How Can I Adjust Ratchet Crimpers?
Ratchet crimping tools are one of the most useful tools in electrical and plumbing projects in the current world. The ratcheting mechanism plays a considerable role in achieving consistency in crimping. As a result, there are minimal chances of under or over-crimping terminals.
However, crimpers need to be in the right shape to create reliable and secure connections. One of the most important aspects users need to pay attention to is the proper calibration and adjustment of a crimping tool. How do you do it? Keep reading down here as we explore how to adjust a ratchet crimper.
Read more: Can I Use Pliers to Crimp?
A Guide to Adjusting Ratchet Crimpers
1. Test your ratcheting crimping tool
The first thing you should do is test the performance of your crimping tool. The best way to do it is to make a crimp connection that is not necessary for actual use. It will help you determine how exactly you’ll need to adjust your tool to achieve the ideal crimping force. For instance, if the crimping tool deforms, bends, or over-crimp the terminals/ fittings, you should decrease the crimping force. However, you should adjust your tool to increase the crimping force if you notice under-crimping.
2. Locate and loosen the adjustment knob/wheel
Most ratchet crimpers like the iCrimp Ratchet PEX Cinch Tool or the iCrimp SN-11011 Wire Crimping Tool have adjustment mechanisms that help control ratcheting while crimping. The best part is locating the adjustment wheel and manually turning it clockwise or anti-clockwise to increase or decrease crimping tension.
The adjustment wheel is usually held in place by a screw. Depending on the type of screw on your tool, you can use an Allen key or a typical screwdriver to loosen it. It will allow you to make the necessary adjustments.
Note: Some ratchet crimpers, such as the iCrimp HSC8 16-6 Crimping Tool, have a self-adjusting mechanism; therefore, a manual adjustment may not be necessary.
3. Rotate the adjustment wheel/knob to increase or decrease the crimping force
Every ratcheting crimping tool with this kind of feature often has markings indicating the rotation direction of increasing or decreasing crimping force. Depending on the brand of the tool, it can be plus (+) and (-) signs or arrows pointing left and right. Other tools may have numbers in an ascending or descending order around the adjustment wheel or knob.
Rotate the adjustment wheel to the proper direction (per your tool’s markings) to adjust the crimping force. Turn the adjustment wheel to the higher number or the (+) sign side to increase the crimping force. Turn the adjustment wheel to the lower number or the (-) sign side to decrease the crimping force.
4. Reinstall the screw
After adjusting the wheel/knob to the appropriate side, you should then turn reinstall and tighten the screw to hold the wheel/knob in place. Use the same tool you used to remove it for reinstallation.
5. Test the ratchet crimper
Once the screw is installed, you need to test whether the tool crimps properly as required. Therefore, get the correct terminals and wire and create a crimp connection. Then, physically examine the quality of the crimp connection. If the crimper doesn’t meet your expectations, repeat the above process to make more adjustments to the wheel until you achieve the optimal crimping force.
Read more: How to Validate a Crimp Quality
Bottom line
Understanding how to adjust the crimping force of a ratchet crimper is essential for making quality, consistent, and reliable crimp connections. As you can tell from the above guide, it’s a simple process, especially when you understand how your tool works and have the proper tools for the job. As a result, you can easily adjust your tool for various applications and achieve proficiency in your crimping.
Are you in need of quality ratchet crimping tools? iCrimp is the best platform offering a wide variety of ratchet crimpers for electrical terminals and PEX tubing. Our tools range from handheld crimpers and hydraulic crimping tools to bench-mount crimpers.
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