K-Four Switches - Electrical Items For Custom Builders

When you are doing any custom wiring of accessories like fuel pumps, electric fans, lights, etc., you need to make sure that you have good, quality components, and that you know the basics of wiring so you don't have to go back to redo installations or, worse yet, have your ride burn down due to electrical issues. We stopped by K-Four Switches to talk to the master of maximum voltage, Richard Hopper. Richard is a self-taught electrical engineer who supplies shops like McKenzie's, Kartek, Off-Road Warehouse, and Pacific Warehouse with electrical components to fit all sorts of off-road toys. K-Four's specialty is triple-sealed switches that will live for many times longer than conventional-sealed switches when put in the dirtiest and dustiest of conditions (like on the dash of your sandrail).

Richard walked us through the basics of what our wiring choices were and a few of the components that you can use to make electrical systems topnotch.

Here is the same high-quality switch unsealed (left) and sealed (right). K-Four triple seals all of its switches in-house, with a flexible acrylic coating on the body, O-ring seal, and a toggle switch boot cover. This ensures that all moisture and dirt are kept out of the contacts.

Switch guards can be ordered in five different colors and can be color-coordinated to what reminds you of what application the switch turns on. We always like a red one for nitrous and a blue one for an electric fan override.
Switch guards can be ordered in five different colors and can be color-coordinated to what reminds you of what application the switch turns on. We always like a red one for nitrous and a blue one for an electric fan override.

This is one of the displays that K-Four builds for shops that carry K-Four products. It shows the variety of switches and lights you can use to build yourself a custom dash and/or electrical system.

Shown here are LED switches (left and center) and an incandescent light switch (right). K-Four has the incandescent switches for people who want a metal toggle instead of a plastic toggle (LEDs have a plastic toggle). Both switches work the same way and have the same terminals and amperage rating.

The start of a good wiring system is good wire. Make sure to buy quality electrical wire and use the correct gauge size for the amperage traveling through the wire and the distance you are running the wire. It is also a good idea to jump up one gauge size in wire for every 10 feet of distance that you add to the electrical path.

Here are a variety of indicator lights that can be ordered for your custom off-road buggy. Indicator lights can be connected to the cathode of the switch, and will light up whenever the switch is turned "on." On the very left is a legend light. K-Four can make legend lights in four different colors with over 500 logos and can easily make custom legend lights as well. From left to right are the legend light, an indicator light, a large indicator light, two mini LED indicator lights, and a small indicator light on the right. The LED indicator lights can be ordered with standard, superbright, or extra-superbright LED bulbs.

K-Four highly recommends circuit breakers instead of fuses. Obviously fuses will always have their place and are better suited for some applications. But fuses do not reset and need to be replaced when they blow. There are two types of circuit breakers - automatic and manually switched. They can be ordered to trip at different amperages, depending on your application, and should be made to trip at approximately 80 percent of the switch's maximum load capacity.
K-Four highly recommends circuit breakers instead of fuses. Obviously fuses will always have their place and are better suited for some applications. But fuses do not reset and need to be replaced when they blow. There are two types of circuit breakers - automatic and manually switched. They can be ordered to trip at different amperages, depending on your application, and should be made to trip at approximately 80 percent of the switch's maximum load capacity.

This is expanding wire loom that can be ordered in 1/8-, 1/4-, 3/8-, or 1/2-inch sizes. It expands (like a Chinese finger trap) so you can stretch 1/2-inch tubing to fit 3/4-inch worth of wires. It's a good idea to put heat shrink on the end of the loom to prevent fraying and for general cleanliness.

Battery disconnects are popular as not only theft deterrent and to limit battery drain, they are also crucial to motorsports. The ability to immediately cut all power coming from the battery can be very handy and sometimes crucial during emergency situations. Left to right, a heavy-duty disconnect with a 180-amp continuous rating, a lightweight plastic-body disconnect (50-amp continuous), and a keyed-battery disconnect for theft prevention purposes.

To cleanly hold your wires up out of the way while running them along a framerail or sidewall, cushion clamps are your best bet. They have rubberized isolators that keep the metal of the clamp from rubbing through wires' insulation.

From left to right are five of the most popular switch options being ordered: a nonsealed toggle, a triple-sealed toggle, a toggle with a switch guard, an incandescent triple-sealed toggle, and a rubber-booted triple-sealed toggle switch. You can order switches that handle up to 30 amps from K-Four. If the switch you have installed in your electrical system is getting hot, then it is overloading and you'll need to replace it with a higher amperage switch.
From left to right are five of the most popular switch options being ordered: a nonsealed toggle, a triple-sealed toggle, a toggle with a switch guard, an incandescent triple-sealed toggle, and a rubber-booted triple-sealed toggle switch. You can order switches that handle up to 30 amps from K-Four. If the switch you have installed in your electrical system is getting hot, then it is overloading and you'll need to replace it with a higher amperage switch.