Wire Gauge Recommendation for Wiring Up Brake Output Circuit on Trailer

Question:

I need some wire for my electric trailer brakes. It looks as though the wires attached to the braking magnets in the brake assembly is 16 gauge wire. My question is: can I use 16 gauge wire from the trailer hitch to the brake assembly, or do you recommend using a heavies gauge wire, such as 14 gauge. Please advise, thank you.

asked by: David

Expert Reply:

The heavier gauge the wire the better. We recommend 10 gauge wire like part # 10-1-1 (sold by the foot), for wiring up the brake output circuit. Since the wire is so long it's important to go with a thicker wire to reduce resistance even though the brake magnets use thinner wire.

Especially since the wire gets teed off and ran to multiple brake assemblies.

expert reply by: Jameson C