re-wiring an Oc-3

[jr/w.pa]

I am in the process of re -wiring  2two OC-3 . I am going to follow the wires and replace each as I go .one OC-3  has  a 12 volt battery and the other  has a 6 volt battery. 2 questions ;can I use the same gauge wire for both and what would be the best gauge wire size to use

[hotratz]

The gauge of wire you select is determined by what your load current is at the device. You usually do not want to load a wire more than 80% of it's rated ampacity. For instance: a 35 watt headlight @12 volts is going to draw about 3 amps. A 35 watt headlight @6 volts is going to draw about 6 amps. A # 16 AWG wire routed in a conduit or hot engine bay is good for about 8 amps. So in this example you could use #16 for both voltages. Each device will be different. Charging circuits from the gen/alt to the battery are generally 30 amp or # 10 wire.