AMP Crimping Tool?

[SCscoutguy]

I picked this up today at the flea market. I thought it looked to be a fairly nice tool but when I looked it up on google I was shocked at what people are charging for them. New the cheapest I can find them is $1000 and the cheapest used it $255! WTF makes these things so special? It says for aircraft but they appear to be just nice crimpers that you can calibrate? Is there anything to stop me from just using these are regular crimpers when I rewire my Scout with a painless kit?
http://www.onlinecomponents.com/buy/AMP-TYCO/59170/
http://store.crimptools.com/product.php?id_product=845

 

[Case]

soo....Tell us how much you payed so we can award suckage...

 

[rockwithjason]

the calibration is everything. most of the tools used on air craft must be calibrated. anything air craft is crazy expensive. you can use it any way you like.

 

[iandh]

AMP crimpers are always very expensive... $1k+ is normal.

They are made in much smaller quantities that most tools, and are very specialized, hence the high price.

We probably had $20k+ in them at my old work.

 

[Demian]

You'll get a better crimp with less chance of over/under crimping. Enjoy using them on your scout.
I'm not familar with the AMP tool but we use Daniels crimping tools all the time on various aircraft wiring repairs, installs, etc.
Obviously if your not using them on aircraft you probably don't need to worry about calibration.

 

[ourkid2000]

Those crimpers are the finest PIDG lug crimpers you can buy.....that's why they're so expensive. I looked into getting my own and I was shocked at the price. The Daniels DMC stuff, although designed for a different purpose, is cheap in comparison.

AMP makes other very nice crimpers but these ones are the gem of the bunch because they're so versatile. You can crimp multiple sizes of lugs with these whereas many of AMP's other versions require changing dies. These will do the prettiest crimp and also have an adjustment on the head to get it dialed in precisely with a couple of test crimps.

I'm an Avionics technician at a major airline and we use these almost exclusively for red & blue PIDG lugs.

 

[Mickey O]

I thought they discontinued those, they are very nice and very expensive, I paid full price for mine when I bought them. I'm not sure if you know it or not but those crimpers can't do **** splices.

Mines a little different model number:

 

[SCscoutguy]

Wow thanks for all of the info guys. I think I am going to just end up selling these because my Klien crimpers I use work fine and I need to do **** splices more than anything else. I have no idea what to ask for these things?

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have 2 pair of these myself.....they do make a nice crimp. We also use Amp motorized punch-press style crimpers at work for production attachments.

 

[terabyte]

i say you ask 300-400

 

[Ram]

They don't come cheap. I buy all mine used if I can.

 

[Jay H 237]

Yup, nice find! I work in robotics and use my Amp/Tyco and Daniels crimpers almost everyday. I do own over a grand in crimpers!

 

[737mechanic]

I thought they discontinued those, they are very nice and very expensive, I paid full price for mine when I bought them. I'm not sure if you know it or not but those crimpers can't do **** splices.

Actually they can do **** splices, we use to do **** splices all the time but now Boeing wants all factory **** splices replaced with enviromental splices when you have to replace or add a splice. Below is the type of splice you use with them.

These crimpers can be found on ebay for about $125.00. They also make a smaller pair that have white and yellow grips that are for smaller splices.

 

[Mickey O]

Actually they can do **** splices, we used to do **** splices all the time but now Boeing wants all factory **** splices replaced with enviromental splices when you have to replace or add a splice.

Not with those ones, you can force the stops up maybe but it wouldn't be practical. Mine are a different model # than the aviation ones but they look the same, mine were for work in nuclear plants, **** splices weren't allowed on anything and terminals had to be rings, no exceptions.

 

[mkdive]

I found out the cost of Amp crimpers a few weeks ago also. I was shocked. I picked up a bunch for a pretty low price. Im still amazed how much they cost new.

Here is a link to the thread I started trying to find out about them.....
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62984

Here are the ones I picked up. If anyone needs any for CHEAP....I found a great source.

 

[DanCo]

the calibration is everything. most of the tools used on air craft must be calibrated. anything air craft is crazy expensive. you can use it any way you like.

-x's 2, God forbid the FAA decides to look over any aircraft wiring, sees that the lugs are crimped wrong. Welcome to a great work of ****! They will go through any and all log book entries with your employer's name/your name with a fine tooth comb. The fines alone can shut down a company. My AMP/DMC/Raytheon crimpers are some of my most valued tools. I don't even keep them in the garage, and I've been out of the avionics field for 4 years now. These crimpers will hold atleast 90% of their original value. Finding them a flea market or a pawn shop is a great find. To use them for an automobile is overkill, but that's a good thing.

 

[Merkava_4]

The Daniels DMC stuff, although designed for a different purpose, is cheap in comparison.

I'm having a hard time believing that. I've used DMC back in my military days. The quality and precision of their tools is extraordinary.

 

[737mechanic]

Not with those ones, you can force the stops up maybe but it wouldn't be practical. Mine are a different model # than the aviation ones but they look the same, mine were for work in nuclear plants, **** splices weren't allowed on anything and terminals had to be rings, no exceptions.

Yes if you look at the splices they have a indention that fits in the spring loaded holder that holds it so you can hold the wire and crimp it. I used them for **** splices at least 3 times a week for 15 years. I will take a picture of how the splice fits in them and post it.

Boeing standard wiring practices list them for splices as well as terminal ends.

 

[Demian]

- The fines alone can shut down a company.

They've been very "fine happy" of late. It seems there's a new announcement of an airline getting fined almost weekly so far this year.

 

[ourkid2000]

I'm having a hard time believing that. I've used DMC back in my military days. The quality and precision of their tools is extraordinary.

I think I didn't make myself clear on that maybe......

DMC's quality is beautiful and second to none, don't get me wrong. The difference here is that their tools, although designed for a different purpose, are much cheaper (pricewise).

You can get the large AF8, the miniature AFM8, and the Raychem environmental splice crimpers altogether brand new for less than the price of one set of those AMP lug crimpers. With those 3 tools you can terminate nearly any connection on an aircraft (other than lugs).

737 is correct as well......those AMP crimpers will do those insulated **** splices. We don't do them anymore all the same as we replace them with the better environmental Raychem splices.

In any case here is the PDF tooling instructions for those, you will see the **** splices (the ones we use anyways) listed on the second page.

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sourc...w9iSDg&usg=AFQjCNGKyA5YqyIy5wyfWAd5c3m-lyFGbA

 

[737mechanic]

It really amazes me how the AMP blue and red luggers can be so expensive compared to DMC. The DMC's are built with much closer tolerances than the AMP's but the DMC's are half the price new. I bought a almost new pair of DMC's off ebay for 30 bucks and my AMP's that were very used were $125.00.

Below are some pics of how a **** splice is used with the AMP crimpers. One thing to note is you do need to make sure you are using the right **** spices, if you are using the cheap **** that autozone sells they will not have the slot in the splice for the spring loaded arm to slide into.

If you look at the pic of the splices being held you will notice the groove or slot that are built into them to slide onto the spring loaded arm to hold them in place so you can grab your wire with one hand and insert it into the splice and crimp with the other hand.

 

[ourkid2000]

Nice post 737! Those are the splices that we rarely use these days........the Raychem environmental splices are much slicker & reliable.