Rear of bed hookups - suggestions please

So i have an empty (dummy) switch on my dash that i'd like to wire to a rear panel of some kind that has some of/the following:

• USB charging ports
• Trailer plug
• 12v socket
• LED light for inside the camper shell

Currently, I have a mass of wires running back for:

• rearview mirror dash cam rear camera (always on)
• Stereo based reverse-only reverse cam
  
• In-bumper backup sensors
• camper shell 3rd brake light led wire running to led taillights.

Any ideas on if something exists already or do i need to break out the dremel and do a custom box? Thanks.

 

You won't need to run a 3rd brake light wire. Use the one behind taillight driver side and go up and out under bedrail at rear.

 

yes, i know, my 3rd brakelight already feeds off the taillight, i was just mentioning it in the mass of wires

 

Could run a thick guage cable directly from battery terminal to the back. connect that to a relay. Then run an ignition switched wire to the relay. Relay feeds to a fuse box. 2nd fuse box for an always hot connection.

 

There was a guy on here that was going to make some panels but not sure he ever got going on that. On my 96 that I used to have, I put a piece of aluminum extrusion under the bed rail and had switches for the back worklights, etc in there, as well as 2x 12V power outlets. Need to do something like that with my 99 but haven't gotten around to it. Check out Blue Sea Systems as they make these kind of panels for boats, etc that are integrated with a small fuse box/breaker panel so you can just run a big wire back there to power everything.

 

maybe looking at something like this.

$17 Nilight 4 in 1 ON/OFF Charger Socket Panel Dual USB Socket Power Outlet & LED Voltmeter &Cigarette Lighter Socket& LED Lighted ON Off Rocker Toggle Switch for Truck Car Marine Boats RV,2 Yeas Warranty

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0834MTG3X/

 

I went with

$20 Linkstyle 3 in 1 Charger Socket Panel, QC 3.0 Dual USB Outlet Socket, 12V Cigarette Lighter Socket Splitter, Waterproof Adapter with LED Voltmeter Rocker Toggle Switch for Marine Boat Car Truck RV

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T94DF95/

I'll wire some LED's into the switch as well. should fit easily into the bed liner.

 

so I got it and want to run a 10a wire from the battery, 13ft down to the end of the bed. Figure i'll need 10awg wire. Should I wire it direct (it has a 10a fuse in-line) , or use a spare slot in my engine fuse block?

 

is it just me or do they not make a piggyback fuse holder with a 10 gauge wire?

 

Last thing I wired with 10ga. Was an Anchor windlass and it took a 50 amp 12V. Breaker.
Search.bumper winch wiring.

 

the only reason i want to use 10 gauge wire is because of the length from the source. i doubt anything I plug into the USB or cig socket will draw that much amps. But i know i shouldn't connect a 10 awg wire to a 16 awg piggyback wire.

 

The drop in voltage over the distance from battery to tailgate is insignificant.
10ga. Is used in high amperage draws in both AC and DC.

 

I think i'm going to expand things a little. I'll run the 10a wire direct but put a 4 way fuse block at the end.

1. will be that panel
2. will be the led lights for the shell
3. will be a port for a solar panel trickle charger I have.
4. undecided.

Just need to decide if I want a positive only block or one with a ground on it.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/leftys-old-man-tan-taco-dd.565108/page-7#post-22739836

I used the small relay and ran the wires down the side to the rear . I put a couple of 12v plugs in the back. Powers fridge ect and i just trip the relay if in not running anything in the back.
I'm getting a shell so I'm going to change the outlets to a blue sea box.

 

is there any dedicated chassis ground after the extra cab ends? Seems like all the ground bolts are in cab at the furthest (from engine). I guess i'll run a ground from the cab too.

 

I’m 90% sure there is not but I’d have to check the ground diagram which I don’t have with me at the moment. They like to put them inside to stay out of water/dirt so that rules out most of the bed. For testing you can make one on the bed rail, or run a long wire back from the battery

 

thats what i though, the ones under the kick panel passenger side are clean so i think i'll run it from there. I'm going battery to 30a breaker, to 40a relay, back to the bed.

 

It might be easier to just run a ground all the way to the battery instead of having to get it into the cab.

 

maybe, but i have 25ft of 10awg wire, and its 15ft from battery to passenger side and down, and 10 more from cab to bed. The drivers side is a shorter run but more crowded under the hood. Plus the module i use for my rear backup sensors is on the drivers side in the camper shell but the other side is open and has more room for the various panels.

 

I ran a 9 conductor cable from the driver kick panel back behind the driver taillight. This is only 18 gauge, but I'm not using these wires to power anything substantial.

$26 Metra MC918-20 20-Feet Nine-Conductor 18 AWG Twisted Multi-Use

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H1KAMQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was just tired of fishing more and more wires to the back, so I just ran one cable to replace them all.