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master power switch ?

sweetk30

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If you wanted to add a master power switch to a battery system to turn off the whole vehicle for longer storage / limited use were would you put it ?

positive or negitave side wire on the battery ?

prob going to put the switch in the dash inside the cab . or might do it up in the grill as there will be a pair of jumper studs mounted up in there so all in 1 plate would work .

and the switch is rated for 250 amps . this be good or not ?

EDIT : reason for in cab is the truck is around 20" lift on 46" tires . its a pain in the arss to get up to the battery everytime. hence why maybe in the grill also . but this be letting it get direct water/mud at it . so why I was thinking in cab .
 
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Positive side normally although I do know people that like to wire the switch/relays through the ground side. Just seems like a lot more work to have 2amp less draw to me, but thats not really relevant here.


We usually put them out the berger panel or tail light :D
 
What I would do, is mount it next to the battery under the hood. Would be a good theft deterrent also. Would also be the simplest install.

Also in the positive wire.
 
It would be nice to have a master dissconnect switch mounted on the dash or other easily acessible spot while driving,it would enable you to stop a lot of wiring damage if a major short occoured..but its not always feasable or easy to mount one in such a spot..

I suppose it doesn't make too much difference if you put the cut off in the positive or the ground cable,I usually put switches on the positive side of the system on other things..
 
little of both .

buddys truck he got for his 5-6 year old kid who likes MONSTOR TRUCKS . figure its a good way to spend time with the kid and have fun him self .

will get pics up Monday or Tuesday .
 
You ALWAYS disconnect the negative side.
On negative grounded vehicles.
Everything since the mid-50's is negative grounded.
 
yep that's the style switch I was going to run on it . :waytogo:

and I figured for the run and were its going it would be better to run the ground up in the cab .
 
Mine is wired to the neg side of the battery and mounted in a simple bracket I made for it. It is behind the front bumper. I put it there thinking it would be hidden, but still easy to access. The truth is it's a pain to reach on my C/10, but sounds like it wouldn't be a problem on this.

I did the disconnect on the negative side because that is the way almost everything is wired at work. Power is removed with circuit breakers or fuses, while grounds are removed with switches or relays. I figured if it's good enough for airplanes it would be good enough on my truck.

This is what I used:
http://www.amazon.com/HELLA-002843011-Series-Rating-Battery/dp/B0000AYAFE
 
we disco boats for the winter by removing the grd's... both work, but grd is the preferred method for a DC system...
 
One thing to remember. ALL the battery power is going to have to go through that switch to run the truck.
A good heavy switch will handle the current, but don't forget about the wire resistance.

Running the battery power through a remote switch is the same effect as remoting the battery, except you are only remoting one wire instead of two.

So, be sure to run heavy wire to prevent slow starter action. If you have, or may have an electric winch, go with a heavier switch. A winch may draw 3 or 400 amps.
 

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