Texas Man Powers Home With F150

[RevolverRob]

Rob, did you quote this wrong? Because 400W won't run a welder. 120V welders like a full 20A circuit which is 2400W, but will run on 15A at a reduced capacity which is still 1800W. Many 120V welders' advertised max outputs are achieved by being on overpowered circuits above 20A which no conventional home has.

Whatever amount of "weld" you get from 400W won't be capable of penetrating anything of useful thickness to get your butt out of trouble on the trail.

Maybe I did quote it wrong because it's a 20amp circuit. Even if you go 12-volt DC in with 20amps that's not 400w. You figure it's an inverter going from 12v DC to 120v AC. Hmm, I wonder if 400w is just a nominal continuous load rating?

I haven't tried genuinely welding with this thing plugged in. I plugged it in, and struck a simple arc with it to see if it would power it on. I didn't think much about penetration or weld quality. I just ASSumed if it would strike an arc it would weld. Probably a bad ASSumption on my part.

It's academic for me, because I am not overlanding/trail hopping hard enough to break something for the most part. I don't pack a welder when we head out for a Sunday drive.

[HCM]

What's the Gal/KWH rating though.

Seems to be multiple package levels available as per this article.

https://news.pickuptrucks.com/2020/0...generator.html

@JM Campbell ‘s Titan has an outlet in the bed but it had trouble running a coffee maker at the last Green Ops TX Carbine class @Mr Pink .

Drift - The Mr. Guns and gear channel mentions a “low draw” coffee maker for range use here:

[dogcaller]

This is really interesting. I have no experience with generators, but I keep thinking I should probably get one. Being able to use my truck and not have one more thing to store/haul is very attractive.

If I were to get the trailer hitch wiring harness and connect it to this, how would the functionality compare to a standalone generator?

[willie]

It's just an inverter built into into the trucks electrical system. Although convenient, one can do the same thing if your vehicle has a 7 way RV receptacle under the rear bumper. Lots of SUV's and pickups have these. My 2019 Toyota 4R has one. It also has a single plug inverter in the cargo area. To use the 7 way receptacle you need one of these;

https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Hopk...%20DC%20system.

And one of these;

https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-110v...motive&sr=1-11

You also need to do a little research about the watts of the appliances or devices you want to supply power to and choose the inverter you need. This may not be the one you need.

If I were buying a new pickup I would want the package but you don't need to buy a new vehicle to power an inverter. You just need the 7 way receptacle.

Damn. I have one on my Tacoma and didn't know it!

[Coal Train]

The Texas event is going to sell a bunch more F150's.

The integrated system is pretty nice and opens up new possibilities in a number of areas. If I was buying a new F150 I would likely be ordering one. It will be interesting to see if they develop a larger system for the Super Duties as that could be a big seller for contractors, campers, and others.

One of the downsides is that the system really seems to negatively impact the truck's payload. The door sticker on my 2016 F150 is lists a payload of ~1700lbs. The PowerBoost trucks seem to be in the 1300 range.

[Hambo]

Damn. I have one on my Tacoma and didn't know it!

But I bet you know you know whether or not you have Apple CarPlay. On a Tacoma forum that would certainly be the case. "I have to trade in my Tacoma to get a new one with CarPlay...wait, I've got an inverter?"

[willie]

But I bet you know you know whether or not you have Apple CarPlay. On a Tacoma forum that would certainly be the case. "I have to trade in my Tacoma to get a new one with CarPlay...wait, I've got an inverter?"

I admit to never having heard of Apple Carplay. After owning the Tacoma for 20 months, I discovered what the weird plug receptacle is for. I asked my mechanic buddy when he was bumming a box of 380 ammo. I doubt that I will spend the coin to buy the parts needed to run anything.

[JM Campbell]

@JM Campbell ‘s Titan has an outlet in the bed but it had trouble running a coffee maker at the last Green Ops TX Carbine class @Mr Pink .

Drift - The Mr. Guns and gear channel mentions a “low draw” coffee maker for range use here:

Come on now, cold water in 30ish degree weather and 2 POS k-cup machines. Next time it’s jet-boils and French press. [emoji12]


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[Borderland]

This is really interesting. I have no experience with generators, but I keep thinking I should probably get one. Being able to use my truck and not have one more thing to store/haul is very attractive.

If I were to get the trailer hitch wiring harness and connect it to this, how would the functionality compare to a standalone generator?

I think the output (3000W in this case) is what needs to be compared here. Also the delivery, sine wave etc. I don't know a lot about stand alone generators but I installed an inverter in our trailer for light duty which was powered by the trailers AGM deep cycle batteries and solar panels. We never used a stand alone gas generator but lots of people do. I think some of the more expensive coaches have built in generators.

I've done some stupid stuff with AC wiring so file this under *needs more research*. The difference, from my limited knowledge on the subject, is the charging and fuel source. A plug in DC to AC inverter (your link) uses the vehicles alternator and fuel source. A stand alone gas/propane generator has it's own alternator and fuel source.

I think contractors who have serious wattage requirements like welders and power tools prefer generators. I don't even know what the watt output is on the old Honda generator I have so now I'm going to check today. I think it's 500W.

[whomever]

"If I were to get the trailer hitch wiring harness and connect it to this, how would the functionality compare to a standalone generator?"

If you look at the install manual for that 3000W inverter, the spec is that if you use 4/0 cable it can be up to 6 feet from the battery bank. That's like big welding cable. Any harness with wire smaller/longer than that won't work.

3000 watts at 12V is 250 amps.