Project: Fire/ Rescue F-150
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Sounds like a major project and i agree with 2stroked about taking your time and planning things out. My friend is a Miami Dade fire fighter and i told him about this and he's envious since they wont allow him to use his F250 that way. He did put on a toolbox, Cb radio with loudspeaker, and strobes anyway.
But here's my question to everyone else;
Does anyone think he should add another battery with all that equipment or maybe an Optima Deep Cycle battery could hold up with it?
But here's my question to everyone else;
Does anyone think he should add another battery with all that equipment or maybe an Optima Deep Cycle battery could hold up with it?
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Joined: Feb 2004
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Originally Posted by Copperhead64
Sounds like a major project and i agree with 2stroked about taking your time and planning things out. My friend is a Miami Dade fire fighter and i told him about this and he's envious since they wont allow him to use his F250 that way. He did put on a toolbox, Cb radio with loudspeaker, and strobes anyway.
But here's my question to everyone else;
Does anyone think he should add another battery with all that equipment or maybe an Optima Deep Cycle battery could hold up with it?
But here's my question to everyone else;
Does anyone think he should add another battery with all that equipment or maybe an Optima Deep Cycle battery could hold up with it?
Big battery & a high capacity alternator. Think of it as a really big audio install - oversize the electrical & reliability will follow.
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From: San Antonio, TX
Originally Posted by 2stroked
If you're asking for advice, the first thing I'd suggest is taking a giant step backwards. The placement and mounting of stuff is important, but in my experience, the more important thing is having an overall plan with an install this complicated. What I would start with is a list of equipment that inculdes power consumption and special requirements such as "switched with the ignition or always hot." Although you're using all LED lighting (and they have a very low current draw), you want to know how much juice you're going to need so you can size wiring, relays, fuses, etc. properly. Once you have that, you can start looking for ways to route the wiring and places to mount stuff. Believe me, when I started poking around my '05 looking for locations, I had to change a number of my plans. Good luck!
As for the need for a bigger alternator, I don't believe it will be necessary due to the fact that most of the above products listed require very little power. An optima red or yellow top battery however is a great idea.
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Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Hilton Head
You might want to consider a Warn Trans4mer grill, thats what all of our F150's have on them, also we secure everything with a small weld on the bottom of the nut so that you cant just unscrew everything and steal it
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Joined: Mar 2007
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From: San Antonio, TX
Originally Posted by HHIFX4
You might want to consider a Warn Trans4mer grill, thats what all of our F150's have on them, also we secure everything with a small weld on the bottom of the nut so that you cant just unscrew everything and steal it
Last edited by Copeland!; Mar 23, 2007 at 10:56 AM.
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From: Tampa, FL
Just to clarify, this will be for responding only? or is the truck gonna be used in operations? Depending on what kind of equipment you guys respond with Id Also recomend a winch, maybe a way to mount SCBA and how about an electric Federal Q.
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Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Rochester, NY, USA
Originally Posted by Copeland!
I will have some help from an electrician, a few other firefighters, and electrical engineer, and hopefully I will make a friend in the service department at my local ford dealer.