May years ago when I bought my Patrol, I was always confused by some thick, red wire running from the battery. A while later, some Corolla skipped a red-light and we had an altercation. The Patrol required a bit of tupperware (ie: bumper trim). The Corolla was ripped open from the engine bay to the driver's door (bumper stiffener). But I digress.
At that point, the reason for the thick, red cable, became apparent whilst repairing the bumper. It was a cable that the previous owner had used to presumably power his trailer. 100% live, and totally unfused. I still shudder to think what may have happened with that should it have shorted. In any case, I hate cowboy electrics....
That said, often times, people are confused about the reason for fuses and properly crimped connections.
1: A fused circuit will short out (ie: the fuse will burn) when there is a short circuit on the fuse.
2: A poor connection will burn. If there is a properly specced fuse on the circuit it will hopefully blow (ie: as temperature goes up, so does resistance, so does current usage). But a poorly connected circuit will possibly cause even more damage than a dead short...
There are two things I feel very strongly about.
1: Rated fuses for live circuits as close to the battery as possible.
2: Properly crimped connections.
I'm based in Pretoria. I have various crimpers for various applications - including a proper hydraulic crimper for heavy-use applications. For example: I reckon I can probably replace the local Eskom wiring, but that would be illegal....
In short: if ever in a bind, crimping-wise, bring the stuff to me in Garsfontein and let us all do it properly. Also: I like beer.
, as a matter of fact I also like beer, so always have spare