AC outlet in the bed?

What types of appliances are people running off the bed AC outlet? I'm woefully ignorant of how many watts a 13 amp chainsaw would pull.

 

It's 400 watts, so nothing big. Not even enough power for a coffee maker.

 

13 Amps is too much draw, (~1,500 Watts) especially if you have a long cord or will be running it off an extension cord. The Inverter only puts-out a max of 400 Watts. A simple way to calculate Watts is to multiply the Amp-draw of the device by 120.

All that being said...last weekend I ran an angle Grinder off the Inverter in my Taco which pulls ~700 Watts. It ran a little slower but was able to run fast enough for me to make two cuts on some thin metal brackets I was modifying. I was actually surprised that it would run it.

 

Thanks fellas. Hey Capt, is that Waldport?

 

I have run a small Rockler circular saw through 3/8” obs/ply. Slow and steady is the name of the game or the switch will trip. I have also run LED work lights and a small shark stick vacuum. Was very happy to find out that it was enough to run my Traeger Scout Smoker Grill. Which is now being incorporated into my bed drawer/sleeping platform.

 

Nice looking cap!

 

Thanks. I love it. It’s been nice having the back covered.

 

I mostly use it to charge things I don't have a DC adapter for (I tapped into the inverter and added plugs to the back of my center console for this purpose). The only other big thing I've run is a TV at football tailgates. I also use it for a soldering iron when I'm wiring something and don't want to run an extension cord.

On ski trips I use mine for a ski waxing iron on the tailgate.

I've tried to run coffee pots and water hot pots and both immediately trip the breaker. Same with a hair dryer. No way you're running a chainsaw.

 

Austin’s Pennybacker bridge. It’s a rite of passage to do pics either looking up and bridge (from the boat launch) or down at Colorado river from above (in person - have to hike the ridge).

 

This thread caught my eye and I thought as a guy who does custom automotive electrical I might chime in.

I really would advise on not using your invertors for more than they are rated. Think of the invertor as your body. Sure you can take a hit from a base ball bat once or twice and probably keep walking. That doesn't mean you are not sustaining permanent damage. This is a sure way to irreversibly damage your invertor alongside subject your vehicle to damage. I know its tempting to use it cause it gets the job done. I know it "works" but sometimes as people we think cause we did it once we can do it again.

Just tryna help yall from blowing shit up like I have lol.

Anyways just my 2 cents take it for what it is.

 

To recharge a Jackery 240.

 

Hoping to get one soon. How do you like yours?

 

For the price it's great! I used it recently for a week of camping at night to run a MacBook and recharge batteries. You can of course recharge the Jackery by the 12 volt plug, but I have a Garmin using that, so I'd just put in the bed during the day to top it off. The 240 has plenty of storage for typical stuff. I also have a fridge in my Tacoma, but I have a dual battery to run that.

 

Sounds perfect for what I need. No fridge yet. Maybe someday. For now just a source of clean power will do. Thanks.

 

I ran a blender even without the truck running

 

So Jackery says that their larger units can both charge and have something draw power at the same time (such a fridge), but I've read several conflicting reports about that. It should work, that you could have the Jackery hooked up to the 12 volt outlet to charge while driving, and then your fridge as well running off of it. I did the Off-Grid Engineering dual battery last spring for my fridge. My one concern about putting one of the more expensive Jackery's in that it's an expensive item to lose should a break in occur. The 240 is just $199.

 

I would love to install the Off Grid Engineering dual system as well as install a solar panel on my roof rack. Been reading through the threads educating myself first. I like the size and cost of the 240. Everything right now is all about size management. I want to make the most out of my drawer/bed system without having to fill up the rest of the truck.

 

400W/120v = 3.3 amps. Mostly for charging items or running lights.

 

Not enough capacity to be worthwhile. I find an accessory 12 volt DC outlet in the bed to be more useful.

As far as charging items such as phones, laptops, etc., the USB outlets are more direct. Why convert the 12 volt DC truck battery output to 120 volt AC, just to convert it back to 5 volt or 12 volt DC?

 

Agreed! 12v in the bed is way more useful!