Theres no minimum length. Remember that the fuse is there to protect the *cable*, not the devices attached to the end of it. So if you have a fuse, then all the cable after the fuse is protected from catching fire if it shorts (as long as you dont change wire gauge). The bit that is *before* the battery is NOT protected, so if it shorts, then it WILL burn. So the only reason that people say keep it as short as possible is so that theres less chance of it shorting. You can have it as long as you want, as long as youre completely sure that it wont short on anything.
The best spot for the fuse would be to have a fused battery clamp/distributon block on the terminal. That way, the entire wire is protected because there is nowhere it can short. But theres usually no room for that kind of thing.
If I have to run it very far from the terminal to the fuse holder, then I use a piece of garden hose to insulate it further. The 4AWG wire fits perfectly inside a powdered garden hose length
So basically, low long can you run the wire where you can be ABSOLUTELY sure that theres no way it could rub or short on anything? Thats how long you can make the cable before the fuse.
Scott.
