I have to admit I have a weakness for electrical tools. Being an electrical engineer and working for an electrician one year in college probably has something to do with that. So I was intrigued when I started seeing references to Ridgid’s new manual hydraulic crimp tool, especially when it seems everybody is coming out with cordless tools.
Ridgid introduced the RE 12-M crimp tool earlier this May (2016). Weighing in at 11.8 lbs, it’s said to be the lightest 12-ton manual hydraulic C-frame crimping tool on the market. I thought that this claim was a little specific – how may 12-ton manual hydraulic crimping tools are there?
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I searched and was surprised to find a number of manual hydraulic crimpers of 8, 10, and 12 tons. Take Greenlee’s HKL1232 for instance. It’s a comparable 12-ton manual C-frame crimp tool that weighs 14.4 lbs.
So just what do you use a manual hydraulic crimping tool for, you ask? It’s used to crimp compression lugs and connectors onto copper, aluminum, and ASCR (Aluminum Conductor Steel-Reinforced) wire and grounding rods. In the image above, Ridgid’s crimping tool is being used to crimp a compression lug onto a copper wire cable.
As the name implies, this tool can apply up to 12 tons of hydraulic force. The C-shaped jaw opens to 1.65″ wide to attach lugs and connectors for wire up to 1000 kcmil for copper, and 750 kcmil for aluminum wire. I admit I had to look this up: kcmils are used to measure wire larger than 0000 AWG.
The RapidAdvance system allows you engage the die with the connector with just two pumps of the handle. Once engaged, you just keep pumping until the relief valve signals you have reached the maximum force. The ram can then be retracted.
The head rotates 330° so you can crimp in tight spaces, and you can attach a separate removable head stand that keeps the tool stable enough on the ground for a single person to hold the wire and pump the handle at the same time.
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The 22″ long tool has rubber grips for comfort and control and has a low operating force to prevent fatigue. The low force on the handle of course is going to mean that you have to pump it more times to get the same force.
You can buy just the bare crimp tool, or a small kit that comes with the crimp tool, a blow molded case, and the head stand. The blow molded case also has spots for 13 pairs of crimping dies, with decals for identifying the die slots. Of course you’ll still need to buy the proper sized dies for your applications.
The dies are sold separately. You can buy individual dies or you can buy a complete set for either aluminum or copper. Each die has a color code that matches with the proper lug.
We can’t find the RE 12-M manual hydraulic crimp tool sold anywhere yet and there’s no pricing information available. We asked Ridgid for a cost on the tool and they gave us two quotes. By itself, the crimp tool will set you back $1490, and it’ll run around $1600 for the kit that comes with a case and head stand. We’re still waiting on the die pricing, but based on other brands similar offerings, it’s probably in the $90 range per die.
Check out the video below, to see the manual hydraulic crimp tool in action.
fred
Not exactly a DIY tool is it?
I’m familiar with other ones from Thomas & Betts and Burndy – but competition is always good. Of course you might find a knockoff at Harbor Freight.
Hydraulic cylinders naturally provide amplification of your hand force – and in some applications the cutting or other head can be isolated from the user by way of the hydraulic hose. I’ve seen utility crews on jobs – spearing underground cables in a manhole to insure they are dead. As it was explained to me – the long hydraulic hose got you far enough away – so if the cable was not actually dead and arced and the spear flying you would not be injured.
pencil neck
Wiring harness nerd here…. this looks to be a good portable option, but I can only guess at how fun it would be to use that thing all day long. But for low volume production runs, it looks like it might be a great investment.
Priced out of range for the DIY, so those guys will continue to to things wrong with soldier. Look up “make your own battery cables” on YouTube and witness a lot of bad ways to do it.
IMHO, when done correctly, crimping is the best option for wiring. But correctly means having the correct tools.
Cody
Benjamin Ridgid is spelt wrong in the title. “Rigid”
Cody
And now i spelt your name wrong!
Benjamen
Oops, I’ll get Stuart to fix the title. Every time I type the company Ridgid, I have to stop and override my normal reflexes. Technically it should be RIDGID, but the boss doesn’t like all capital names.
No worries about the name, I used to get really upset when I was a kid, but now I don’t care. On the plus side with a last name like Johnson, it’s somewhat easier to get my stuff to show up on the net when you search for my name.
Cody
What about the new Ridgid RE 60- MLR
John
I’m a electrical tool nerd too so I can relate; though its a very expensive obsession to have.
I just don’t understand the obscene pricing at some of this specialized and required equipment. Is it a license / certification thing leading to liability and insurance or are they so specialized and lack of competition that they can get away with ripping off businesses and companies?
This tool for instance isn’t any more elaborate than an off the shelf bottle jack and a (perhaps patented or licensed) die on top. Surely it doesn’t cost that much to produce this tool, plus at $1600 it doesn’t come with any dies? $90 range per die?
pencil neck
I would think the cost is a two fold issue here… sure, the basic concept is a bottle jack, but a custom bottle jack. So you have to cast and machine a custom body and head.
Then how many people are going to buy this? In the grand scale of mass production, this is most likely made in low numbers.
Dies… OK, you got me there… dies always seem to be expensive for what they are, even in low numbers.
fred
I think we’re back to that old conundrum about price and cost. As pencil neck says the low numbers of sales on this will not support “making it up on volume” so a high mark-up is the only way to make a profit. I’m sure they also see what their real competition costs and price accordingly. You can always buy a smaller one (14 to 0 AWG) at Harbor Freight for $55 but I don’t know about the quality of it and its dies – and I don’t think Ridgid sees HF as their competition on this tool.
Joren
I think one of the major reasons is due to getting the tool listed (UL) with the dies, for specific crimp terminals. Each terminal and die set needs to be tested as a set, and each test costs a good bit of money – so for the ‘lower volume’ this type of tool gets (one per truck, or per company), the price has to go up to overcome that initial testing cost.