Carpenter981

Just got a 20" chinese light bar off eBay. Gonna wire it up this weekend. My question is...will 14/2 gauge wire be enough to run it? Ive got access to all the 14/2 I could want. The wires on the light bar seem to be about 10awg.

05jakev

Whats the wattage on the bar

CHUMCHAL72

Usually 20" bars are 120w and a 14g wire can handle 40a. So 14g would be plenty fine.

Gauge 12V
22 5A
20 8A
18 10A
16 20A
14 40A 40 amp x 12 V = 480 watts This is maximum in a perfect world on DC
12 60A
10 100A
8 150A

05jakev

That amp chart seems a bit high. There is no way I would run 40a on 14 awg wire. You might get it but that wire is going to be hot!! Plus if that wire goes from the battery to the cab then to the front of the truck your looking at like 12 feet of wire and that would cause like 22% voltage drop. Heck even at 120 watts which is 10a your still looking at almost 6% lost and that still more than the 3% you should shoot for. Ill go for 12awg min less drop = more light

muddyford911

iTrader: (1)

At 120 watts you should expect that bar to draw ~9-10 amps. 12 awg wire should be plenty, even for a longer run. I would fuse it at 15 amps.

Carpenter981

alright. I guess just to be safe Ill go get some 12/2 this weekend. Another question, do I need a relay or just wire it to a switch with an inline fuse? I want it separate from my high beams on its own switch

Ill try to get some pics up when i get it installed.

muddyford911

iTrader: (1)

It depends on how many amps your switch is rater for. Most toggle switches are stamped with the voltage and amperage rating. If the load is anywhere near the amp rating on the switch, it will burn up the switch over time.

05jakev

X2 if you dont want a relay go with a 15 or 20 amp switch