DC to AC power inverter to run electic tools?

[Bob_Skurka]

I use my tractors for a lot of different things, often times just transporting me and materials out to a spot on my property for a project, and I find I have projects scattered all over my property, some of them are located a few hundred feet away from the nearest power outlet. Has anyone installed a DC to AC Power Inverter so that you can plug in a standard electrical power pool such as a circular saw or a power drill for use on a field project?

I have a generator but it is too large to haul out to the field and is only used for emergency power backup purposes. I don't really want to buy a small 1500 to 2000 watt generator because that is just another engine to maintain.

I have a lot of battery powered tools, but often find them lacking even with extra batteries in a charger.

I thought that I might install a 1500 watt (3000 surge) power inverter on the tactor, probably directly wired to the battery. It would only be for occasional use so I am not worried too much about drawing down the battery. My compound miter saw and my circular saw each draw 15amps (1800 watts) on start up, my drills probably draw half of that. Realistically when I am building something the saw or drill run for only a few moments, then sit, then run, then sit a while longer. Battery drain should be virtually nil over the long run as long as the tractor's engine is running because there will actually be minimal draw by the inverter most of the time even when I am building something. And most projects in the field are repairs, or minor upgrades so I don't expect it would be a day long always on situation.

And from the prices I see, it would be cheaper than a compact generator by a couple hundred bucks.

Any thoughts on what problems this might cause?

 

[GaryM]

At least one of JDs Garden or Lawn tractors has an AC outlet built in. It's probably powered by an inverter. Check with a JD dealer or their website for more information.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Yes, JD does have a 1000 watt inverter on one or two models of their small garden tractors. That was where I got the idea from. They run 2 G.F.I. outlets to an inverter that is powered by an 18hp Briggs & Stratton gas engine. I have been using an inverter to power a portable TV and a laptop computer inside our Jeep when we go on vacations so my daughter doesn't keep asking "ARE WE THERE YET?"

I've never had a problem with an inverter yet, but mounting one to a tractor, exposed to the elements, with a 24hp or 30hp diesel engine (not sure which tractor to mount it to) to power some tools that will draw significantly more amps than a laptop computer draws from the 245hp engine and h.d. electical system in my Cherokee.

 

[markie61]

If I recall, you multiply peak amps x voltage to figure out how many watts you need. I bought a cheesy one that does 300 watts. About the only things it will power are radios and battery chargers. Won't even power a drill which draws 3 amps (3 amps x 110 volts = "no go!")

On one of the morning shows had a Chevy(?) pickup that powered a mitre saw while the engine was at idle from outlets installed in the wall of the bed near the tailgate. They said it would be sold on fleet vehicles now, but offered as a consumer option early next year. Pretty cool /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Mark

 

[jwstewar]

The truck with the inverter was the "GMC Professional" it was featured on one of the Sam & Dave shows either Crank & Chrome or Two Guys Garage. There were some features on that truck that were pretty cool and I'm not a "professional."

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Yup, my understanding is VOLTS times AMPS equals WATTS.

So my 15-AMP Makita Circular saw, at 120 VOLTS = 1800 WATTS.

I don't know, because I have not checked if that is the start up wattage or the running watts. If I recall, some types of motors, possibly induction motors, have significantly higher start up demand than other types of motors.

I know my well pump at the house has a huge start up demand, as to refrigerators, but then they drop down considerably while they are just running.

 

[pruntyc]

I don't know about on a tractor, but my stepson is on oxygen 24/7 and I ordered an inverter from Harbor Freight, and set it up to run a machine to make his oxygen in the trunk of his car. Of course we had to hard wire it. No cigarette lighter plug, not enough juice to run it from that. Of course it don't draw a lot. But hes been using it for about 5 or 6 years now and it never has given him any problem. I would just be sure I got one big enough to be sure it will do the job.

 

[RoyBrooks]

Power does equal volts times amps. But you also have to realize that the 12 volt size will also equal volts times amps. If the circular saw draws 15amps at 120 volts the current going into the 12volt side of the inverter is 150 AMPS. Thats a lot of current I don't know how long the battery and alternator would last trying to output that much current. I would also suggest keep the inverter as close to the battery as possible to keep the wires short and use BIG wire like welding cable.

 

[Joe1]

You might consider a second 12 volt battery wired in parallel and/or a larger alternator. A car/truck alternator puts out 100 -130 amps, much greater than that on a CUT. After doing this, you're probably at break even vs a portable generator. While a second battery will give you longer 12 volt output and only pull in theory 75 amps from each battery, it will take as long or longer to recharge both batteries with the original alternator.

There just ain't no free lunch.

You could always add it to the tractor and see if any other modifications are required, but that could be an expensive experiment. Then again, with a portable generator you can always throw it in beack of the pick-up and take it to another location for use. Kind of hard to do that with a tractor.

Could you just wire it to your truck and take that into the field to do the work or can you only access the area by tractor?

Joe

Joe

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I would suspect that running a saw continuously would put a strain on the inverter and consequently the battery, electrical system. However, I also figure that when I am cutting 2x4s the saw is only running a few seconds at a time. Ripping plywood takes well under a minute. Driving screws into a deck is a 3 second process repeated a 100 times plus.

So again, I am far from an electrical expert, but I suspect that when working on a project, the time the tool is "off" is probably 5 times the length of the time the tool is "on." So I suspect the battery would have plenty of time to recover from any drain as long as the tractor is running.

Any electricians or electical engineers out there who can help?