115V Plug Install in the JT's Bed?

[DanW]

I'm shopping for a Gladiator and see that most don't have the 115v plug in the bed. Is that something I can buy from the parts department and install fairly easily? I run with a fridge in my Jeep and would want to be able to plug it in back there.

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[Mr._Bill]

You can purchase just the outlet and install an inverter to power it. This is usually the better option since the factory installed inverter has only a 400 watt output.

To have any chance of getting it to work like the oem setup requires a factory installed inverter. There are some threads on adding the bed outlet, but it's not a easy plug and play process.

 

[ecidiego]

You can purchase just the outlet and install an inverter to power it. This is usually the better option since the factory installed inverter has only a 400 watt output.

To have any chance of getting it to work like the oem setup requires a factory installed inverter. There are some threads on adding the bed outlet, but it's not a easy plug and play process.

some trucks with inverter..like my 2021 Mojave....dont even have the switch pigtail tucked back in the harness like the DIY videos show.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

some trucks with inverter..like my 2021 Mojave....dont even have the switch pigtail tucked back in the harness like the DIY videos show.

Now my thoughts of the Mojave are totally dashed.........



(just kidding, just kidding)

 

[Cascade253]

Instead of running a 110v AC plug, put in a 12v DC plug bank instead. It's not very efficient to convert from 12v DC to 110v AC then back to 12v DC to run the fridge. Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Nilight-Char...ight12v+cigarette+socket+panel,aps,137&sr=8-6

 

[BennieD]

Agree with 12 volt option. I run my fridge on it no problem! Much easier and cheaper to add than 115 v.

 

[DanW]

Agree with 12 volt option. I run my fridge on it no problem! Much easier and cheaper to add than 115 v.

I like it. And I like that panel.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[biplaneguy]

Is there 12V power available behind the blank cover in the bed (on vehicles like my Sport that have no inverter)?

 

[Blitzinger]

12v niiliight - someone above me linked it in

it’s what i use to run a 75l Dometic when I’m traveling to the camp site from home

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Is there 12V power available behind the blank cover in the bed (on vehicles like my Sport that have no inverter)?

No, there is not. You need to run a power line back there.
You'd feed the line from either an aux switch, or a connection to a constant battery source, and put a fuse in close to the power source (meaning up front) that is sized for the current the wire can handle.
If the wire can handle 40 amps, you should fuse no more than about 35 amps, just for a very rough example.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...ning-no-politics.23705/page-1343#post-1016912

I bought the 12v outlet and USB charge ports as part of a package from Amazon but for me their plate/bezel had things spaced too far apart and would mean cutting more into the truck bed side to get things in place.

The panel and outlets - I used only the outlets and the switch and volt meter.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JHH5YP4

I have used it for in the truck camping - I charge my phone, hearing aids (USB) and can charge other things besides that.
I ran it through an aux switch so that I could cut power to the rear and not have a live wire the whole time I'm driving. I know the trailer plug has a constant 12v feed, but I didn't want yet another hot thing going back there (unless she was........ oh, never mind)

 

[DanW]

12v niiliight - someone above me linked it in

it’s what i use to run a 75l Dometic when I’m traveling to the camp site from home

Very nice!!! I just sealed the deal on a Gladiator and ordered this from Amazon all in one quick swoop! I'll post up some pics when I get the truck home, hopefully tomorrow. If not, it'll be sometime next week!

Thanks for all the help, everyone!

 

[Blitzinger]

No, there is not. You need to run a power line back there.
You'd feed the line from either an aux switch, or a connection to a constant battery source, and put a fuse in close to the power source (meaning up front) that is sized for the current the wire can handle.
If the wire can handle 40 amps, you should fuse no more than about 35 amps, just for a very rough example.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...ning-no-politics.23705/page-1343#post-1016912

I bought the 12v outlet and USB charge ports as part of a package from Amazon but for me their plate/bezel had things spaced too far apart and would mean cutting more into the truck bed side to get things in place.

The panel and outlets - I used only the outlets and the switch and volt meter.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JHH5YP4

I have used it for in the truck camping - I charge my phone, hearing aids (USB) and can charge other things besides that.
I ran it through an aux switch so that I could cut power to the rear and not have a live wire the whole time I'm driving. I know the trailer plug has a constant 12v feed, but I didn't want yet another hot thing going back there (unless she was........ oh, never mind)

Help me understand the live wire predicament. If it was connected directly to the battery and then to a single 12v outlet with no switch, sure.

but battery > fuse > switch panel. When the switch is off, there’s no power.

 

[Vtur]

I've added the 120v bed outlet. I use it to charge the Jackery that runs my fridge while the truck is off. And, a 100w solar panel while camping. The fridge stays cold.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Help me understand the live wire predicament. If it was connected directly to the battery and then to a single 12v outlet with no switch, sure.

but battery > fuse > switch panel. When the switch is off, there’s no power.

It's not a "predicament" - it's just something I prefer to minimize - live power running along the length of the vehicle when the vehicle is off or not being driven (or even when it is to some degree)
The switch is in the panel in the rear.
The wire from battery to that panel at the right rear corner of the truck is hot - live.
When the REAR switch in that panel is off, there's no power TO that outlet, but still power to the switch clear in the back.
Yes, there's a fuse - but have you ever seen melted wires when someone inadvertently misconnects the trailer plug? I have - hot enough to melt other wires and ruin a harness, but not enough to kick the fuse.
Yes, the fuse should blow should that wire be pinched, crushed, chewed on, chafed, or come in contact with other things it shouldn't contact........ but......
That switch back there is convenient, yeah, but honestly serves little practical purpose other than shutting off the USB and 12v outlet - the wire running 16 feet from battery to that cheap switch back there is hot, battery level hot.
Hope the fuse blows and all is well........ but I just prefer it not be live. Hate to come home and find a damned chipmunk or mouse has chewed things and that wire ends up melting all the way back up to the fuse.
I don't like live wires running 16' the length of the truck if I can kill power so easily using a switch up front - like the aux switch. That switch being off I have no worries about trouble or a fuse not blowing for some dumb reason.
I also turn off the breakers (in my shop) that feed my welder, powder coating oven and certain other things when not in use.
I have also recently replaced a GFI outlet in the bathroom when my wife plugged in a low draw device and the thing started to sizzle and she saw smoke coming out from around the outlet plate and the area became scorched.
I have seen a UL certified EXIT sign in a care facility catch fire and smoke up an entire wing of that facility.
Ironic, eh? The very thing to help guide you out of a building in emergency WAS the emergency.

Call me paranoid if you want (but there really IS someone following me) but I prefer one extra step when dealing with things like this.
One extra switch up front is no big deal and gives me just a tiny bit of peace of mind.
Besides, I hate hanging accessories off battery terminals. Drives me nuts. HIGH current things, yeah, but even then, I used my winch solenoid to act as a terminal block for power for my snow plow to remove one extra cable from the battery.
The aux switch wires were right there, handled by relays and fuses. So the connection was extremely simple, especially because I have a nice terminal block up there so I could simply slip a terminal under a screw and tighten it - all done.

My 4 aux switches terminals are lower left - I simply run wire from whatever to whichever aux switch I want to use.

 

[HooliganActual]

It's not a "predicament" - it's just something I prefer to minimize - live power running along the length of the vehicle when the vehicle is off or not being driven (or even when it is to some degree)
The switch is in the panel in the rear.
The wire from battery to that panel at the right rear corner of the truck is hot - live.
When the REAR switch in that panel is off, there's no power TO that outlet, but still power to the switch clear in the back.
Yes, there's a fuse - but have you ever seen melted wires when someone inadvertently misconnects the trailer plug? I have - hot enough to melt other wires and ruin a harness, but not enough to kick the fuse.
Yes, the fuse should blow should that wire be pinched, crushed, chewed on, chafed, or come in contact with other things it shouldn't contact........ but......
That switch back there is convenient, yeah, but honestly serves little practical purpose other than shutting off the USB and 12v outlet - the wire running 16 feet from battery to that cheap switch back there is hot, battery level hot.
Hope the fuse blows and all is well........ but I just prefer it not be live. Hate to come home and find a damned chipmunk or mouse has chewed things and that wire ends up melting all the way back up to the fuse.
I don't like live wires running 16' the length of the truck if I can kill power so easily using a switch up front - like the aux switch. That switch being off I have no worries about trouble or a fuse not blowing for some dumb reason.
I also turn off the breakers (in my shop) that feed my welder, powder coating oven and certain other things when not in use.
I have also recently replaced a GFI outlet in the bathroom when my wife plugged in a low draw device and the thing started to sizzle and she saw smoke coming out from around the outlet plate and the area became scorched.
I have seen a UL certified EXIT sign in a care facility catch fire and smoke up an entire wing of that facility.
Ironic, eh? The very thing to help guide you out of a building in emergency WAS the emergency.

Call me paranoid if you want (but there really IS someone following me) but I prefer one extra step when dealing with things like this.
One extra switch up front is no big deal and gives me just a tiny bit of peace of mind.
Besides, I hate hanging accessories off battery terminals. Drives me nuts. HIGH current things, yeah, but even then, I used my winch solenoid to act as a terminal block for power for my snow plow to remove one extra cable from the battery.
The aux switch wires were right there, handled by relays and fuses. So the connection was extremely simple, especially because I have a nice terminal block up there so I could simply slip a terminal under a screw and tighten it - all done.

My 4 aux switches terminals are lower left - I simply run wire from whatever to whichever aux switch I want to use.

+1 to all of this
My setup is essentially similar.

I don’t like having all the accessories hooked to the battery terminals either but did have to make a few exceptions:
1) My winch, which does have a solenoid interrupting power
2) My air compressor, which does have a solenoid interrupting power
3) My DC-DC charger, which is really the only major power running front to back and I purposely oversized that run for a better margin of error. It is fused and I recognize a risk there.

But by and large, it is a best practice to err on the safe side with electrical stuff. Unless a person has magical vision that allows them to see leaking electrons the way we mortals can see leaking fluids, it’s best to treat electrical with great respect.

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