Re: Battery Feed Connector

[jlandry@domain.elided (John A. Landry)]

On Mon, 29 Dec 1997 10:43:02 -0700 (MST), Tom Mandera <tsm1@domain.elided>
wrote:

>Where'd you go to find 4 gauge wire?  I noticed a few lengths (up to 56") 
>at Walmart yesterday.. two stud/nut attachments on either end..

I used "Vu-Tron" cable I ordered from McMaster Carr.  It's *very* flexible,
has a bright orange chlorinated polyethylene jacket, is highly resistant to
oil, solvent, flame, heat and abrasion.  It has 647 #34 awg strands.

McMaster Carr PN           Cost

7818A18                    $0.78, sold by the foot with a 25 foot minimum

Note: The price may differ slightly as I'm referring to a catalog a few
years old.  See www.mcmaster.com for an update.

I bought my own tin plated copper solder-style cable lugs to add on the
ends as needed.  Grainger has a nice selection of these lugs with various
hole sizes for the different terminals in your Scout you'll connect to.
Not cheap, but you only need four and why scrimp on something so important?

Grainger PN       Description                            Cost

3LL43             4 awg weld wire, 1/4" Stud Hole       3.04 ea
3LL63             4 awg weld wire, 5/16" Stud Hole      2.95 ea
3LL64             4 awg weld wire, 3/8" Stud Hole       3.07 ea
3LL65             4 awg weld wire, 1/2" Stud Hole       3.01 ea

>What about wiring a bypass from the alternator directly to the battery, 
>or does it *have* to all go through the switch (I'm thinkin' it might, to 
>avoid a possible discharge condition through a bad alternator?)

No problem... you can run a wire as you mentioned, however your ammeter
will cease to work properly.  It's not necessary to have a switch, as the
factory wiring doesn't in this circuit.  But, when I someday install a
winch... yes... I do plan to install wiring bypass (bypassing the ammeter)
from the alternator to the battery.  I'll install a heavy duty battery
disconnect switch (Summit and Jegs are good sources) with heavy gauge
welding cable.  I'll normally keep the switch open so my ammeter works, but
when winching I'll close the switch so I don't fry the ammeter.

You aren't protected from battery drain now, but if you're concerned about
it (for long inactive periods), you can install one of those battery
disconnect terminals.

Happy New Year,

John

------------------------------------------------------------------------
jlandry@domain.elided             |
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