Recommended Wire Gauge for Electric Trailer Brakes
Question:
I am planning to re wire my boat trailer tri axle with electric brakes. The current wire is 12 ga single blue for positive side and white for negative. I would like to replace with the same size and color. Copper tinned stranded. Primary wire.? The current wire for the brakes are individual wires not 12 /2 jacketed. I would like to replace with the same arrangement since I have 6 wheel brakes and this requires a lot of splicing. I am having trouble finding the color and size. Any suggestions?
asked by: Gordon R
Expert Reply:
I'm pretty sure trailer brakes themselves tend to have 12 gauge wire but we recommend using 10 Gauge Wire # 10-1-1 for your brake circuit simply because it allows more electricity to reach the destination. By the time the electricity travels to the brake kits it will be low enough for 12 gauge wire to work great, but we want something slightly larger at the source so that we aren't restricted.
I recommend using the Deka Heat Shrink Butt Connector Kit # DW05745-10 to make all of your connections. The heat shrink feature gives you a much more secure connection that lasts better against the elements than a standard butt connector does.
Also please note that wire colors on trailers aren't necessarily the same. There are standard uses but nothing is a law so it's more important to make sure the gauge matches instead of the colors (although matching colors does make things easier in the long run).
Products Referenced in This Question
Deka Heat Shrink Butt Connector - 12-10 Gauge - Nylon Insulation - Yellow - Qty 10
- Wiring
- Wire Connectors
- Butt Connectors
- 12-10 Gauge
- Deka
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