Be careful when using solid or stiff connections between batteries. Any relative movement, whether due to batteries shifting or expansion/contraction can put stress on the connection. If you can have confidence the batteries won't move even a little, then it's viable. But even then, beware that some (most?) modern lead acid batteries no longer simply cast a threaded rod in the lead as they used to. Rather, the thread you see is the threaded end of an upside-down bolt cast into the lead. The good thing about that arrangement is that no longer is there a risk of over-tightening a nut and pulling the threaded stud out of the lead. The bad thing is if there is a chance that the entire stud can twist slightly, ever, or if the connection can somehow get hot, that embedded "bolt" can electrically become a high resistance with the lead around it. The result? Meltdown from the inside out. I had this happen on my with my 1920 Milburn as I drove up Mount Tabor in Portland for a wedding. Half way up, I smelled something funny, then saw a little smoke, then "boom" and then no power. I later discovered the cause. Ironically it was my own fault---these were new batteries and the installers had been connecting them up by cinching down the nut on the lugs, then topping off with a second nut. I told them to instead put a nut down, then the lug, then cinch down the 2nd nut on the other side of the lug with a lockwasher, then tighten. This was long considered the best way to prevent pulling threaded "studs" out of the lead. What I didn't know was that these were not threaded studs. The 8 batteries in front of the car were fine---they were done first and didn't do the nut/lug/nut thing. Of the 6 batteries at the rear, 3 of the 12 lugs had melted down---from the inside-out! Ironically, to fix these 3 batteries (too embarrassed to try to return under warrantee), I drilled, tapped and installed threaded studs. And only for those 3 studded connections did I do the nut/lug/nut thing...all the 9 other connections I switched to full-tension on the battery post with lug/nut/nut.
Solid connections between batteries like copper bars could similarly risk loosening those internal bolts in the lead if you're not careful.
In case this helps-
-Myles
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Posted by: matwete@comcast.net
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