What did you use your cargo bed inverter for today? (Now with Poll)

I use it for a bottle warmer for my daughters bottles. Definitely a plus to have in a time of need.

 

Emergency power for Florence’s aftermath? Hope you guys stay safe on the eastern front!!

 

Not sure if your post was responding to my post but luckily I’m in North Alabama and usually miss all the bad weather from hurricane season. I love the southeast so much and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world but weather can be very dangerous in these parts and to all in Florence’s path stay safe. Btw the times I need the bed outlet is when my daughter refuses to drink a room temp bottle on the highway or on the trails in the sticks.

 

I used mine to run a sawzall to cut fence posts but gave up after the first post took 5 minutes and around 12 resets.

Also used it to power LED christmas lights I had strung all over the bed of my truck for a few weeks.

 

This, everyone should have one in their truck, preferably 25’ length so it’ll stretch to front of truck if needed. It’ll run for days/weeks off a 6W LED bulb (60W brightness)

 

I've kind of gotten away from using drop lights like this. Headlamps have gotten pretty good and take up so much less space. I use them in the shop if they are handy, but even in the driveway, I tend to just grab a headlamp.

 

Agreed but I just hate disposable and rechargeable batteries.

 

I'd like to use mine to run a miter saw and an angle grinder, but 400W isn't enough ass on either count.

Who here has replaced their inverter with an uprated unit?

 

I carry a HF electric chainsaw when I’m on forested, brushy trails or camping for firewood trimming, emergency road and trail pruning where needed, and in case I have to gnaw on a fallen tree in my way. It isn’t really enough juice to fully power the saw for bucking logs or other large stuff, but given the time it can if you don’t try to cut too fast. I still take my 038 Stihl for the big stuff when I’m cutting firewood.

 

Added a poll to this thread in case I’m the only one who would prefer 12V outlet.

 

Trying to use mine ... but it's dead, Jim. Lights on the button are both lit whether engine on or off, and there is absolutely no voltage in the outlet. :-( I just want to charge RC car batteries!

 

Christmas lights, be here before you know it, doubles as bed lighting.

 

Here's $5; never used it.

 

The cheque is in the mail?

 

I need your address; do you want a cheque or a check?

 

used the outlet to power my laptop to flash TSB 058-18 to a fellow member's truck in a parking lot the other day. It was quite convenient.

 

Trouble with 12v to the rear is power loss. DC needs short cable runs, AC doesn't. It's inefficient to run DC to the rear.

It's pretty easy to run a dedicated AC extension cord from the bed outlet, wire loomed and ziptied under the chassis and into the cab. All of the Toyota's I've owned have a body grommet under the driver seat, pierce it, feed the AC extension cord into the cab, connect an AC female plug.

 

I use mine almost every day at work. I plug a printer in to print cut sheets after I set up a laser.

Oh wait this is a 3rd gen section.....

 

It’s not innefficient, it just needs a larger cable size to account for voltage drop. Not a problem at all for a 15A cigarette lighter-type outlet. Believe me, the cost of that larger cable, and the extra weight of the larger cable would less or equal to the cost of the inverter, and the cable to the AC outlet. You could eliminate the inverter and the switching for it if there was DC in the bed.

Lots of guys run 12V to the bed for accessories. It’s not a problem if you gauge the wire right.

Anyways......I happily admit defeat based on the results of my pole, but secretly suspect, at the same time, that a DC outlet in the bed would get used 10000X more than the present AC outlet by most average Tacoma owners. I think the inverter is just a carry-over from a time when more things were AC powered.

 

Tried to use my Sawzall on mine, barely moved the blade.