Accessory Fuse Panel Question

ok well ive been doing alot of searching lately and im sick of it... so here it goes.
I am going to be wiring 2 BUSS Fuse panel, it can hold 6 fuses with a max of 125 amps at the stud. my question is how should i wire these and what size to fuse to use ?. should i run 2 seperate 8 Gauge wires, 1 for each panel, or should I run 2 Seperate 4 Gauge wires, 1 for each panel, also, whatever gauge wire i use, what size fuse should i use? 125 amp???? i am going to be mounting them both in the rear cargo area of the jeep.


2001 jeep cherokee Limited

If it has two studs then you should use two 4AWG wires (one to each stud), adn a 125A fuse max on each wire to get it's full rated capibilty. On the other hand it would be far better to only use the max fuse needed to cover your usage. Say your only running a set of back up lights @ 15A, and a power outlet @ 30A for starters. Well 15+30 =45 you would be a good idea to just run a main fuse rated for 50A (to alow a little overhead) untill you need more current for something else added later on down the road.

sounds good, but it doesnt have two studs, im installing 2 Identical BUSS FUSE PANELS next to each other,

each has 6 fuses with 25 amp max each, does this mean i should run a 4 Gauge wire to each panel and put a 150 amp max fuse on both 4 Gauge wires

but you are saying that I should only run a fuse that equals what i actually have plugged in to the fuse box. so if i have like he said backup lights at 15 amps, 2 power outlets at 30 amp each, i should use a 75 amp maxx fuse in the 4 Gauge???

is this correct ???

thanks again

you've got it. And put your fuses on the 4 gauge wire close to the battery, not at the fuse box. You want as little unfused wire as possible. THe fuse doesn't do you any good if it's after a short!

I'd run a full-power lead to each distro stud (125A? Should be about a 6 gage offhand - I'd have to check to be sure) and a mains fuze somewhere near where the distribution is taken off - battery, PDC post, whatever.

Run the minimum necessary fuze for each load in the panel - use the rule of "max load + 5%" for resistive loads (electronics, lights, or whatever) and "max load + 15%" for inductive loads (like motors and such.) Reason being that inductive loads are subject to a 'surge' when you turn them on - and running a fuze right near the rated max load (which is usually a constant running load, unless the data place sez otherwise) can result in popping a fuze everytime you turn the thing on.

As far as distro wiring FROM the fuze panel, I find it safest to use the minimum necessary wiring size - PLUS ONE. We're not altogether worried about weight here, and the safety is provided by properly sizing the fuze, rather than the wire.

I think I've got an ampacity vice wire gage chart in my Tech Archive - look there. It's compiled from various sources, all reputable, and seasoned with a bunch of years of wiring just about everything.

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