps is all that is needed. But marine grade heat shrink is even better. The solder is put on to help keep connection longer if they get pulled on.

Cheers boys, great vid, very helpful!

Nice and simple good work

Seriously, what a kickass video.

I'm a mechanic 👨‍🔧, i repair cars, motorcycles, lawn movers, chainsaws, snow blovers, I do welding 👨‍🏭 as well, I work whit my brother, we work in our dads workshop. I'm 31 years old, I've Been working on cars for 16 years. Keep Up The good work 👍, I like your videos 🤠. Cheers. Greetings from Slovenia 🇸🇮. ;-)

Dame good advice and thank you for this one. There's tips I was not shown from a mate that did my wireing for my truck and camper trailer. Tyty...

I am not an expert on this but your explanation makes lots of sense. Thanks

I crimp, solder the crimp and then go over that with heat shrink or paint on insulation. Heaps of cable ties to neaten it up. Loop of a little extra wire at both ends of a wire incase it needs work done down the track ect. Always label each wire! You can get labelers that print onto white heat shrink. Electrical tape gets gooie over time and falls apart. If anyone works on your car make sure they don't just twist and tape. Some excellent pointers in this video!!

I use solder for stereos not a lot of room for a lot of crimps. That marine heatshrink was a new one on me.

great video mate. love your work

Lord help me . I didn't understand a word out of this man 😂

Amazing video thank you gents

I love the neat Jobs! Fuse everywhere!

Crimping and soldering is the best way to go. You need a good mechanical connection and a good electrical connection, you get that by crimping and soldering. We used this method in the 80's on Forestry Commission vehicles, including firetankers, that saw service in remote areas and bushfires.

Livin the dream guys, I envy you! Keep up the great content!

Great video mate proper intuitive material.

I'll have to watch it a few times before it will sink in definitely a good thing once you get your head around it experienced 4WDers no worries half assed campers with a 4WD like me well ...... I already have a pretty good setup but definitely want to upgrade to a dual battery setup my setup at the moment typically goes flat after running the fridge overnight and never really charges up to capacity again the system is an intervolt that incorporates solar disappointed to say the least. Thanks for the tips I'll work something out I now have the knowhow to get it done just in slower motion hahaha cheers

Jaycar for all the bits, a decent burner to Heat the terminals and heavy gauge wire, then flood solder them, then crimp and center punch the terminal to ensure a mechanical hold , followed by the heat shrink, never coming apart after that, I couldn’t find the ignition feed in the engine bay fuse box of my 2012 hilux, so the accessories feed was it. Always carry lots of spare fuses, you will need em.

Shauno mate i dont want to be that guy but i have yet to let a solder join break on me i find it will always break on the weakes point that is the wire thats flexing all the time. Because the solder is stiffer it protects that join from breaking also it will bend into place before breaking the join. Solder to me is way stronger. The fact is crimps thats not right slips out and that is why shorts and fires occur. the wire is loose slips out short and because of the size wire it makes fire now the fuses help and hats off to saying every positive wire needs one because that is what will save the car at the end of the day. Long story short crimping to me has more faults then solder but thats just my opinion. Good job on the video guys!!! 😊

Wow, learnt so much from this. Now I'm out to buy the right gear and do it properly.

Lots good good tips.. Thanks 👍

Love your work Shaun !!!.

Great video! Tks for sharing!

great video! like everyone else, its been something Ive been wanting to do