On my Baja I would like the front bar, rear bar, roof rack and engine to be completely unpluggable from the main wiring harness.

The chances are that I will
Be removing these items from time to time and anyone who has had to do that frequently knows how annoying the wiring can be!

The rear cage isn't a big deal. A standard trailer plug should suffice. The same is true for the engine loom.

The roof rack however will have 2x 100w spotties mounted and the plug will
Need to be pretty heavy duty.

The front bar will have 2 x 100w spotties, 2x 60/55w headlights, 2x indicators, so this will also have to be pretty hefty.

Google isn't helping me so well. Anyone have any ideas? Or been down this road before?

Nicko

Nicko,
As starting point, calculate the amperage. For example for the roof rack, 2 x 100W spotlights = 200 W; 200W / 12 Volts => 17Amps, therefore your plug will need to be rated at 20Amps. Use the same approach for the front bar, remembering that Watts = Volts X Amps. This gives the plug rating, which is a starting point for browsing the catalogues of e.g. messrs Narva. It goes without saying (but I will) that all the heavy-duty stuff (spots and headlights) will be wired via relays.

p.s. Volts are named after Alessandro Volta, Watts after James Watt, and Amperes after Andre-Marie Ampere. Each of these fine gentlemen has contributed anough to science that the units named after them are capitalised in their honour, i.e. 100W spotties, not 100w spotties.

hth

Thanks modulus.

Yes everything will be relayed.

Guess I'll try to find some PDF catalogs and keep looking. Was hoping to have a single plug for the front bar which might be difficult.

Something like this maybe, http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PP2114

Hi Nicko

Narva sell PLUG IN connectors in 1-2-3-4-5-6-8 wires

check out 56276BL which is the 6 way male/female connectors
rated at 20 Amperes.. so those should be handy
I am going to do My engine bay as I have problems finding the wires after they are all disconnected... lol

LEE

Narva are sold at auto electricians and Auto Shops..

PS: Narva used to be a Communist East German company making similar items to HELLA until the Berlin wall came down
then the Quality went UP to actually match Hella Quality

No One in the Communist Bloc countries complained about the Quality of Narva products back then as If You did... You would quietly disappear... and if You were lucky - You would end up in a labour camp ....

LEE

For my engine bay, I put a 12 pin trailer plug in. It has some heavy pins as well as the normal ones. Whether this would be OK for your roo bar etc. Your blinkers etc. would only need the normal pins, and you could use the bigger pins for your driving lights, even if you didn't use every pin. They do have good mounting holes for the female plug too.

Interesting Jeff

I didn't know there were such plugs..

LEE

I would suggest an Anderson plug for the spotties. They start at 50amps. Commonly used to at the rear of a 4wd to to connect up the battery charging circuits on 4wd's to camper trailers. Again, Narva make them or Jaycar. Google Narva Anderson Plug.Available at Repco or Jaycar
Cheers.....Wayne

^^^^^^^^ X2, my son uses them for his spots on his fourbie

yer the 5-7 plug trailer connectors would do nicely

Thanks for all the input guys.

Jeff those pictures are a big help.

50A Rating sounds good. I Shall investigate Anderson plugs.