Power Inverter installed

Hey guys, I just installed a 600/1200 watt AC power inverter in my Ford Ranger. It is bolted in next to the battery under the hood, I have a switch on the dash to turn it on and off. Then I wired in 2 outlets (just like a house--bought at Lowe's) wired in behind the driver's seat, and two more outlets in an outdoor box in the bed right by the tailgate. The one in the bed is pretty neat because I cut out the metal so it fits flush, same as the one inside since there was enough extra room behind the carpet insulation. It has enough power to run a shop vac, most power tools, TV, stereo, laptop, small fridge, even a microwave!All-in-all it only cost me about $80. I have a few pictures of it if anyone is interested.C-ya,Andy.

I would like to see ht e pictures.  Brian

I am interested in seeing some pictures, and I am also interested in hearing how all of those devices actually work. I have been trying to decide what output I need but they can get pretty expensive so I dont want to get one bigger then I have to. what it you pay for yours? J Rilla

Owner/Installer

Ok, I will post some pics tomorrow (I can post pics on here, right?). There are different wattage ratings for power inverters. Here's what you do: divide the watts (mine is 600 continuous) by 110 (vor the voltage). That equals 5.4 amps. That is the maximum you can run on it. Most appliances have their amp rating on them so you can see. If you try to run something with too many amps, it will shut itself off. You can run the inverter with the engine on or off. If the battery is starting to get too low, it will shut itself off. If the battery voltage gets too high, it will shut itself off to prevent damage. Most inverters are only 200 to 300 watts. If you want to run bigger stuff, you should get at least a 600 watt. They make some that are 800-900 too. The second number (1200 on mine) is the maximum peak wattage, and is irrelevant for all practical purposes.The reason there is an on/off switch is because if you aren't running anything on it, you should turn it off because it has a fan inside and will drain the battery. The power inverter came with a switch on it, I took the switch off and ran the wires inside and put one on the dash so I don't have to open the hood to get to it. Wiring in house outlets was an idea I came up with. I'm sure others have done, but I haven't seen them. The hard part was making sure they didn't touch any metal on the car, because that would interfere with the 12 volt grounding system. The way that outlets mount, the bracket is connected to the ground terminal, so that makes it a challenge. On my ranger, if you take off the taillight, there is a lot of extra room behind there. Thats how I fit it in flush with the bed. I bought mine on ebay, it was new but about 40% off retail price. It didn't come with any instructions though.

What did the unit look like: Outputs and inputs?  were there recepltacle outputs that you plugged an extension cord into and cut off the other end to wire the household receptacle, or were the outputs set up for wires?J Rilla

Owner/Installer

The unit is blue. It is a Gator 600/1200. It sort of looks like an amplifier for a subwoofer. It originally had two 3-prong outlets on it. I cut one of them off because I was going to hard-wire it in, but decided not to, so there is just an extension cord plugged in, then the extension cord (heavy-duty outdoor type) goes underneith the truck. I cut off the other end of the extension cord and wired those into the outlets, with a splice in the middle (one half goes to inside outlet, other half goes to the one in the bed). Is it water proof? No--but its on top of the fender so its not in a likely place to get wet. Even if it did I think it would dry out quickly (I would have to leave it turned off). It has fuses built into it also. The inverter came with battery clamps (like jumper cables). That is the last thing I need to do, I need to hard-wire those to the battery but I'm looking for battery terminal connectors that are big enough for those wires (I think they are 10 gauge). Pics tomorrow...

Ok, here are the pics: Back to Top

Hey those look pretty good!  I have mine mounted behind my jump seat on the passanger side of my ranger.  I made a cord that I leave behind the jump seat and can pull out when I neeed it.  I like your way better.  Good job.  Brian