Added a few pics to the cable end DIY, above.
Made a few more cables this weekend, and noted that the forklift cables we have used so far are all 3/0, not 4/0 as previously thought. The lugs all say 4/0 on them (the source of my confusion), but the cable itself is 3/0.
Which makes me think that the welding cable we have is 2/0, not 3/0 as previously mentioned (I was guessing by size relative to the forklift cable).
Edit: how do I know if 2/0 is appropriate for our voltage/amperage/cable run lengths? To this point, I've just been assuming, "if it was good enough for a 19,000 lb 36v/500A forklift, it's good enough for the 48v/225A ForkenSwift".
I used about 12 feet of welding cable to make up one of the front/rear battery interconnects today, and it's installed in the conduit mounted under the car last weekend.
Ivan & I talked out a mechanical/electrical disconnect method, and I think we're going to use:
- the existing clutch cable (which I hadn't yet taken out)
- and an Anderson connector that came with the forklift (main batt pack / control panel connection)
The plan is to align & mount the connector inline with the clutch cable, with one end secured, and the other end connected to the clutch cable. We'll also use a spring to
ensure separation after the pedal is pushed/released.
I warned Ivan that we'll undoubtedly press the ForkenSwift's clutch pedal
unintentionally (both of us drive manual shift ICE cars), which could create problems when the power cuts out (and requires opening the hood & reconnecting the Anderson to restore it). His reply was: you'll only do it once...