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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Electrical => Topic started by: IdahoMan on August 05, 2015, 03:35:30 am
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I'll put an inverter on my truck at some point. Perhaps glued under a bed rail, under the back bumper or in a bed storage box.
Who here uses an Inverter?
What brand and size did you go with?
What uses have you found for it?
Had any troubles, or any tips?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
IM
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I put a Harbor Freight job in my '90. It was less than $30 out the door. Every other store had the same inverter, painted different colors, for a lot more. I think it's 400 watts. The alternator only puts out 1200 watts or so, so there's a limit to the inverter size. It came with 10g wires with battery clips, which seems a little overkill for 400 watts. I left the wires in the box and wired mine to the battery with 12g wire. It's worked great so far. I don't know if I would put it out in the weather though.
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Oh, and I attached mine to the underside of the dash with plumber's tape. If you trim it nicely and pre-bend it, it doesn't look quite so hillbilly and holds really well.
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Figure how many watts you need based on how much current you need to provide times the voltage you are providing. To run a 7A grinder off it, (Power is current x voltage, P=IE) 7A x 120V = 840Watts.
I have a 300W inverter I use merely to keep the laptop running to datalog and tune.
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I have a 1500 watt Cobra in my Kenworth. It runs an apartment size refridgerator, a fan, TV, and DVD player. I also run a 1000 watt microwave, but have to leave TV and DVD player off while using it. I use a Milwaukee buffer with it, shop vac, drill,etc. MAKE SURE you ground them if they have an external ground. They can cause vehicle fires if improperly grounded. It also runs my laptop and charges my phone and headset. The only thing that really makes it grunt is the microwave. It runs power tools easily.