Bed outlet

Hello I am new to the tacoma community I have a 1st gen Tacoma and I am waiting to add a 110 power outlet to my bed of my truck, I am wondering if I could use one from a 5th gen Tacoma or should I use a universal power out let? I am not wanting to have a power inverter that plugs in to the cigarette lighter i was hoping to have it look stock I have the pic of what I am wanting to use down blow.

 

Welcome to TW!

I think you would be best off selecting an inverter that's sized for whatever it is you want to run out of your bed and then build your own harness to power it. Yeah you could probably figure out a way to chop that 2nd gen harness apart and recycle it but you're gonna have a headache either way so why not select your own components?

I see that harness is listed on eBay for $300, for that price you could have a Renogy 1,000 W inverter, wire, and a lot of the doo dads you'd need to build your own harness. If in-cab power isn't good enough a lot of inverters have the option for hard wires so you could built your own bed-side harness too, you would need to figure out how to waterproof the connectors and plug.

Personally I'd either live with the cigarette lighter inverter, or wire one up under a seat and call it a day.

 

Ok thank you for that you give me some good advice I will be buying that inverter you suggested.

 

1000W inverter will need 84 amps for full output
so be realistic in what your needs/wants are

 

I was wanting it to charge my device and blow up my air mattress and run some led lights in my tent

 

Yeah I threw the 1,000 watt out there as an example of what you could get for the asking price of that harness. Maybe you know all about 12 volt wiring already so if you do sorry for explaining something you already know. You'd need 4 gauge wire to safely power a 1,000 watt inverter in the cab.

So if I were you I'd pick the smallest inverter that will power your gear because big wiring is expensive and needs special tools to cut and crimp properly.

 

OP, I might be missing something regarding your desire to install a 110v outlet, but if your only requirements are the items you mentioned, all those things can usually be powered on 12v. Perhaps not the exact items you have now, but the cost of buying new ones that run on 12v should be way less expensive than the cost of installing an inverter and associated wiring challenges. A simple air mattress inflator usually runs on DC and might have a AC power supply that simply converts it to DC. Likewise most LED camping lights run on 12v power. And for charging your electronic device, unless it's a computer that requires a AC outlet for a power supply, most phones and tablets can be charged from the appropriate 12v connector. Just look at the whole picture of your needs.
Keep in mind that inverters also draw power to do their job. You probably want to use most of the items you mentioned when your truck is off and not charging your battery. There's no reason to also power an inverter too unless you have requirements specifically for a 110v AC outlet.
Sorrry if I'm missing something in your requirements. My preference is to keep things simple and use 12v power since that's what your truck has easily available.

 

Agree! Great post, none of OPs listed items really seem to need 110 power. I wonder if OP is running an extension cord from the inverter to their tent? So having 110 in the bed would have meant they don't have to crack a window or door for the cord and wake up to a cab full of bugs, water, frost, whatever.

OP, if this is the case, you could put a 12 volt marine outlet in the bed of your truck and get a 12 volt extension cable to run power to your tent - that's a way easier problem to solve than an inverter, IMO. There's a perfect spot behind the driver side brake light where you can use a knockout punch to make a hole in the sheet metal to mount the outlet. Then you just run the wiring up behind the brake light. I used to run this setup when my truck was set up as a camper and I'd be happy to take a photo to show you where the hole goes. It would be best if you have a camper shell, if not you could throw a tarp over it when you're using it in wet conditions.