generator cable

S

skip hartline

Member
Sep 9, 2011
518
5
18
Evening all,
Need to get a new battery for the Onan 6K, been thinking about just running cable from the front batteries, front right to the generator, if anyone
has done this before or did the factory ever do it? I'm trying to establish if 4ga would be big enough or would it take 2ga for that over 30 ft run.
Thanks in advance.
Skip Hartline
 
I would suggest that you not do that. If your front starting battery goes bad you will be stranded. With the two battery banks you can always get a boost to start the engine from the rear battery bank. If your alternator goes out the front battery will likely not be charged. You can run the Onan by starting it from the rear battery bank and continue on your trip until you can obtain an alternator

All of the above has happened to me more than once in past years.

Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Frederick, CO

>
> Evening all,
> Need to get a new battery for the Onan 6K, been thinking about just running cable from the front batteries, front right to the generator, if anyone
> has done this before or did the factory ever do it? I'm trying to establish if 4ga would be big enough or would it take 2ga for that over 30 ft run.
> Thanks in advance.
> Skip Hartline
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
Plus, if you are clueless enough to run your engine battery clear down, you
can start the onan and recharge it, then drive away.
Jim Hupy

On Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 6:29 PM Emery Stora via Gmclist <

> I would suggest that you not do that. If your front starting battery goes
> bad you will be stranded. With the two battery banks you can always get a
> boost to start the engine from the rear battery bank. If your alternator
> goes out the front battery will likely not be charged. You can run the
> Onan by starting it from the rear battery bank and continue on your trip
> until you can obtain an alternator
>
> All of the above has happened to me more than once in past years.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Frederick, CO
>
> > On Jan 13, 2019, at 6:44 PM, Skip Hartline

> >
> > Evening all,
> > Need to get a new battery for the Onan 6K, been thinking about just
> running cable from the front batteries, front right to the generator, if
> anyone
> > has done this before or did the factory ever do it? I'm trying to
> establish if 4ga would be big enough or would it take 2ga for that over 30
> ft run.
> > Thanks in advance.
> > Skip Hartline
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
> E Need to get a new battery for the Onan 6K, been thinking about just
> running cable from the front batteries, front right to the generator,
> if anyone has done this before or did the factory ever do it? I'm
> trying to establish if 4ga would be big enough or would it take 2ga
> for that over 30 ft run.

I assume you have a 23', and you want to run from your up-front house
battery to the Onan? Can be done, but I wouldn't, as it is, imho, too
much of a hazzle

If you do do it, I would go with a 2ga.

If you have a 26' and are thinking about connecting to the chassis
starting battery, I wouldn't, as others have pointed out.
--
Best regards

Peer Oliver Schmidt
PGP KeyID: 0x4196BF22
'76a 26' Eleganza II - Virginia, US
'73 23' Sequoia - Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
 
Go to the Waytek wire site and read what they have to say. I don't think that #2 size wire will allow the starter motor to get the amperage it needs. Check their chart.

>
>
> Evening all,
> Need to get a new battery for the Onan 6K, been thinking about just running cable from the front batteries, front right to the generator, if anyone
> has done this before or did the factory ever do it? I'm trying to establish if 4ga would be big enough or would it take 2ga for that over 30 ft run.
> Thanks in advance.
> Skip Hartline
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
Yes, it is a 26 with both batteries up front, From what I've seen of the price of cable I can buy a battery cheaper and a lot less labor, since I said
that what do you think the smallest cranking amp battery would be suggested for a 6K Onan. I've got it set with an isolator of it's own from the
battery maintainer to keep it up. Thanks for the inputs.
Skip Hartline
 
Skip,

On my '76, 23', the Onan starts from the front-mounted house batteries, as
delivered in '76. That retains the redundancy for starting the engine. As

As for your use of a battery maintainer through an isolator to charge a
rear-mounted battery, don't forget that the maintainer is already a low
voltage and current device, and that the isolator will drop that low
voltage by another 0.7 VDC. That battery will never reach full charge
unless you wire it directly from the house batteries which take advantage
of the voltage feedback to the alternator to compensate for that 0.7 VDC.

Ken H.

On Mon, Jan 14, 2019 at 7:06 AM Skip Hartline
wrote:

> Yes, it is a 26 with both batteries up front, From what I've seen of the
> price of cable I can buy a battery cheaper and a lot less labor, since I
> said
> that what do you think the smallest cranking amp battery would be
> suggested for a 6K Onan. I've got it set with an isolator of it's own from
> the
> battery maintainer to keep it up. Thanks for the inputs.
> Skip Hartline
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
My 23' - Norris upfit - had both batteries up front and a heavy cable running back to the genset from the house battery. I like that setup better
than the house in back batteries. When you have to boost to start, there's way less loss which means more power to the engine starter boosted than
there would be with 25 feet of cable from the battery to the start solenoid. Also it's much simpler to wire an ammeter in the house circuit when the
battery is up front. I seldom dry camp so I don't need a great house capacity. I'm considering moving the house battery(s) up front for this reason.
I have to replace the front to rear cable anyway, the OEM looks really poor where I can see it. I doubt the hidden parts are any better.

--johnny
--
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell" - ol Andy, paraphrased
 
If you have a 26 with all batteries up front ( not familiar with that setup myself) then logically there must a heavy cable already run by the
upfitter.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
Skip,

The cranking current on a 4kW (BF) Onan is about 90 amps. For years now, I have successfully starting mine with the smallest garden tractor battery
that they had a Walmart. If you have any kind of maintainer and the OE start battery chart circuit still on the Onan, it will do just fine.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
I have 5 battery's. One up front for the engine. Two next to the engine battery for the house. Then two at the generator. Again for the house. An 0 gauge wire due to distance. To connect the front/rear battery's. With a 50 amp circuit breaker at each end that I had on hand at the time. This set up gives me enough power to run the furnace all night. Plus I have a large invertor. That feeds 110 Volt to the many wall plugs up each side of the coach. I put a lot of double 110V wall boxes in. So now each 110V box has two double plugs. With the GFI left 110V plug being shore/gen power controlled with an automatic transfer switch. Then the right plug off the 110V inverter. Have a 9 station circuit breaker box for 110V shore/gen power. Bob Dunahugh
 
> Evening all,
> Need to get a new battery for the Onan 6K, been thinking about just running cable from the front batteries, front right to the generator, if
> anyone has done this before or did the factory ever do it? I'm trying to establish if 4ga would be big enough or would it take 2ga for that over 30
> ft run. Thanks in advance.
> Skip Hartline

Year and model of the coach?
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
I would go with the 2/0 welding as it has s low resistance and the voltage drop is minimal for that distance. I used some 0/0 cable in the other
coach that I built because I got it at a low, low price. Go to Ebay and you can get a good selections of prices. You can crimp on the ends and I
also solder the end too! My personal choice, yours may be different. I used this crimper for the end that I use and it works well and use your 20%
and the price drops. https://www.harborfreight.com/hydraulic-wire-crimping-tool-66150.html
--
J.R. Wright
GMC GreatLaker
GMC Eastern States
GMCMI
78 30' Buskirk Stretch
75 Avion Under Reconstruction
Michigan
 
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