Upgrade from no invertor to invertor

I want to install an inverter in my 2022 SR5. Can anyone tell me what I need to do the job? Would like to put an A/C plug and USB ports in both the back of the arm rest and in the bed. How large an invertor can I go without major battery and alternator upgrade?

 

The stock one is supposedly 400w. Its more like 200w with 400w peak. I think they go with that size because bigger and you start to need big wires and significant draw on the stock system.

You can do the math to work it out. 400w / 12v = like 33 amps. Thats a significant load from the battery. The 12vdc makes it tough to get a ton of juice. In turn your getting 400w / 3amps 120vac.

With todays power packs, power banks, battery bank, solar generator, portable power station, what ever you want to call them, its easier to use a cheap power pack and save yourself the headache in most cases.

You can get a decent 600w for about $200 bucks.

To install a decent setup in the truck youll probably end up spending a bit more than that and a ton of labor.

I got a cn505 on sale and use it alot. I like it. I gave up on the idea of a useable built in inverter after all my research and taking apart the truck checking space, wiring, routing, etc.

 

For instance I installed a 3000w inverter in my camper. I wanted to run a micro and AC unit off the batteries. The 12v side cables are almost thumb size. I think they were 0 sized for the amperage I expected to see. Running just 6ft of it was a pain.

In the truck youd probably need to use 6 or larger and need to run 10ft of hot and ground wire and all the associated lugs, relays and connections.

And then if pumping an actual 400w would drain the battery in like 1 hour or less. I think a normal battery is around 70 amp hours and if you run it down past halfway it starts getting damaged.

So the benefits diminish unless your going to add a battery or a lithium battery bank somewhere.

If you just want a few watts, just use a cigarette lighter lil guy, or hard wire that in. I think laptops are only like 30-100w. But coffee or something with heat, awe man it takes the juice. The stock one is under the center arm rest, a bit janky and only about 200w, and apparently the largest you can fit in there from what people have tried.

There are a few posts on here of people doing stuff. Many have done the fulltime 400w mod, but it doesnt gain you much in real life tests.

 

I'm also a boondock camper. I've learned to live for weeks purely on 12V and a bottle of propane. The only thing that absolutely needs AC is my A/C, and if I absolutely need to power that up I'll bring a gas generator.


I don't see the truck inverter as much more than a novelty - there are more efficient ways to use your alternator. I'd personally recommend going back and having a rethink about power needs - most electronics (aside from large appliances) are on DC these days anyway.