Circuit Breakers vs Fuses

Shepard

In all the work I've been doing I've had to do some additional wiring. I felt that a main fuse could turn into a bad day if it blew on the road for any reason. Yes I carry a small tool kit but no major supplies. For this reason I decided to use small circuit breakers for the mains and charge feed wiring.
What do you guys run and why? I have a fuse panel under the dash but it's not switched. With a circuit breaker you could turn it off for maintenance work. With a circuit breaker you could have a push button form of security when parking in a public event. With a circuit breaker in the charge line you could disconnect the rectifier for welding on the frame if required. I posted 2 pictures of the models I'm using. They were $9.00 off of EBay. Again what do you guys like to use and why?

Attached Images

	20 Amp Breaker.jpg (10.2 KB, 0 views)
	30 Amp Breaker.jpg (10.2 KB, 0 views)

BGW

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HBR

I like fuses. They may not be convenient like CB, but my experience is that they are more reliable. CB can fail in the open or closed state, neither of which are good.

Keeping a bunch of spare fuses on the cart is more practical and they are easier to replace compared to keeping spare CB and swapping one out away from home.

The other way I look at it is if you have all your wires properly protected, secured and routed then whatever would cause a fuse/CB to trip/blow is something significant. And it isnt likely something you can fix away from home anyway. Or at least without returning home to get parts, tools, etc.

Just my view on it anyway.

dundeebarnbuggy

Nice idea but if they are made in china, I wouldn't touch them. I have a few that come factory on JD tractors. They are Bosch self resetting and used on lighting circuits. Have worked flawlessly.

sho305

I've never had an issue with fuses. I do have a relay that kills my clone and I can pull the whole relay out of the plug to make it run with no power, and pull start it.

I do plan to put another set of headlights on the cart that are led, and keep the old ones. That way I would actually have redundant lighting. I'll keep the 55w halogens for long range lighting I don't need them for zipping over to the campfire. Though I may eventually replace those with another set with LED or HID lights not sure. The smaller LED are for running roads here you are supposed to have DRLs on at all times. A usual along with the colored frame led I have not had time to install them, keep messing with the new engine instead.

sformal

I cannot see the difference with a breaker... If you have a contact somewhere, and do not find and arrange the reason, the breaker will switch off the same!

I prefer myself to disconnect the battery (Yamaha gas), the only "state" I trust when working on it, which is not often anyway. It is also a good moment to check and clean the connections

A golf car being an "open vehicle", it is easy for any "rough guy" to see if such a feature has been installed and... where it is!

In my humble opinion, the cost is a major issue (dollar$$$), compared to the cost of fuses (just cents); for the number of time we have a trouble...

...but the major issue is "reliability". There are more and more breakers, imitation of major brands which is a fraud, that are simply dangerous to install. On the other hand, installing them in a environment (humidity, temperature changes, etc...) that is not the best especially if they are switched on/off all the time...

This being said, I am finding there are more and more sh**ty fuses on the market that do not blow when they should!

dundeebarnbuggy

Check where they are made,,,

Shepard

I guess I'll scrap the circuit breakers. In my situation I probably won't be able to push the button any how.

sho305

I know people that would go to Mexico, they put this key in their vehicle. It has a bunch of wires to it that the key connects. You connect ignition, fuel, and other stuff through it so it wont run without it. The idea is there are enough wires they can't just hot wire it, so they steal some other vehicle.

Rooster59

Not an electrician so I don't know if breakers protect better than fuses. When I hear breakers I think of the cheaper non-resettable type. Those I can't "see" if they are bad. Blade fuses I can. I quit using glass fuses years ago. A zip lock baggy of spare fuses is in my small "doctor bag" that goes in my bagwell for surprises.

dacheedah

Cheap breakers vs cheap fuses , get breakers that reset. If exposure has your wires and fuse panel corroding get a jet ski electronics box or dry box with some appropriate wire grommets and problem solved.


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