The outlet in the beds -- can it handle a refrigerator? What can it power?

[Chipster]

I tried a DeWalt pancake air compressor. No dice.

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[Tim d]

Not sure I understand your question. The outlet has a 120v AC three -prong receptacle. It incorporates an inverter to turn the truck's 12v DC into 120v. AC. You refer to a 12v inverter - but the plug, as I wrote is already AC so you don't need to "invert" it.

Your household cell phone charger [aka brick] takes 120v AC and transforms it into DC to charge your phone battery. So instead of using the dash port to charge your phone, you could take the charger from your house, plug it into the recept in the bed and charge away.

I use my bed recept to charge my Milwaukee power tool 18v Li batteries while I drive. You could run an LED TV from the bed recept. Just read the label on devices and be sure that a device that runs on 120v doesn't draw more than in the range of 3.3-ish amps. Make sense?

I'm certain that cute fridge w/ice maker [wow!] will work but ask the question or dig into the specs.

Got it,it will not power anything more than 3.3 amps. Thx!

 

[MetalsGeek]

It seems there's some confusion about what constitutes "the outlet in the bed." If you're talking about the 120 VAC outlet, that is 400 Watts just like the one in the back seat. If you're talking about the 12V power point that hooks to the pigtail cable you found in the glove box, this circuit is limited to 20 Amps. Both will shut off at some point like the power point (lighter outlet) in the cab.

 

[boatman]

Thanks everyone, well see how it goes. The wife has one already coming before I could put the breaks on it,,,

 

[boatman]

Thanks everyone, well see how it goes. The wife has one already coming before I could put the breaks on it,,,

Fridge came in, barely fits but works great!!!

 

[Gschaef]

So I have a stupid question but that has never stopped me before. I have a 12v car fridge that I would like to hook up to the 12v power source in the bed. Can I just buy an adapter that plugs into the 12v source that then plugs into the fridge? Or do I need to use the supplied cable that plugs into the existing 12v source and then buy an adapter to hook that up to the fridge? I'm just looking for the simplest way to hook up the fridge so I can have a cold one while figuring this out. If I have to drill holes in the truck or use any advanced wiring I am not interested and will just continue to use a cooler and ice. Thanks

 

[Carlitos_92]

So I have a stupid question but that has never stopped me before. I have a 12v car fridge that I would like to hook up to the 12v power source in the bed. Can I just buy an adapter that plugs into the 12v source that then plugs into the fridge? Or do I need to use the supplied cable that plugs into the existing 12v source and then buy an adapter to hook that up to the fridge? I'm just looking for the simplest way to hook up the fridge so I can have a cold one while figuring this out. If I have to drill holes in the truck or use any advanced wiring I am not interested and will just continue to use a cooler and ice. Thanks

If it were me (and it will be, eventually) I would use the Ford pigtail that came in the truck and splice an outlet to the end of it that you can plug the fridge into. If your fridge has a lighter socket plug, this thread has some ideas:

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/power-outlet-in-bed-fitting-question.49922/

I don’t think the 12V connector in the bed itself is all that complicated, but you’re not likely to find an adapter for it that is already prepared to connect to an appliance on the other end.

 

[Gschaef]

If it were me (and it will be, eventually) I would use the Ford pigtail that came in the truck and splice an outlet to the end of it that you can plug the fridge into. If your fridge has a lighter socket plug, this thread has some ideas:

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/power-outlet-in-bed-fitting-question.49922/

I don’t think the 12V connector in the bed itself is all that complicated, but you’re not likely to find an adapter for it that is already prepared to connect to an appliance on the other end.

Thanks very much for the reply. I did see that thread before but must have missed the link to the lighter socket adapter. Looks like all I need is to wire the pigtail to it and it’s good. Just wasn’t sure of the easiest options and wanted a better understanding before messing with it. Thanks again.

 

[boatman]

If it were me (and it will be, eventually) I would use the Ford pigtail that came in the truck and splice an outlet to the end of it that you can plug the fridge into. If your fridge has a lighter socket plug, this thread has some ideas:

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/power-outlet-in-bed-fitting-question.49922/

I don’t think the 12V connector in the bed itself is all that complicated, but you’re not likely to find an adapter for it that is already prepared to connect to an appliance on the other end.

So I have a stupid question but that has never stopped me before. I have a 12v car fridge that I would like to hook up to the 12v power source in the bed. Can I just buy an adapter that plugs into the 12v source that then plugs into the fridge? Or do I need to use the supplied cable that plugs into the existing 12v source and then buy an adapter to hook that up to the fridge? I'm just looking for the simplest way to hook up the fridge so I can have a cold one while figuring this out. If I have to drill holes in the truck or use any advanced wiring I am not interested and will just continue to use a cooler and ice. Thanks

I bought something similar to this and it came with both style plugs

 

[Carlitos_92]

I bought something similar to this and it came with both style plugs

What are the “both styles of plugs?” Household 120VAC and 12VDC cigarette lighter?

 

[boatman]

What are the “both styles of plugs?” Household 120VAC and 12VDC cigarette lighter?

Yes

 

[MaveRichard]

I bought something similar to this and it came with both style plugs

I have used one similar to this for years and it works fine with the bed 120v outlet. It is great for long trips and we always pre-cool it in the house, usually the day/night before.

Also have a Jeep with a 400w plug that will NOT power it, but it works with the 12v plug…

 

[Gschaef]

I bought something similar to this and it came with both style plugs

I bought something similar to this and it came with both style plugs

Thanks. I bought a smaller version of the one you have from the same company and it’s arriving today. Glad to know that will work with the lighter output.

 

[boatman]

Thanks. I bought a smaller version of the one you have from the same company and it’s arriving today. Glad to know that will work with the lighter output.

Hope you got the measurements down. My height just fit under the cover

 

[WoodWorks]

I just use an insulated cooler with ice. Much cheaper.

Yeah, I used to think like that too. But on multi-day camping trips, having to frequently source more ice, keep the contents of the cooler from getting soggy, and frequently dispose of meltwater eventually got old.

My little electric fridge has been a real delight for years now. I just pre-cool it inside the house the night before setting off, and the rest of the trip is hassle-free. The initial cost of an ice cooler may be less. But over the life of the fridge, the cost of all that ice adds up. I bet my little fridge has paid for itself several times over by now.

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