Wiring from bed to battery

Just got ARB on board air, the single compressor.

Want to put it in the compartment in the bed.

Anybody know the best way to wire it to the battery?

Or, is it possible to cut into the power source going to the 12v outlet? Is that enough to power the compressor?

 

I'd personally avoid the outlet idea and go off the battery directly.

Measure out the distance from the battery to where you want to mount your compressor, then look in the manual of your compressor to find its current draw. Then take these numbers and plug them into the link below to figure what you'll have for line drop. Then run the wire size it recommends or bigger, now you're all set!

And of course don't forget to fuse it... maybe throw in a relay if you don't want the compressor powered while the truck is off, etc

http://www.southwire.com/support/voltage-drop-calculator.htm

 

Do you know the best way to route the wires from the bed to the battery?

 

There are wire harness all under your truck. So when your ready to run your wire make sure you protect it with loom or something to stop it from getting sand blasted from everyday driving. Then just pick which harness is most convenient to where you're mounting your compressor and zip tie it to that harness.

And the obvious... keep it away from moving parts, hot exhaust, etc. Leave some slack for expansion/contraction, off-road flexing, etc.

 

Could you not tie into the 12v accessory wire for the trailer plug?

 

You can do anything when you put your mind to it... hell you can fit a limo in a dog house if you have enough lube!

Serious note... what gauge is that wire for the trailer harness? 16? Maybe 14? I dunno...

Point is... a component that has a large current draw should have its own power wire that's big enough to handle the current that component is demanding, otherwise that tiny little wire that already has a purpose in life (that trailer wire you speak of) now becomes the circuit breaker/fuse... aka fire hazard!!!

Plug in a trailer and have that compressor cut in at the same time... what's gonna happen next?

Edit: before someone else mentions it, I'll catch it... you'll likely blow the fuse for that trailer accessory circuit, then replace it, then blow it, then you'll get fed up and put in a bigger fuse; now that puny wire is the fuse