High Amp weatherproof connection for Truck bed

[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

Where did you find that panel mount? That is slick.

Ebay as its shipped from Australia. Seems everything I want tends to come from there. I didnt like the options we had here in the US. I also have a surface mount one that could bolt to the bottom of a hitch or bumper but the wife’s jeep doesnt allow for that.


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[rayra]

Anderson connectors will work perfectly in this scenario. They don't need to be waterproof. They are self cleaning upon connection by design. All a "waterproof" connection in the bed of a truck is asking for is to corrode when the cap is all closed tight due to humidity.

They sell a matching weather boot, had a molded-in lanyard / retention loop.

The Anderson SB175 connectors are also marketed as 'forklift connectors'

Proper thing to do is add a rotary cutoff at the source battery connection and kill power to the connector when not in use.

 

[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

They sell a matching weather boot, had a molded-in lanyard / retention loop.

Proper thing to do is add a rotary cutoff at the source battery connection and kill power to the connector when not in use.

That what I did was install the rubber weather boot on the jeep and added the cutoff solenoid for the jeep and truck install even though my trailer bms cuts off drawing power when the vehicle is off.



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[Alloy]

No you need to look at the DC wire gauge chart, AC current goes several orders of magnitude further with less losses than DC over the same wiring, and its at least one order of magnitude greater in just voltage alone.

Dang it dreadlocks! Every time you respond my todo list grows! Lol Appreciate the heads up on this.

Ok, peak draw for fusing & average amp rating for wiring. Got it!

Long and..... costly too.

If circuit (fuse/breakers) protection is used these needs to be 25% larger than the FLA (full load amperage). The wire is then sized to amperage of the circuit protection not the FLA.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Long and..... costly too.

If circuit (fuse/breakers) protection is used these needs to be 25% larger than the FLA (full load amperage). The wire is then sized to amperage of the circuit protection not the FLA.

It is apples to squirrels. Transmission lines have line loss because they are long enough to have impedance at 60 Hz (wavelength of 5 km). Reactive loads have different apparent power because they are complex with significant reactive power.

The protection and copper are sized based on real power, which is what causes the heat to melt a fuse or trip a breaker. Rule of thumb tables factor this in, e.g. the 125% rule.

For the purpose at hand the RMS of the AC voltage and the wire is consider purely resistive, e.g. a power factor of 1 for copper of reasonable length, is handled just like a DC circuit.

 

[PSea]

If circuit (fuse/breakers) protection is used these needs to be 25% larger than the FLA (full load amperage). The wire is then sized to amperage of the circuit protection not the FLA.

So if FLA is 170a (winch), circuit protection would be 170*125%=212a circuit breaker. Wire gauge would be 2AWG for a 10' run?

Fusing. With a circuit breaker in use, do I still fuse at the battery?

 

[PSea]

Under NEC guidelines, 2AWG max is 130A.
Dont need to if circuitbreaker is at the battery.

Hmm. Odd. Mfr says use 2ga for the length of run.

Panel is about 2' from battery. Is that "at the battery" enough?

Appreciate all the input

 

[DaveInDenver]

So if FLA is 170a (winch), circuit protection would be 170*125%=212a circuit breaker. Wire gauge would be 2AWG for a 10' run?

Winch motors for vehicles may specify their full load current but may alternatively specify a locked rotor or inrush current and leave it to the user to calculate full load current based on HP.

So if the motor is rated 170 amps FLA and you're protecting for motor overload you could use 1.25 * FLA or next larger. So in your example 212 A would mean you'd likely find 225 A would be the closest standard value when using a time delayed.

Something to note is the 125% recommendation is to prevent overload. If you're only worried about short circuit protection then you could use 175% for a time delay type or 300% for a fast acting.

The choice is yours but most of the time a winch motor is determined by the manufacturer and is sized appropriately with a shear pin in the gear train to prevent overloading. So you may actually want to fuse to just protect for short circuit faults. The advantage is it's less likely to nuisance trip under load, which could be undesirable in a vehicle recovery.

Fusing. With a circuit breaker in use, do I still fuse at the battery?

You want to protect a significant run of wire at the source end but you don't need more than one, so depends on what you're doing. Probably not, though.

 

[DaveInDenver]

FWIW, you can refer to many different sources and get different answers.

For example the ABYC E-9 (for boats) has this suggestion, which is the primary basis for the Blue Sea calculator. SAE and NEC have different set of rules deriving from a different set of assumptions and requirements.

I've done some work over the years calculating it based on fuse curves and heating of wire for times from 60 to 900 seconds based on type of insulation. What I find is my comfort usually falls between the NEC and the conservative ABYC ratings, so your manufacturer might be following their inside engine room allowance.

NEC is conservative IMO, probably because their primary concern is lower risk of fire. Their assumptions are electrical distribution and premise wiring so they have different cooling concerns and how long a fault might exist and different tolerances for cost and weight. If you follow NEC you will be more than adequately safe.

 

[john61ct]

I like when possible to have a master fuse within 7" of the battery post.

That's the ABYC guideline I believe

 

[shade]

FWIW, you can refer to many different sources and get different answers.

For example the ABYC E-9 (for boats) has this suggestion, which is the primary basis for the Blue Sea calculator. SAE and NEC have different set of rules deriving from a different set of assumptions and requirements.

I've done some work over the years calculating it based on fuse curves and heating of wire for times from 60 to 900 seconds based on type of insulation. What I find is my comfort usually falls between the NEC and the conservative ABYC ratings, so your manufacturer might be following their inside engine room allowance.

NEC is conservative IMO, probably because their primary concern is lower risk of fire. Their assumptions are electrical distribution and premise wiring so they have different cooling concerns and how long a fault might exist and different tolerances for cost and weight. If you follow NEC you will be more than adequately safe.

View attachment 524781

Thanks, Dave. That chart makes me feel better about using some landscape 10/2 wire for low amp circuits.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I like when possible to have a master fuse within 7" of the battery post.

That's the ABYC guideline I believe

Yes, you're correct.

 

[john61ct]

Great!

Those exceptions you can drive a truck through though 8-D

 

[DaveInDenver]

Thanks, Dave. That chart makes me feel better about using some landscape 10/2 wire for low amp circuits.

You could convince yourself that the wire itself never heats enough to be an issue with 60°C insulation but that's a fairly low temperature just for the environment of a vehicle.

 

[john61ct]

105°C minimum

new silicon sheathing can go way higher