trailer brake wire?

V30CREWCAB

New member
What size wire should be run under the truck for electric brakes, and where can you order a roll of wire that large? the parts store rolls get shorter the bigger the gauge. Thanks.
 

basicfish

Observer
Your best bet is to either go to a trailer supply shop or look on amazon or etrailer for the duplex trailer brake wire, also etrailer has a universal car side kit to add a trailer brake controller.
 
a marine store will also have paired wire.

front to back of vehicle for brake and charge line, i like to run 10ga if its a normal truck/vehicle. I've run as big as 6ga on a motorhome but thats like 60 feet of wire length vs 17-20.
 

brian90744

American Trekker
What size wire should be run under the truck for electric brakes, and where can you order a roll of wire that large? the parts store rolls get shorter the bigger the gauge. Thanks.
Check out Home Depot or lowes, all carry bulk auto wire in any size
 

honda250xtitan

Active member
Napa also sells lengths that should be enough. it's where i got my 10G wire for my trailer brakes. still zip tied to the frame and not connected to the actual brakes lol.
 

azscotts

Observer
I ran 12AWG wire for the brakes from the tongue back to the brakes. If you look at the wires coming off your hubs (if brkes are already installed), they're 12AWG too. At least mine were. I'm running 10" brakes. I didn't have to run them for the Tahoe because it was per-wired.

Same for just about all of the pre-made 7-pin cables we can buy. Those are all 12AWG too.
 

Buffalobwana

Observer
Be careful on Amazon. Some of their wire suppliers take liberties with the sizes of their wires and number of strands. Especially with the larger sizes. The 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0 wires can vary as much as 2 sizes with some of the suppliers. Anchor is one of the best.

ETrailer is probably your best option, but you do need to match the wire to the largest trailer you will pull. I believe 10 ga is the largest used, and the best and safest option.
 

azscotts

Observer
Be careful on Amazon. Some of their wire suppliers take liberties with the sizes of their wires and number of strands. Especially with the larger sizes. The 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0 wires can vary as much as 2 sizes with some of the suppliers. Anchor is one of the best.

ETrailer is probably your best option, but you do need to match the wire to the largest trailer you will pull. I believe 10 ga is the largest used, and the best and safest option.

Agreed. Either ETrailer or West Marine is the place to get your wire. I happen to have a West Marine close by so I got most of my wire there.
 

Buffalobwana

Observer
For what it’s worth, and it’s not much, I use boat wiring on a lot of my stuff. Boat wiring is different than regular wiring in a couple ways. Composition, and vibration resistance. How? I don’t know. I just know that when given a choice between regular or marine grade, I often go with marine grade if I want it to last. Heat shrink crimps, often covered with heat shrink again because I tear the heat shrink when I crimp it.

I hate failed wiring. Do it once and forget about it.
 

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