Hi
What is the best way to run 110v power tools off the 12 volt power of your truck ,
Do I need to run a 2nd battery or a higher amo alternator ?
if the tools says 500 watts how much larger should the converter be ?
I only plan on using things like drills , sawsall , grinder etc for a few minutes at a time , and if I need to start up the truck to run the converter no problem ,
I do not want to haul around a Honda generator ,
Thanks for your ideas
My experience says get double or triple the expected needed power. Most of the rated power statements will be for inrush current and the continuous rated power will be less. Look for a true sign wave inverter if you are going to run power tools, the motors do not like the square wave of the cheap inverters out there. I would run truck if using any significant power and second battery really depends on how much time you are going to be using, as a run of thumb the current you are taking out of the battery is 10x the 110v current rating on your tool. Short runs occasional use probably fine, want to run a grinder for an hour not so much.
I run a 1500W inverter in the Jeep. I've never had a need for a massive battery or alternator, as it's very rare that I've used it for anything that pulls anywhere near full power for more than a very short burst. But I've used it for angle grinders, dremels, small compressors and other things and it's done the job quite nicely.
If it's just smallish usage, would it make sense to get battery-op tools? Then a small inverter could very safely charge batteries for you and you wouldn't be real tied to the truck.
For an inverter, assuming that you'd use them one at a time, you'd just need to back in to the wattage you need. If your drill was 6.5 amps, that's about 780 watts, but the startup wattage is probably more like 1,000. Assume some loss in the inversion process and you probably need at least 1,200 watts of 12v power or 100 amps. If you wanted to run tools without the truck running, I'd plumb in a true deep-cycle battery with a solenoid to charge when the truck is running and disconnect when it's not. Alternately, you might consider an bigger alternator if yours is too close to the limit.
All of that said, I prefer to over-engineer things like that, so you might be able to get by with an 800 continuous watt inverter that can burst up.
Thanks for your ideas ,
one of the things is to have 110v available for other power tools that I do not have battery powered , like a margarita mixer !
and once its installed its there all the time , just figuring out how many watt converter and how thick of cables to run from the battery....
You're looking in the wrong direction for a solution to your margarita mixer.
You are better off with rechargeable batteries. Even on the Margarita Mixer, if you aren't going with gas powered.
When we do field work, almost everything is either rechargeable, or generator powered. The only thing we use an inverter for is to charge our batteries.
I really want to go with the 12v-110v inverter ,. I have 110v tools , they are everywhere and cheap if I need something else ,
How much power do you lose with a 20 ft extension cord , or a 50ft or 100ft cord ?
Thanks
I once ran a HF reciprocating saw from the $40 inverter I bought to power my laptop for tuning, when a coolant tee failed and I needed to turn it into a straight nipple so I could drive home.
Startup wattage is often double the running wattage. Go a fair amount bigger than you think you need. I tried to run a mini fridge from an "appropriate" size inverter. Fridge was rated at 74w so I got a 150w/300w peak inverter and ran it from two deep cycle batteries and really hefty wire. No dice. When the compressor tried to kick on the inverter just beeped and turned off.
In reply to californiamilleghia :
I am pretty sure you are overestimating what an inverter can do for you.
You are not gonna be able to just plug E36 M3 in and assume it works like you do at home.
You are asking an inverter to do the job of a generator. Or a military grade inverter...
In reply to SVreX :
Well, that's not exactly fair. There are plenty of inverters that will do exactly that - they just cost more than the $40 laptop inverters you can buy at the truck stop.
In reply to dculberson :
Emphasis was not on what an inverter can do.
Emphasis is on what an inverter can do FOR THE OP.
Well, for $390 he can get a 5000w continuous inverter. I'd say that would be capable of running almost any 120v tools. It's a modified sine in that price range - would power tools care?
Some power tools seem to care about modified sine, others don't. My dremels and grinders are fine with it, but last time I tried running a vacuum on a mod sine inverter, it wasn't happy. Pure sine is a bit more $$$, but a 2KW pure sine is still not insanely expensive.
In reply to dculberson :
AFAIK the only things that care about what flavor the AC voltage is, are electronicy things that need the wave to be shaped a certain way. I know older microwaves hated running on non house current AC.
Thanks guys for your ideas ,
I can find a big inverter , is there a way to tell if its square wave , modified sine wave , or real sine wave just looking at it ?
We had the electronics swap meet last weekend but I did note see anything over 1000 watts ,
I would think there has to be better inverters with all the solar panels out there and people living off the grid ....
Do motor homes have large 12v to 110v inverters , lots of those at Pick a Part etc
thanks again......
What’s your budget? I see pure sine wave inverters on eBay in the 1500w range for $85. I bet that would handle most loads.
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