120 volts to the bed of my truck

[bronze_10]

ok guys. This is totally not boat related but its something I have been beating my head on a wall about. I have a f250 diesel truck with a fiberglass camper shell on the back. I want to figure out a way to get ac in the bed to haul our dogs around. We have two great danes and a beagle. We work with a great dane rescue out of Charlotte . So if we want to transport all the dogs, the truck is the only thing that can do it. So it appears that short of a roof top 12 volt ac that costs upward of 700 bucks just to buy not to mention install is the only viable 12 volt option. So i started looking at ways to get 120 volt into the bed to run a small 8000 btu ac. So far here is what i have been looking at and going in circles about..

The obvious method is to use a inverter. An 8000 btu ac will run at about 1000 watts not counting the start surge. A 2000 watt inerter would take that load and will surge twice their rated limit. I would have to put the inverter in the truck bed on the wall and run very large cables to the batteries. My alternator is rated at 110 and my truck has two batteries. The down side is I may have to upgrade the battries and my alternator. My truck engine does have the capability to run a 2nd alternator.

Option 2 is install a belt driver generator on the motor. But they are really expensive as well and I have not seen one that would fit my 6.0.

Option 3. Is to install some large ass battries on the frame rail of the truck under the bed. Something like a class 4d 200 amp hour battery or maybe two in series. Run the the inverter off of that for as long as it lasts and just use a battery charger when I get home like with the boat.

Option 4 is the easiest to set up but the hardest to figure out what to do with it. buy a small Honda 2200 generator and a short drop cord run into the bed. The problem is I don't know what to do with the gen. Can't put in the truck bed, we would all be deaded!


I started with the vision of the inverter wired to the battries with a breaker at the battery and the power wire run through a starter silinoid and wired to an upfitter switch on my dash that is open. Inverters pull power even when not turned on so I could turn it off with a switch. I was going to use the 2 awg jumper cable wires from the 30 foot jumper cable kit and plug to wire it in and mount it with a bracket and wing nuts. That why I could unplug it and remove it from the truck if needed.

This group has experts on everything.. i would like to know what others think. If I walked around like @Julian does with a fat stack of cash in my front pocket i could just pay for it and be done.... alas not everyone can live the dream!!!

 

[jsg73]

Generator on hitch basket
Very limited stop and go traffic.

 

[AZMark]

You’d end up spending more on batteries in option 3 over a few years than you would on the 12v AC.

Ive seen generators mounted on front bumpers or rear hitch baskets.

 

[bronze_10]

Yes I've seen the gen mounts front and back but was hoping for so.ething more outta the way.

Option three Batts are about 300 to 325 ish.. not even sure how long one batt would run the ac.

 

[Julian]

No way to pump air from the cab into the back?

Hitch basket looks like the easiest. And you can use the generator for other uses .

Do the dogs really need AC?

 

[ChrisM]

If doing batteries, go lithium, more A/H versus flooded.
12v A/C equipment exists too.
Amazon.com: 12V Compact Refrigeration Cooling Systems Air Conditioning Systems with Miniature Rotary Compressor - for Electric Vehicle Chiller Water Dispenser Freezer Electronics Cooling Module DIY (12V,1.9cc): Appliances


Amazon.com: MightyKool When do You Need Your Order for Cooling Using a 12-Volt K2 for Camping, a Truck Sleeper a Postal LLV or Your Order to Receive The Correct Free Performance Option. H: Home & Kitchen

 

[tdonoughue]

So, I was mentally doing some estimates as you were ticking through your options... Are you sure the $700 for the roof version is a bad deal? I think most of the options you are considering are getting to that number anyway, aren't they?

Take your front-bumper generator:
$200 Gen
$100 basket thingy
$30 lock
$70 wiring
$200 AC
$50 ducting/mounting the AC

Now that is just macro, so don't ding me on a dime here or there; you probably need screws and some other stuff... And you have to install all that, just as you would have to do with the front-bumper thing.

Might check at a junk yard and see if you can pick up a used roof unit off a wrecked RV. Bet you get that for $200-$300...

 

[bronze_10]

No way to pump air from the cab into the back?

Hitch basket looks like the easiest. And you can use the generator for other uses .

Do the dogs really need AC?

Do u need ac in August? Yes.. they need ac. Not enough air flow otherwise..

 

[bronze_10]

If doing batteries, go lithium, more A/H versus flooded.
12v A/C equipment exists too.
Amazon.com: 12V Compact Refrigeration Cooling Systems Air Conditioning Systems with Miniature Rotary Compressor - for Electric Vehicle Chiller Water Dispenser Freezer Electronics Cooling Module DIY (12V,1.9cc): Appliances


Amazon.com: MightyKool When do You Need Your Order for Cooling Using a 12-Volt K2 for Camping, a Truck Sleeper a Postal LLV or Your Order to Receive The Correct Free Performance Option. H: Home & Kitchen

I saw both of those... the first one.. where the hell are you gonna put it? Looks like a window unit. The second one required ice or rock salt or some other short life medium to maintain the cold. I was hoping for a system where if the trucks running its cooling.

 

[bronze_10]

So, I was mentally doing some estimates as you were ticking through your options... Are you sure the $700 for the roof version is a bad deal? I think most of the options you are considering are getting to that number anyway, aren't they?

Take your front-bumper generator:
$200 Gen
$100 basket thingy
$30 lock
$70 wiring
$200 AC
$50 ducting/mounting the AC

Now that is just macro, so don't ding me on a dime here or there; you probably need screws and some other stuff... And you have to install all that, just as you would have to do with the front-bumper thing.

Might check at a junk yard and see if you can pick up a used roof unit off a wrecked RV. Bet you get that for $200-$300...

Oh no u are exactly right... i keep going in circles. Once I get a train of thought and I reach the level of , yup, I think that will work but I would need someone else's paycheck to do it, then I start on a other thread.

The wrecked rv isn't a bad idea. I'm not a camper guy so forgive this question.... is the roof top unit an all in one thing or is there a compressor the engine is turning?

 

[ChrisM]

I don't see dimensions for the first one, but yes they are usually the size of a small window unit. Another option is an RV rooftop non ducted unit through the topper. Rooftop RV units are all inclusive. Well, most are.

 

[Julian]

Do u need ac in August? Yes.. they need ac. Not enough air flow otherwise..

Assumed it had windows.....

 

[Dixie Highway]

Honestly man I think the rooftop AC is going to be the answer both for cost and complexity. A second alternator and inverter will be the cost of a used rooftop unit, which I bet is going to cost the same as just the alternator and brakes/belts/wiring. Running a generator just to power an AC unit is going to cost hundreds for the setup plus it has running costs in fuel and maintenance.

 

[AZMark]

Assumed it had windows.....

Uh oh, a topic as potentially volatile and divisive as politics!

 

[Elliott]

How long do you need cold air? If you stop every few hours, you can build an ice AC unit in a larger ice cooler; you only have to run a 12V fan (can run on a standard 12V circuit).

You take a large cooler (~150 quart - it can be a cheap one for less than $150), and install a coil of plastic pipe inside the cooler with the ducted fan on the outside. Fill it with ice, and you have cool air for hours. You can search the internet for designs. Also, you probably should insulate your truck cap no matter what you do.

 

[bronze_10]

How long do you need cold air? If you stop every few hours, you can build an ice AC unit in a larger ice cooler; you only have to run a 12V fan (can run on a standard 12V circuit).

You take a large cooler (~150 quart - it can be a cheap one for less than $150), and install a coil of plastic pipe inside the cooler with the ducted fan on the outside. Fill it with ice, and you have cool air for hours. You can search the internet for designs. Also, you probably should insulate your truck cap no matter what you do.

Yes I have seen those but still wanted something that is a keynon cold air on option instead of limited to the length of how long ice lasts.

 

[bronze_10]

Assumed it had windows.....

It does have windows but its still way too hot back there in the summer.