What are these parts?

[Bob Gil]

I was taking the burn't stuff off the bus yeaterday and I found the main power wire to the cab.  but I dont find any thing coming to it?  should the power come from the pos side of the starter to it?

In the picture I can't figure out what was mounted there to the left of it does any body have any idea what it was?

[skipn]

Just a shot.

    Resistar bar........to test run an ohm meter on it. The math boys can give the exact ohm value
if it was used to step 24V down to 12v DON'T use it.

Skip

[Bob Gil]

used to step 24V down to 12v?

Ok I assume that the bus might have been 24 volt at one time then?

Any idea what the piece is on the right that the wire is bolted to?  The wire goes to the front of the bus.  I assume it is the main power to the cab.

Now that I am this far along and still don't know what I have to try to get a wiring diagram, I am trying to go back to the basics. 

Should the main power come from the POS side of the starter to this junction?

[Stan]

The piece on the right is a high current circuit breaker.

[skipn]

   Bob,

    At one time probably but then maybe not.

   Ok some wiring thoughts.
     When wiring the POS to the rest of a rig you can.
    1. Go from starter
    2. Go from the battery to a common bar w/ switch One wire to the main bus bar and one wire to the starter.
   
     Biggest considerations
       Length of wire runs
       Proper size wire for the length
       ease of getting to the batteries
       Try not to have big wires go to  back then back front.....so it depends on where your batteries are.

    Personally I like a master switch between the batteries and the starter,main bus bar.

   Hope this helps

     Skip

[Bob Gil]

   Skip said
Personally I like a master switch between the batteries and the starter,main bus bar.

This would completely disconect the batteries from any thing (manualy), kinda like a security switch?  save the batteries and make it where you would have to know where it was to start the bus.

The batteries are just the other side of the frame from the engine now.  I may insall house batteries some where else later. 

I guess that would require a good size (amp) bus bar.

[compedgemarine]

yes a main cut off switch would isolate the batteries for everything. not needed on something you drive everyday but nice on a vehicle that may sit for a month or more at a time. phantom loads or a bizarred short could kill the batteries or fry something when you are not around.
steve

[Bob Gil]

The piece on the right is a high current circuit breaker.

How big would one of these be? 50 amp? Or bigger? I guess every thing in the bus would need to run off of it.

[compedgemarine]

the one I have is around 8 or 9 hundred load and 500 amps constant. any good marine store will carry a heavy duty cutoff switch.
steve