Busdriver
Shepherdsville Ky 40165
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Thinking about running new wire for my Trailer Brakes , just not sure what size wire I should use.? The wire the manufacturer used is very thin.
Busdriver 2019 2500 Chevy Duramax , - 2017 Grand Design 303 RLS
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Mel Stuplich
Wausau, WI
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14 gauge is typical.
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theoldwizard1
SE MI
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Just a gut feel, but I would think 12AWG.
Also, spend the extra and buy marine pre-tinned wire. It will NOT corrode !
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Bobbo
Wherever I park
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The bigger the wire the less voltage drop you will have. Using 12g is fine. 10g is better. 8g is better still, and so on. Use the largest wire you can comfortably use. Second the suggestion to use only marine wire.
Personally, I wouldn't go smaller than 10g.
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Sjm9911
New Jersey
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I will be the on the oposote side. Etrailor recomended 10/2 wire. Way to big and cumbersome to attache to the way smaller wires in the electric brakes. If i had to do it over 16 guage would be enough. I think my original stuff was that big or smaller.
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enblethen
Moses Lake, WA
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I would recommend this wire.
Brake wire
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PastorCharlie
NC
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No less than 12 AWG. The more copper strands in the wire the better.
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Gdetrailer
PA
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Sjm9911 wrote:I will be the on the oposote side. Etrailor recomended 10/2 wire. Way to big and cumbersome to attache to the way smaller wires in the electric brakes. If i had to do it over 16 guage would be enough. I think my original stuff was that big or smaller.
That would be OK if you don't mind having as much as 30% less breaking capacity available.
The smaller size of wire, the higher the resistance, that resistance eats up valuable voltage, less voltage equals less current running through the magnets, less current running though the magnets equals less strength of the magnets which means the brake shoes have less gripping power on the drum..
Moving to 10 ga wire from factory 14 ga wire can gain about 20% more braking power available.
As far as dealing with thicker wire, yeah, can be a pain, but once again, there are ways around that issue. You can use what is called extra flex wire, it uses very fine strands of wire which makes for a much easier to flex wire.
Myself, I used two pairs of 10 ga wire from front of trailer to the axles.. More brakes than I need and do not have to set my controller above 5.5 out of 10 on the output.
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Sjm9911
New Jersey
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I get the principles and practices, i just figured the manafature has allready considered the drop into the specs. So its designed to work woth the guage it has and to upgrade it will not nessassarly equate better stopping.
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ktmrfs
Portland, Oregon
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10 or 12 is more than adequate. when taking into account the coil resistance of each brake magnet and typical runs, drop is acceptable. with the factory skimpy wiring on our and a prodigy, full brake on the prodigy wouldn't lock up the brakes on dry pavement. After going to 12g and soldering the connections, including bypassing the typical side to side wiring in the axle, 6 or 7 will lock up the brakes at 60mph on dry pavement.
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