deuces wire gauge/ sizes?

Well I am getting ready to redo all the battery cables and charging wires etc on my truck. Questions are, what are the recommended sizes/ gauges?

1) Battery Cables, I have read that 2/0 should be good enough, but my main + cable that goes to the starter appears larger.
2) Starter wires and grounds. Mine are melted etc, what do you recommend for these sizes?
3) Civilian Alternators-
24v charge wire and ground
12v charge wire and ground

I bought a Wolverine Tech 12v kit, but it was from a private owner that had it sitting on the shelf. The main charge wire for 12v came with 2 wires that go into one terminal on each end. Why not run a single heavier gauge? Maybe mine was a prototype...
I am not sure what amperage the alternators I have are, I can look tomorrow if it is needed.

Also to let this thread have some tech in it for future search, what are some of the other standard gauge wire sizes in the truck. 14-16 gauge?

Thanks for the help, I know I could take the wires off and bring them into the store but just want some input from you guys

Working on my deuce I have ran mostly into 14 gauge wire. Also a little 12 gauge. The main battery wire will work with the 2/0, but the military stuff could be like their smaller wire and just have a lot thicker rubber coating. I have a new one in the garage so I'll go see if it has the wire size written on it.

I checked and the mil stuff is 2 gauge wire so must be better coating. The stuff remind me of welding cable(for 220 stick welders) that stuff makes great battery cables(also jumper cables).

I have used 4 gauge in many of my 12 hot rods that I have made battery relocating wires, use good competition wire for amps, thick coating and lots of strands.

The more strands in the wire the better. The reason amp wire and welding wire work so good.

M35A2 wire sizes

I was wondering if anyone knows where to find the wire size in the manuals.
there does not seem to be a description of sire size in the electrical area of the TMs
or in the diagrams themselves that I can see.
I the aviation industry which is not the same, the wires size is incorporated in the number
of each wire in a diagram and meets a minimum Mil-spec of course.
Typically a circuit such a warning light as an example has W and then the circuit number and then the wire
size all incorporated in one number. On these trucks the wires have aluminum tags on them as everyone
knows and is probably built to a spec but not necessarily a mil-spec.
Of course I am speaking of M35 area trucks, M38 jeeps, etc.

Long story short, anyone know where to find the wire sizes listed?

jimm1009 here on s.s.

or

m1009jim@yahoo.com

I spent almost 3 hours looking. Nada. In the power generation world, its like aviation. Wire size is incorporated in the wire number. I figured at least in the bulk listing, surly, there would be the wire sizes listed, and info there to order. Nada. I have to say, I am truly amazed.

Stranded welding cable of a "stinger" matches up, the wire from the main lead to your hand held electrode holder is what I mean. I stand to be corrected on this but the welding stinger cable with proper swaged ends is the way to go.
250 amp stinger should be 1/0 cable AT $2.35 A FOOT
300 amp stinger should be 2/0 cable AT 2.70 A FOOT
oR DO i HAVE THAT BACKWARDS?
Welders please chime in here.
I know one can weld stuff just with the Deuce batteries without or with the engine running so it would be good to have the heaviest wire available.
A few feet of it does not cost much.


Welding cable is the electrical conductor for the welding current. It consists of a series of fine copper strands wrapped inside a non-conductive, durable jacket (typically some type of synthetic or natural rubber of various colors). The fine copper strands give welding cable more flexibility than other types of electrical conductors and the insulating jacket is designed to hold up to repeated movement over rough surfaces. As the current level increases (measured in amperage or amps), the diameter of the welding cable and resulting cross sectional area of the copper stranding needs to increase. The concept is similar to the flow of water through a hose. A larger diameter hose is needed in order to carry a greater volume of water. You use a smaller hose to water your garden, while the fire department uses a much larger hose to fight fires.

Welding cable “ampacity”, also known as current capacity or amperage rating, refers to the maximum amount of electrical current that a cable can safely conduct. Besides the cross sectional area, other factors that impact the ampacity of welding cable are its length, ohm rating (i.e., resistance rating), temperature ratings of the insulation material and the ambient temperature. Shorter cables can carry more current than longer cables of the same diameter. Welding cable is often rated with a conductor temperature of 75°C (167° F), 90°C (194⁰F) or 105°C (221°F). While the copper wire itself can handle the high temperatures generated by higher amperages before sustaining damage, the insulation protecting them would melt. Welding cables are also often rated for an ambient temperature of 30°C (86°F). Higher ambient temperatures can reduce their ability to dissipate heat into the surrounding environment, and thus reduce their ampacity. In addition, several cables packed tightly together can also have a reduction in their ability to dissipate heat. Multiple cables should be slightly spread apart.

Note that while copper is an excellent conductor of electricity, it still has a degree of resistance to the flow of electrons through it. Therefore, some amount of resistance heating will occur in the cable. It is normal for a properly sized welding cable to feel warm to the touch after prolonged welding. However, if the diameter of cable is too small for the level of current flowing through it, then the cable will overheat. This can result in a potential fire hazard, as well as damage to the cable itself (and ultimately to cable breakage and failure). A breakdown of the insulation jacket can also be an electrical shock hazard. Conversely, cable that is oversized for a given amperage level does not conduct current any more effectively than properly sized cable. However, larger diameter cable typically costs more per foot or per meter than smaller diameter cable, because of the increased amount of copper strands. Therefore, oversized cables may not be cost effective.

Electrical cable is typically categorized by an AWG (American Wire Gauge) size, where the smaller diameter cable has a larger number. Figure 1 lists the AWG sizes. Gauge (or gage) sizes larger than one are zero, also expressed as 1/0 (pronounced “one aught”), two zeros, expressed as 2/0 (pronounced "two aught"), 3/0 and 4/0. Cable sizes between #4 and #4/0 are typically used for welding cable.

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?99413-battery-cable-size
https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?60803-Deuce-Battery-Cable-Guage
At work We used locomotive cable for our 4160 and 1320 breaker connections because it is so pliable. i just now saw 50 feet of 2/0 2000 volt locomotive cable for 195.62 to the house. (3.92 a foot)
Don't skimp.