Heavy equipment wire harness: Two Popular Ways to Protect Wire Harnesses on Heavy-Duty Equipment

Construction and agriculture machinery usually run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since they are heavy-duty, they have to work in many different environments with a lot of vibration.  Thus, it would be best if you had wide-range wire harness protection to shield the engine’s components, which helps those components better withstand the obstacles. Braided looms and convoluted tubing are two examples of traditional wire harnesses. Let’s dig into each and see which heavy equipment wire harness best suits your case.

Braided Loom

You can protect the wire harnesses from high temperatures and vibrations with varying degrees of rigidity by passing them from a looming device that wraps them in braided PVC-coated nylon. Copper weaving options exist to further shield the harness against electronic interference. A braided loom is porous so that water can flow through it; this is especially useful if you utilize it in cold climates.

The wiring assembly is one streamlined unit since they weave the nylon right onto the wires, eliminating the need for tape or fasteners. PVC-coated nylon is available in a rainbow of colors to match your brand’s design or stand out from the competition. Tracers, which are strands of contrasting color woven into the braid, are available in black nylon for those who prefer that color. Using a tracer, an OEM can learn, for example, which of their supplier partners made a wire harness or which controlling system that harness serves.

There are downsides to looming. Tape all the wires together neatly and label the individual strands, so looming can be time-consuming. Also, it would be best if you had a machine that could handle the thickness of the wire harness. Moreover, workers must take breaks every so often to keep their shoulders, necks, and backs from getting too tired. Also, it would be best if you gave them a hearing protector.

Heavy equipment wire harness: Advantages

• Highly adaptable
• Allows water to pass through it.
• The sleek and tidy appearance of a one-piece design
• Available in different colors, thus, “branding” your harnesses is as simple as adding some tracers (colored strands) to distinguish them from the competition.

Heavy equipment wire harness: Drawbacks

• Potentially time-consuming
• uses specific machinery whose operation can be noisy
• Need harness taping before looming.

Convoluted Tubing

Variable types of plastic used to make convoluted tubing have different chemical and heat resistance. The tubing can seal out liquids and work with various connector backshells. Various fittings are available to accommodate various harness branch configurations. You can make the wire harness flexible thanks to the availability of convoluted tubes in a broad range of sizes.

The most significant drawback of intricate tubing is the additional work involved in fishing the wire harnesses through the tube and any needed fittings. For intricate cables, this can be a significant challenge.

You must secure the tubing with sticky tape or zip ties without fittings at branch junctions. It may compromise the watertight seal. Before fixing the harness through the tube, tape the wires neatly and separate the different branches.

Heavy equipment wire harness: Advantages

• Choices for chemical and thermal stability
• High-pressure liquid tight
• Allows for a wide variety of connector backshells
• Several sizes and a rainbow of hues are available.
• Flexible

Heavy equipment wire harness: Drawbacks

• You have to insert the wiring harness into the tube, which can be challenging.
• Taping or zip-tying the ends of each branch is necessary.
• Taping the harness before putting wires into the tubing is a must.

Caption: Electrical wires inside the tube

Application Considerations

It is possible to place an order for a braided loom and convoluted tubing with a split, making it possible for an assessment to identify the harness. Still, it also necessitates using zip ties or tape to connect the safety to the wire harness, resulting in liquids being able to pass through.

You must consider several considerations before deciding which possibility is most suitable for your application. Instead of attempting to fish everything inside the tube, you should use the braided weave if you have a large wire harness because this is likely the most effective technique for safeguarding it. On the other hand, twisted tubing is the way to go if you have a small harness that needs to be chemical resistant or prevent the passage of liquids.

Caption: Convoluted tubing over heat shrink tubing 

Conclusion

Protection in the heavy-duty system is necessary as their wires are prone to damage. Thus, you need some tubing or weaving around the wire harness to make it stronger than before. You can choose between a braided loom and tubing or both.