Is the cargo bed outlet worth it?

[mrmo]

That's fine - but doesn't help when every single thing you have is 110v. I used my battery powered equipment in my shop 90% of the time - makes no sense to have 12v charger cord ends. I'd be running my equipment out to a vehicle to charge it. I have quad outlets all over both floors of my shop, though, so an outlet is never more than 4 - 6 feet away.

I know why they limit the power drawn - and shut it off after 30 minutes - some fools out there would run it for hours, kill their batteries and then bitch to Jeep about being stranded. They have to make these for the best dummies out there, idiot proof them - they know a better idiot will come along and kill the batteries otherwise. You know they would.

Yes, the drawback of the inverter (factory inverter) is that it's ACC or RUN only.
Power loss is likely 5 - 15% and considering these are factory installed units in a truck, more like 10-15%.
The better ones are 5% and some companies are achieving 1% loss.
The dual conversion power supply for my wife's expensive quilting equipment is extremely efficient but we paid dearly for that efficiency. I can monitor it, and the heat output is very low as well (it's converting from AC to DC, then back from DC to AC to power the equipment)

Yep, I installed another batt (deep cycle) with an isolator, switched inverter @ 1500W, then wired to the bed. You have to be smart enough not to run things to a point you kill the batt, but intermittent use of power tools, small heater, chargers, etc. works well. A light or stringers can run for a several hours at camp. Next day, drive the vehicle, recharge the deep cycle. I also have a 1500W Jackery with solar for the DC shite.

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[ShadowsPapa]

You have to be smart enough not to run things to a point you kill the batt,

LOL - they must design these for the very person that would leave it on all night to run their TV or other necessary accessory out in the sticks.

A battery mounted up under the right side of the box, with an isolator, is a perfect way to handle it.
And after seeing a couple of people here using solar to keep things going - it's something I'd consider as a decent way for free power (after it's paid for, that is). I've told my wife I'm thinking of a powered cooler as I'm tired of buying ice and often you are out where there just isn't any for miles.

But then, that may wait because my wife said that if I bought her one of those vacuum sealing thing for sealing food for freezing I could start the process of a snow blade for my truck. Then I mentioned the stock front springs will droop quite a bit with that weight on the front - then she asked what it would cost for new front suspension. Maybe I can get a cooler and solar panel snuck into the deal HAHA.

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

That's fine - but doesn't help when every single thing you have is 110v. I used my battery powered equipment in my shop 90% of the time - makes no sense to have 12v charger cord ends. I'd be running my equipment out to a vehicle to charge it. I have quad outlets all over both floors of my shop, though, so an outlet is never more than 4 - 6 feet away.

I know why they limit the power drawn - and shut it off after 30 minutes - some fools out there would run it for hours, kill their batteries and then bitch to Jeep about being stranded. They have to make these for the best dummies out there, idiot proof them - they know a better idiot will come along and kill the batteries otherwise. You know they would.

Yes, the drawback of the inverter (factory inverter) is that it's ACC or RUN only.
Power loss is likely 5 - 15% and considering these are factory installed units in a truck, more like 10-15%.
The better ones are 5% and some companies are achieving 1% loss.
The dual conversion power supply for my wife's expensive quilting equipment is extremely efficient but we paid dearly for that efficiency. I can monitor it, and the heat output is very low as well (it's converting from AC to DC, then back from DC to AC to power the equipment)

I think you might be taking my response as criticism or something…

My Point was more around most items that I keep in the jeep like a cordless impact gun, grinder, sawzaw….FRIDGE, lights….. most of my in the jeep power items are 12v… or 12v capable…. The flip side to this- they are all 120v capable too!

Yes, I do understand your point about the manufacture are idiot proofing…. But what I don’t understand is why they couldn’t “intelligently” idiot proof the plug… put in a low voltage cutoff…. My fridge has one ??‍ I can set it from 11.2-12.6v whatever I desire…..

I don’t want to jump too far off track…. But I would think that the electrical system could be taken to a pretty low level (obviously above the damage point….) given that it has a secondary battery for the start/stop??? (Though I’m not too informed on the factory dual battery setup- long term I’ll be going to a genesis dual battery…)

 

[Mr._Bill]

I think you might be taking my response as criticism or something…

My Point was more around most items that I keep in the jeep like a cordless impact gun, grinder, sawzaw….FRIDGE, lights….. most of my in the jeep power items are 12v… or 12v capable…. The flip side to this- they are all 120v capable too!

Yes, I do understand your point about the manufacture are idiot proofing…. But what I don’t understand is why they couldn’t “intelligently” idiot proof the plug… put in a low voltage cutoff…. My fridge has one ??‍ I can set it from 11.2-12.6v whatever I desire…..

I don’t want to jump too far off track…. But I would think that the electrical system could be taken to a pretty low level (obviously above the damage point….) given that it has a secondary battery for the start/stop??? (Though I’m not too informed on the factory dual battery setup- long term I’ll be going to a genesis dual battery…)

The two batteries are always paralleled together, except during ESS events and during the ESS battery test at startup. Both batteries are drained by use of any accessories. The primary purpose of the ESS battery is to keep the computers stable during ESS events. If the batteries get too low, the truck won't start and the computers malfunction. Jeep has done what they can to try and prevent that from happening. The Genesis system adds an Isolator between the batteries so that accessories can be used when the truck is off and the main battery does not get drained.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My Point was more around most items that I keep in the jeep like a cordless impact gun, grinder, sawzaw….FRIDGE, lights….. most of my in the jeep power items are 12v… or 12v capable…. The flip side to this- they are all 120v capable too!

Did you order the chargers that way...........?

Frankly, if all I need is 12v, I have a fast, cheap solution! ?

I have an adapter that plugs into the trailer connector and give me a 12v outlet. Then I have another piece that plugs into that and gives me 2 12v outlets and a USB charger.
And I have another UBS charger I could plug into one of the 12v outlets

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

Did you order the chargers that way...........?

Frankly, if all I need is 12v, I have a fast, cheap solution! ?

I have an adapter that plugs into the trailer connector and give me a 12v outlet. Then I have another piece that plugs into that and gives me 2 12v outlets and a USB charger.
And I have another UBS charger I could plug into one of the 12v outlets

Your trailer adapter is pretty cool!
I only have one:
MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOLS CORP 48-59-1810 Vehicle Charger https://a.co/d/eVrY8YN

I primarily lean on my 6 battery brick charger deal (ac powered). But, I keep the 12v charger in the back of drawer in the jeep “just in case”.

 

[Alans17]

Every time I start to think about adding a plug, I talk myself out of it because I could get a Jackery or some such portable battery pack that does the same thing and isn’t fixed inside my vehicle.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Your trailer adapter is pretty cool!
I only have one:
MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOLS CORP 48-59-1810 Vehicle Charger https://a.co/d/eVrY8YN

I primarily lean on my 6 battery brick charger deal (ac powered). But, I keep the 12v charger in the back of drawer in the jeep “just in case”.

I don't have the volume of cordless in any given brand to have more than the chargers that came with the tools.
Ironically both of my drills - DeWalt - are the 14 volt from 20 years ago and the drills still work great and batteries have lasted me literally for many years. I've only bought two replacement batteries in all of this time.
My Milwaukee impact and grease gun came as a set with a charger and if I ever took my Milwaukee impact with me for any reason, the two batteries if fully charged would do pretty much anything I needed. I don't like impacts on wheel nuts so the only use it would get in that case would be in spin mode to run them off or on fast with no impact action.

I got to thinking about maybe a portable air compressor or similar for trips or camping at swap meets and thought - hey, that trailer connector has 12v constant power, something like a 35 amp fuse, I could power a lot of stuff just by plugging into the trailer connector! Can't do while on the road, but oh, well. Still, for filling an air mattress, or doing emergency repairs like when my prior car hauler lost axle bearings and I have to rig my trailer to run on 3 wheels back home - the other guys there had the tools needed and it made me think of such emergencies in the future. What if that happened on the open road instead of my being able to limp into the drag strip grounds and make the mods at the grounds.
That wheel and axle were toast and it took some power tools to get things off so I could chain up that end of the axle to the trailer frame.

 

[shokker70]

Apologies if I appear a little daft on such things, but I don't touch anything electrical. How is any of this different than what you get with the TrailRail Management System from the factory? Or is it a "I didn't get that option, so have to have aftermarket type thing"?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Apologies if I appear a little daft on such things, but I don't touch anything electrical. How is any of this different than what you get with the TrailRail Management System from the factory? Or is it a "I didn't get that option, so have to have aftermarket type thing"?

What some here are talking about is skipping the trail rail option which comes with the 110v outlet in the bed, and either adding it later, or adding a 12v outlet back there instead.
If you don't want the expensive trail rail package with 110v outlet, you can add it later for less money.
If you don't want the 110v outlet in the bed, you can easily add a 12v outlet in the bed - it's super super simple because you have a perfect source for power and ground in the trailer connector already at the back of the truck not far from the place used for the outlet.

The 110v outlet is an extension from the inside 110v outlet and runs on the same inverter so you are not adding capacity, you are adding another outlet.
It's like adding another outlet to a bedroom in your house - you aren't adding capacity, you still have the same incoming feed, the same breaker panel, you are just adding another location to plug things in so the same limits and functions apply.

If I were to add a 12 volt outlet to the bed - I'd buy the Curt trailer harness adapter and plug that into the wiring for the trucks trailer connector under the bed, rear of the bumper and use that to get my 12v power and ground. It would then be simple to plug into that Curt harness adapter and run wires for a 12v outlet in the truck's bed. You'd be running only 5 or 6 feet of wire? And for capacity, you'd have whatever the limits of the 12v socket that you choose are as the trailer 12v feed is pretty heavy-duty, something like 30 or 35 amps. BUT with that large a fuse protecting the trailer wiring I'd either run very heavy wire to the 12v outlet or add a fuse in the back for that.
Fuses protect the wiring - not the thing plugged in, so fuses must be placed at the source of the power, not later down the line.

 

[shokker70]

What some here are talking about is skipping the trail rail option which comes with the 110v outlet in the bed, and either adding it later, or adding a 12v outlet back there instead.
If you don't want the expensive trail rail package with 110v outlet, you can add it later for less money.
If you don't want the 110v outlet in the bed, you can easily add a 12v outlet in the bed - it's super super simple because you have a perfect source for power and ground in the trailer connector already at the back of the truck not far from the place used for the outlet.

The 110v outlet is an extension from the inside 110v outlet and runs on the same inverter so you are not adding capacity, you are adding another outlet.
It's like adding another outlet to a bedroom in your house - you aren't adding capacity, you still have the same incoming feed, the same breaker panel, you are just adding another location to plug things in so the same limits and functions apply.

If I were to add a 12 volt outlet to the bed - I'd buy the Curt trailer harness adapter and plug that into the wiring for the trucks trailer connector under the bed, rear of the bumper and use that to get my 12v power and ground. It would then be simple to plug into that Curt harness adapter and run wires for a 12v outlet in the truck's bed. You'd be running only 5 or 6 feet of wire? And for capacity, you'd have whatever the limits of the 12v socket that you choose are as the trailer 12v feed is pretty heavy-duty, something like 30 or 35 amps. BUT with that large a fuse protecting the trailer wiring I'd either run very heavy wire to the 12v outlet or add a fuse in the back for that.
Fuses protect the wiring - not the thing plugged in, so fuses must be placed at the source of the power, not later down the line.

Thanks for the details! But now I have reading to do... thanks?

 

[OngsterA]

What some here are talking about is skipping the trail rail option which comes with the 110v outlet in the bed, and either adding it later, or adding a 12v outlet back there instead.
If you don't want the expensive trail rail package with 110v outlet, you can add it later for less money.
If you don't want the 110v outlet in the bed, you can easily add a 12v outlet in the bed - it's super super simple because you have a perfect source for power and ground in the trailer connector already at the back of the truck not far from the place used for the outlet.

The 110v outlet is an extension from the inside 110v outlet and runs on the same inverter so you are not adding capacity, you are adding another outlet.
It's like adding another outlet to a bedroom in your house - you aren't adding capacity, you still have the same incoming feed, the same breaker panel, you are just adding another location to plug things in so the same limits and functions apply.

If I were to add a 12 volt outlet to the bed - I'd buy the Curt trailer harness adapter and plug that into the wiring for the trucks trailer connector under the bed, rear of the bumper and use that to get my 12v power and ground. It would then be simple to plug into that Curt harness adapter and run wires for a 12v outlet in the truck's bed. You'd be running only 5 or 6 feet of wire? And for capacity, you'd have whatever the limits of the 12v socket that you choose are as the trailer 12v feed is pretty heavy-duty, something like 30 or 35 amps. BUT with that large a fuse protecting the trailer wiring I'd either run very heavy wire to the 12v outlet or add a fuse in the back for that.
Fuses protect the wiring - not the thing plugged in, so fuses must be placed at the source of the power, not later down the line.

Great idea the trailer connection makes total sense. I have the tow pkg. So, what gauge wire and inline fuse can you recommend? And the 4-pin connection is enough for this setup correct?

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

It's great having the outlet in the bed. And in Christmas season I use it to run Christmas lights on my rack. People seem to really like it

I did that last year, my neighbors loved it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Great idea the trailer connection makes total sense. I have the tow pkg. So, what gauge wire and inline fuse can you recommend? And the 4-pin connection is enough for this setup correct?

The 4 pin and 5 pin won't have the 12v power.
I'd use the Curt harness, which plugs in between the Jeep factory harness and the back side of the trailer connector plug on the underside of the rear bumper.
This way you don't cut into any factory wires, if you wreck your truck, you unplug that harness and take it with you.
Mr_Bill probably knows the part number of the harness he used.
You crawl under the rear bumper, unplug the factory wiring from the back side of the trailer plugs in the bumper, plug the Curt harness into the factory wiring, plug the other end of the Curt harness into the plug where you removed the factory wiring.
Now you can connect into that Curt harness to get your 12v power and ground.
The fuse you'd use would depend in the size wiring you use to get to the truck bed, and the capability of the 12v outlet you use there.
Most 12v outlets have fuses ranging from 10 to 20 amps, depending on the outlet and so on.
Say you get an outlet capable of 15 amps, you'd want to run probably 14 gauge wire and use a fuse at the connection to the trailer harness no larger than 15 amps.
That way if you plug something in and it draws too much or a wire gets damaged, you'll pop that fuse back there because that 30 amp fuse for the trailer wiring likely would not blow before you'd burn the wiring to your 12v bed outlet.

 

[LostWoods]

Did you order the chargers that way...........?

Frankly, if all I need is 12v, I have a fast, cheap solution! ?

I have an adapter that plugs into the trailer connector and give me a 12v outlet. Then I have another piece that plugs into that and gives me 2 12v outlets and a USB charger.
And I have another UBS charger I could plug into one of the 12v outlets

If I'm totally honest the only thing I used my Tacoma bed outlet for that couldn't be powered by one of these things is power tool batteries and those don't require the outlet to be in the bed. An outlet on the backside of the console in the cab is infinitely more useful for me.

Unlike the F-150, it's just not enough amperage for anything useful and any effort to extend the power to where you need it just further cuts down on what's available.

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