2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Run DC in bed of truck

[guldam]

I want to run wire from the front of the truck to the bed of the truck all the way to just inside tail gate. Want a cigarette type lighter power plug, and perhaps something I can clamp my DC powered compressor to with it's alligator clamps.



Anyone done something like this? I want to at minimum run my 200 watt inverter to power my coffee grinder when I go camping, the compressor, and perhaps a low wattage light. Not sure what gauge wire to run, and I'd like an installation that is clean and safe.



Before I reinvent the wheel I wonder if you good folks have experience with such a thing.



Thanks,



GulDam

 

[WestTN]

That coffee maker will consume about 15 amps. You could run 10 gauge wire and have a significant safety margin.



To figure yor total amps if you know watts would be watts/12. 6=amps.

 

[Flats]

If you have a 7 plug trailer plug by the trailer hitch you should have a hot 12volt wire there and just make a plug to go from RV 7 to a cigarette lighter type plug. Its the same one that charges the batt. on the trailer you are towing.

Hope this helps.

Glen

 

[JohnBoy5]

i vote the trailer plug thing, as i have done this but i also have a set of battery cables on a 150 amp breaker run to just behind my tool box so when i am pulling my gooseneck my batteries and winch on the trailer can get a good power source. make sure and put a FUSE at the START of the run incase the insluation on the wire becomes worn or thin somewhere. the fuse is the key to protecting your truck from fire.

 

[JMcCoy]

Are you planning to use a coffee grinder of coffee maker. The grinder should be fine. The coffee maker is another thing. Coffee makers draw an enormous amount of watts. Anything that creates heat will be a big draw. I would run 8 or even 6 gauge wire and a large enough inverter. I don't believe 200 watts will be enough. Also, I agree that you need a good fuse, or better yet, a breaker. Good luck.

 

[Sticks]

Or buy a small generator/inverter in the 1-2 Kw range and not worry about draining your batteries on the truck.

Amazon.com: Honeywell HW2000i 2,100 Watt 125cc 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant): Home Improvement

 

[dresslered]

I relocated (actually added) a second trailer connector with large gauge wire inside the bed of the truck for my slide-in camper connection.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I relocated (actually added) a second trailer connector with large gauge wire inside the bed of the truck for my slide-in camper connection.

I did the same thing with 8-gauge positive and ground wires directly to the driver side battery through a 40-amp circuit breaker. Our camper has a built in battery isolator so there's no need for an ignition controlled relay.



Bill

 

[dresslered]

Bill,

I ran mine from the battery through a solenoid switch (only connected with ignition on) and digital ammeter on my center consol. I like the peace of mind knowing that my camper is charging during the drive. The ammeter also lets me know that the camper brake lights and signals are working as well as I can see the current fluctuate.

David

 

[Bill Stockard]

Bill,

I ran mine from the battery through a solenoid switch (only connected with ignition on) and digital ammeter on my center consol. I like the peace of mind knowing that my camper is charging during the drive. The ammeter also lets me know that the camper brake lights and signals are working as well as I can see the current fluctuate.

David

David,

Yes, I had a similar set up on a mid-80s Ford F250 and a 9'6" Lance camper. The Lance had a 3-way fridge and I could see the fridge cycle off and on when driving and I had the fridge switched to 12-volts DC. I never had any charging problems so I eliminated some wire length and connections to keep it simple on this truck and camper. So far, so good.



Bill

 

[dresslered]

I have a 3-way 'fridge in the Bigfoot and it sure draws some current! I've switched to running it on propane as the batteries never get topped off with it on DC while driving.

 

[DieselDoghouse]

Rather than reinvent the wheel…if you wanna run hefty current to the rear of the truck, copy the big boys-with their electric liftgates!! Pollack and others make heavy gauge 2-prong plug/socket connectors to take 2 ga wire for truck/trailer electric liftgates. I have been using one for YEARS as my connector for 28' jumper cables inside the Pro-Zapp front bumper. IMHO - I would provide some short protection via a boat battery shutoff switch or equiv (2 ga the length of your truck would leave alot of room for fireworks!!). Please DON'T depend on the ground of the shell of a trailer plug or the lite gauge of trailer light harnesses- somethin's gonna give!! See you local commercial truck/trailer supplier!

 

[BDaugherty]

In my opinion, the best option would be to beef up the power and grounds to your factory trailer plug or to install a new plug in the bed. As mentioned before, #10 wire with a fuse at the battery would be sufficient for most smaller inverters. Then purchase an extra 7 way male plug and build a short jumper using more #10 wire going from that plug hard wired the the inverter.



However

For a small 200-400 watt inverter, you would simply need one of these to plug into your existing 7 way trailer plug.



Adapter 7 Pole to Cigarette Draw-Tite Wiring 118019

Draw-Tite Wiring - 118019

Provides 12v power at the rear of the vehicle for travel accessories.

•Ideal for Power Inverter Hook-up

•Great for Tailgating

 

[guldam]

Great ideas!!

Great ideas guys. I'm going to chew on these for a bit and then make a decision. I think I've got a bunch of heavy marine grade tinned wire left over from building my boat. It's buried in the garage somewhere.



Things that really have me thinking.



1. Fuse it or risk burning up the truck.

2. The more power you ask for and the longer the run, the heavier the wire needs to be.

3. I hadn't considered the trailer plug. Maybe I can get away with light electrical usage on this.



I was originally talking about a grinder only. When camping I just boil water and pour it over freshly ground coffee through a single filter and holder. I like my coffee fresh roasted, and ground right before drinking. It makes a huge difference in flavor.



That 200 watt inverter is just enough for the grinder. I was connecting that to my large marine battery, which I just threw in the bed, but I want to tidy all of this up.



Thanks folks...



GulDam

 

[JMcCoy]

I'm with you. While camping, I can sleep on the ground, eat jerky, be surrounded by coyotes, 100 degrees, in the rain, but I cannot go without a fresh cup of joe. I would rebuild my whole truck if I needed to. Good luck

 

[JohnBoy5]

I think from what it sounds like the 7 way trailer plug would be the way for you. thats all ready wired fused with a 30 amp fuse all you need is a plug in the bed and an adapter.



I did change my fuse to a standard type of fuse on mine because i thought the one in there was a little crazy and can be tough to find. i will upload a picture of what i did today if i get a chance.

 

[dresslered]

1. Fuse it or risk burning up the truck.

2. The more power you ask for and the longer the run, the heavier the wire needs to be.

3. I hadn't considered the trailer plug. Maybe I can get away with light electrical usage on this.

1) Don't even consider this without a fuse. This can be an inline right at the battery.



2) Can never use to big of wire--less voltage drop.



3) 7-pin trailer would be the most compatible outlet socket (assuming you adhere to the standard pinout designations). Then, you can make all the plug-in accessory cables that you want with any kind of outlets (i. e. cigar, banana jacks, coffee grinder specific, etc. ).

 

[CumminsPower98]

I spliced into the factory hot wire at the plug and installed a lighter outlet on the bumper next to the 7-way. I did this to plug my compressor into for airing up my air bags since I don't have a compressor and tank built into the truck. My hot wire is fused with a 40A in the PDC. I didn't know about the 7-way to 12V power outlet converter, that's a neat idea.

 

[charlessmith]

I think the 12V in the trailer connector is very marginal for what you want. It will take 800W+ for a coffee maker and will also pull your batteries down real fast. Been there.

I've got a 11' Lance with extra deep cycle batteries. My current solution is an AWG 2 running to an APP 175W connector in the bed. This has a 200A fuse by the battery up front. Best place to get this was in one of those ultra-loud stereo joints.
I'm running an 1800W Xantrex inverter in the Lance, which powers a Xantrex 3 stage charger to fast charge the batteries and then to float them right for long battery life.

This also lets me run the 3 way refrigerator on AC while driving, this keeps things cold without a problem. Using propane blows out once in a while and then if it fails to relight by the time you stop that night things in the refrigerator are melted.

For what you want at the back of the bed, I'd run about an AWG 4 with a 1000W inverter. With that length of wire, you'll lose a volt or better by the time you get a heavy load on it in the back. Make sure you have a good ground! The bed is not grounded well enough to avoid voltage loss.