Too many ring terminals on battery - already have a switch - suggestions?

[drowzyGX]

If not too late and you don't want to adjust your wiring, SLEE offers this: Not a fan here but I have seen it and it looks better than stacking a bunch of lugs on the battery post connections. If you want to have the option to control electronics from inside the cab look at SwitchPro, ARB and a few others, these tend to limit the feeds to 30 amps so you would need a disconnect or breaker for the winch if not hardwired. These will be step up from a terminal post and also possible use some of the same posts for connectivity. all about how deep the pockets are and where you want to ultimately get to in the long run.

SLEE - Billet Battery Terminals - Set - Slee Off Road

Features Securely connect accessory circuits on Group 31 Batteries (Requires Slee Tray Upgrade) Billet machined from Buss Bar aluminum Tin coated for maximum corrosion protection Specifically machined ends to fit Toyota OE battery connections for Land Cruiser 100, 200 & Tacoma (OE ring terminal...

sleeoffroad.com

I do have a switch - just an auxbeam, nothing as nice as the switch pro. Love how it cleaned up and simplified wiring accessories.

I do want to avoid a chunky terminal, and don’t mind buying cables, fuses, etc. to get the bus bar wired up, if it nets me a clean looking, safe install.

Winch is where I’ve got my decisions to make right now. Gotta check out the different options tossed up in the thread.

 

[george_tlc]

I have dual batteries and use a https://www.bluesea.com/products/9001E

It gives me the option of selecting which battery (or both) or none. For normal day to day, it's set to none and the winch positive is isolated from the batteries and 'safe'.

When winching, I just pop the hood and flip the switch to either 1, 2 or both. Anything goes wrong and I can switch back to none.

No need for connectors or fuses or breakers.

Bluesea makes a single on/off as well, if you just need to isolate the winch from the main battery.

cheers,
george.

 

[drowzyGX]

I have dual batteries and use a https://www.bluesea.com/products/9001E

It gives me the option of selecting which battery (or both) or none. For normal day to day, it's set to none and the winch positive is isolated from the batteries and 'safe'.

When winching, I just pop the hood and flip the switch to either 1, 2 or both. Anything goes wrong and I can switch back to none.

No need for connectors or fuses or breakers.

Bluesea makes a single on/off as well, if you just need to isolate the winch from the main battery.

cheers,
george.

This looks like a fancier version of what came with the winch. The badlands 12k synthetic winch I snagged has switch like this. I need to figure out what the switch is rated at.

I do like the idea of a 500amp fuse because I know, at least from the winch manual, it can draw up to ~450amps.

Wonder if something like a fuse between the switch and battery would be overkill?

However I really like the clean look of the Anderson connectors. Just don’t know enough about electrical to know if the amp draw is a concern with them.

 

[AirheadNut]

If the winch came with a disconnect switch then I’d just run that.

 

[drowzyGX]

Parts acquired. Install today. Will share updates when it’s done.

Parts:
Bus bar
4 gauge 4 ash wire (connect bus bar to battery)
SDHQ Billet Battery terminal kit
SDHQ compression lug kit
SDHQ negative battery to body ground kit
SDHQ billet battery tie down kit

Plan is to wire:
HID headlight ballasts (2x ring terminals)
GMRS radio (1x ring terminal)
Auxbeam 8 gang switch (1x ring terminal)

To the bus bar, and run the badlands winch directly off the battery while in use.

Really appreciate the help and advice from folks in this thread!

 

[sdnative]

I don't see fuses / circuit breakers in that list. What is the plan for circuit protection?

 

[drowzyGX]

I don't see fuses / circuit breakers in that list. What is the plan for circuit protection?

The winch has an in line circuit breaker, and the HID lights and radio have in-line fuses.

I think that’s sufficient, yeah?

 

[sdnative]

The winch has an in line circuit breaker, and the HID lights and radio have in-line fuses.

I think that’s sufficient, yeah?

Maybe. Depends on where they are located. If you have 20' of unprotected wire between the battery and fuse, maybe not. You want to minimize the length of unprotected wire, meaning fusing / circuit breaker at or very near the battery.

 

[drowzyGX]

Maybe. Depends on where they are located. If you have 20' of unprotected wire between the battery and fuse, maybe not. You want to minimize the length of unprotected wire, meaning fusing / circuit breaker at or very near the battery.

Oh they’re all very close. Wire from battery to bus bar is about 1 foot. The HID fuse is is about 2 feet from the battery. The ballast for the driver side headlight is only 3 feet in length, and the fuse is about centered. The HID ballast for the passenger side light is about 6 or 7 feet, and the in-line fuse is centered. For the radio, the fuse is under a foot from the ring terminal.

Worst case, I can either move the fuses closer to the bus bar, or I can add a 70 amp fuse in line between the battery and the bus bar (the switch has a circuit breaker that trips at 60amps and the HID lights are about 4.5 amps a piece).

 

[lcwizard]

Put the winch direct to the battery. Running it through too many switches or blocks may just reduce current. A bad ground or 12v side and your 12k winch may stall
at 6K. Run an 8 gauge to a bus bar or similar and move all your little connections there. GM trucks in the early 90s had a really nice bus bar. Technically it's discontinued but
this site says there's some laying around at dealers
GM 15528797 Block, genuine OEM part - http://oemcats.com/oem-parts/15528797.html#shops

 

[65swb45]

Looks like the essence of simplicity Dave…which is why it’s discontinued.

 

[drowzyGX]

I found a similar (likely a bit lower quality) piece on Amazon.

Can’t find a good spot near the battery in the engine pay of the GX to mount the bus bars. Add to that all the rain and cold we’ve been having in Georgia…haven’t had much of a chance to tinker.

That being said, the winch is getting wired directly to the battery. It comes with an in-line switch. I think that should both be simple and safe.

A short term solve for the ring terminals was the battery terminal kit from SDHQ. It offers up a few different terminals for my devices and moves them out of site and off the main battery terminal post.

It’s not perfect, but I’m happy with it until I get access to a garage or the weather warms up.

 

[landcruising]

Tons of options for terminal blocks with 1- 8 poles for mounting, some with caps etc. I simply put a bolt through the plastic battery box, ran a single 4 gauge positive to it and connected all the accessories with ring connectors and cover with your choice of insulator. this allows room on the battery connector to add a larger winch wire etc.

Amazon product

 

[1MAC]

Tons of options for terminal blocks with 1- 8 poles for mounting, some with caps etc. I simply put a bolt through the plastic battery box, ran a single 4 gauge positive to it and connected all the accessories with ring connectors and cover with your choice of insulator. this allows room on the battery connector to add a larger winch wire etc.

Amazon product

I mounted a bus bar like that directly to the battery tray. Keeps the connection very short and it’s a convenient spot.

 

[e9999]

be aware that some of those generic chinese busbars (looking like ^) seem to have wildly exaggerated specs. I saw one rated at 250A+ that had the actual bar much thinner than I would expect for that kind of current. Now, of course, if you will never come anywhere close to the max rating that may not be an issue.

 

[WTB]

I highly reccomend the Eaton Bussman modular mega and midi fuse holders. You can link up to 7 with a bus bar and push some serious amperage. Mouser electronics has them in stock and they ship super fast. Datasheet attached.