Inverter for truck

[Robert_in_NY]

I'm looking at installing an inverter to my truck to power a twin tank air compressor. Talked to the inverter dealer today and he recommended this unit to run the 14amp Dewalt compressor I have for the truck. 5000 Watt Power Inverter 12 volt DC by AIMS while reading up on it I started wondering if I could hook up a plug to it and run my 30amp camper off this. They say you can, even have a cord available to attach whatever end you need to that can take up your 48 amps. I'm basically thinking turn my truck into a generator for farm use as well as the occasional time I need to plug the camper in while not having electric connections at certain campsites. Does anyone see anything wrong with this idea or potential problems? The compressor and inverter would be mounted in the bed of the truck protected by a cap. I'm going to mount the inverter under the toolbox that is built into the cap so it is protected from being hit by anything slid into the bed. Truck is a 2006 F-350 diesel.

 

[JPRambo]

Where I used to work we had 5000 watt motor generators. Before inverters were available. We ran 1/2 inch drills and skill saws and the like, they worked well. I now use a 750 watt inverter to plug in the charger for the battery drill batteries . I have used it for a few other items like the air mattress inflator for the cabin/shed when we visit the north Georgia property. I plug mine temporarily into the Anderson connector I wired at the rear bumper of the truck next to the trailer connector.

 

[fordmantpw]

What about just buying a generator? Sucking 5kW, your truck is going to have to be running, and I'm sure a generator is easier on fuel than your truck. Plus, it's a much less expensive piece of equipment than your truck. Not to mention, you may want to consider an AIC (auxiliary idle control) for your truck to keep it from wet stacking if you leave it running for any length of time. You will likely need to keep the RPM up to keep the alternator generating enough juice to run it anyway.

Personally, I think it would be a good idea if you needed it while your truck was running down the road, but while the truck is parked, a regular generator would be a better alternative.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

What about just buying a generator? Sucking 5kW, your truck is going to have to be running, and I'm sure a generator is easier on fuel than your truck. Plus, it's a much less expensive piece of equipment than your truck. Not to mention, you may want to consider an AIC (auxiliary idle control) for your truck to keep it from wet stacking if you leave it running for any length of time. You will likely need to keep the RPM up to keep the alternator generating enough juice to run it anyway.

Personally, I think it would be a good idea if you needed it while your truck was running down the road, but while the truck is parked, a regular generator would be a better alternative.

Generator this size takes up considerably more room, another engine to maintain and would have to either take it out or move things to make sure there is nothing to catch fire inside the bed from the exhaust. The 6.0 has a fast idle built in already, after so long it kicks up. Not sure if it would be enough but that's why I'm asking as I don't know.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I came across these made in China units, they have different sizes available and besides being true sine wave they are very affordable. They also have a battery charge function so if you have power available you can top off your batteries. Was thinking of adding one to my truck to run the freezer when we travel south.

Amazon.com : Meind 1000Watt DC 12Volt to AC 110Volt Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Battery Charge Function for Solar System or Home Use : Electronics

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I came across these made in China units, they have different sizes available and besides being true sine wave they are very affordable. They also have a battery charge function so if you have power available you can top off your batteries. Was thinking of adding one to my truck to run the freezer when we travel south.

Amazon.com : Meind 1000Watt DC 12Volt to AC 110Volt Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Battery Charge Function for Solar System or Home Use : Electronics

What is the main difference between the two types of inverters? Pure vs modified?

 

[tungularafishcamp]

What is the main difference between the two types of inverters? Pure vs modified?

Modified is the old technology and quite a bit cheaper. Initially they couldn't make the true sine waves of ac power with dc so they did it in incremental steps, like little stairs instead of waves, Works pretty well with most things but not compatible with everything(especially fan motors)

Now days they have true sine wave and pure sine wave inverters that are compatible with most everything.

 

[tcartwri]

We have a 3500 W true sine wave in our service truck. You need to keep in mind that an hour of heavy use will require many hours of driving time to replenish the batteries. You will also need at least two deep cycle batteries on top of your starting batteries. Plus a 5k inverter will not support a compressor of any size, unless you're starting from zero tank pressure.

 

[rhett]

Inverters are neat, not for heavy use unless you have a major battery storage bank and a supporting charging system. Look at Sterling 12/24/36 volt battery chargers for use with alternators (nautical users).

watts divided by volts = amperage used (theoretically)
5000 watts / 12 volts = 416.66 amps (huge alternator)
5000 watts / 120 volts = 41.66 amps

Higher the voltage the better it caries amperage. The average vehicle alternator is around 90 amps which will yield about 1080 watts of usable power (12v or 120v inverter), less actually.

Volts times Amperage = Watts available (theoretically)

Tried to express the basic idea, see why Solar has not taken off and used mostly for Off-Grid. Batteries add to the confusion of making it practical.

 

[roadhunter]

What's your use for the air?

If it's just for tires there are nice 12v compressors that don't require modifying your vehicle.
Puma 12 Volt 1 5 Gallon Oil Less Air Compressor Free Shipping Oiless 12V | eBay
If you are trying to make a lot of air I"Ve run the Honda gas powered compressors many times and they will be a better choice before buying a huge inverter, battery bank, cables, etc... I once tried the inverter option on a work barge that had a couple of big deep cycle batteries. Even just running basic tools like drill, grinder, porta band, etc it would drain the batteries amazingly fast. We found that running the welder/generator was simply easier than trying to run off batteries.

 

[DFB]

I'm looking at installing an inverter to my truck to power a twin tank air compressor. Talked to the inverter dealer today and he recommended this unit to run the 14amp Dewalt compressor I have

Robert what is the main need for using the compressor?

I started to entertain that idea of running a portable compressor unit powered by a 120v inverter a while back. I can use a small $40 400W inverter to charge my cordless tool batteries easy enough (Milwaukee manual recommends 300 watt min.) but I have an older Craftsman Industrial 6 gal pancake compressor and that has full 15 amp draw.

And I thought about taking that out in the apple orchard for a new project which quickly led me to start looking at inexpensive small generators instead of expensive inverters. First were the cheap $100 2 stroke units lightweight and portable but found most also didn't have the amperage either to support the average compressor draw of 13 amp or better. Next move up was 12.5 amp 4 stroke unit (trying to stay under $200) But that really didn't work either. And before you knew it what seemed like a cool idea started becoming costly fast

So while looking around I discovered there are a few low amp draw compressors available. Before that I didn't know there was such a thing. (I remember how my compressor would always trip the 15 amp breaker in my old apartment unit)

Dewalt has one with only a 2.6 amps draw DEWALT 1 gal. Portable Electric Trim Air Compressor-D55140 - The Home Depot
and there are a few others out there also.

Maybe the best compromise to do what you want to do and you could power that with a smaller (and less expensive) inverter unit.


I was kind of surprised using an inverter how quickly it can pull down your vehicle battery

For a modern camping unit today though I think I would want a decent generator.

I always got by on propane and 12v battery power with my old camper back in the day

 

[dieselcrawler]

The massive current draw an inverter in the 5000 watt range would would require an aftermarket charging system or dual alternators, or both.

The concept of 'the point of diminishing returns' comes into play... inverters up to 1000 watts for light, infrequent use, is reasonable. Bigger loads than that, for more than a few minutes, you need a stand alone gas motors generator.

 

[bd53bz2]

Another thing to consider is the wire size for a 5000 watt inverter. It will need 4/0 AWG copper.
Length to get to the bed might even require one size larger because of voltage drop!
Haven't priced copper wire lately but bet you are into the $300 range.

 

[Mendonsy]

The big problem with inverters is that it take a LOT of battery to run them.
We have an M-B Sprinter with a 3kw Xantrex inverter setup. It requires 4 deep cycle batteries and a 150 amp alternator. The Sprinter must be left on high idle for the alternator to keep up with the current draw.
You would probably be looking at 6 batteries and a 200 amp alternator to supply a 5kw inverter for any reasonable length of time..

 

[Walker1]

Just remember, all the 5,000 watts es that you take out of your electrical system has to be put back into it by your alternator that likely has about a 1000 watt capacity. So if you run your inverter for 15 minutes at near full load, you truck has to run for 75 minutes to recharge.

 

[Soundguy]

sound slike a gas powered air compressor is the answer here.

 

[k0ua]

Just remember, all the 5,000 watts es that you take out of your electrical system has to be put back into it by your alternator that likely has about a 1000 watt capacity. So if you run your inverter for 15 minutes at near full load, you truck has to run for 75 minutes to recharge.

With a 5000 watt draw and a typical 100 amp alternator and a single battery, I bet you could never make it to 15 minutes. I think most people don't realize how limited the electrical system on a standard vehicle is. Sure there are 300 amp alternators and multiple battery setups, but a stock electrical setup is pretty weak. A standard electrical system on a tractor is even weaker.

 

[Soundguy]

With a 5000 watt draw and a typical 100 amp alternator and a single battery, I bet you could never make it to 15 minutes. I think most people don't realize how limited the electrical system on a standard vehicle is. Sure there are 300 amp alternators and multiple battery setups, but a stock electrical setup is pretty weak. A standard electrical system on a tractor is even weaker.

yup.. that's north of a 400 amp load to get 5000w, and that's just on paper not taking into account conversion losses. I bet if you are really looking at a 5k load on the inverter AC side, you will be seeing near 500a load on the 12v side... the truck will think it has 2 starters turning over at the same time.

I agree.. 15 minutes at 5k load is hopefull!! might be easier on the batteries to just toss a piece of rebar across them.

 

[k0ua]

I love that rebar comment! Another thing is alternator ratings are also very optimistic. They are best case scenario's at high rpm when the alternator is cold. The output falls off when they heat up. These inverter threads come up every few months, I just chuckle. Sure small inverters can be very useful, big ones, not so much. Maybe for a couple of minutes. But not long term.

 

[Soundguy]

Yup, I don't like using past 80% rating on an alt for an extended time, and a 400-500 amp load on a standard alt is gonna 'electrically' look like a piece of rebar ..