Anyone ever put in auxillary power oulet in the bed of your truck? I don't have a drop in liner, so i couldn't mount it in there. Any ideas or good locations where nd how to mount it? This would be a regular 12 volt outlet. Also, where do you route the wire to get into the bed?? I saw some one used the under hood light for power for a light they installed, but where did they run it and get inot the bed?

Thanks!

Tony

 

to add a 12V outlet in my bed.

I added an auxillary fuse block under the hood that can power 4 accessories. Ran SJOW cord (local electrical supply) from the fuse block inside the frame to the rear left taillight housing. I drilled the hole in the bed with the proper size hole saw (1 1/8") for the outlet I had and spliced the wiring behind the taillight housing. I also added a light and switch for my tonneau cover at the same time. In the picture attached, you can see the light switch to the left of the outlet. The outlet has a cover that goes over it (shown open). Sorry about the crummy picture. Hope this helps.

 

Thank you a million times over! This is EXACTLY what i wanted to know!!!

Tony

 

Robdude,
Did you consider tying into the 12VDC on the towing package rather than running up to the fuse block undre the hood?
I've found a good outlet to put in the bed. Where did you get the switch? Radio Shack? Is it waterproof also?

Thx!

 

I see no problem with picking up the 12V from the towing harness. I think I remember seeing someone else do that a while back. It may be difficult to break out the proper wire, though. Haven't looked at it that close.

I picked up my outlet and switch from the shack and they are water resistant. I've washed the bed a couple times with no problem. You could get a waterproof outlet from the Wal-Mart boating section. I've seen those there.

As with anytime you drill a hole in your truck, put some silicone in the hole before you install the outlet to keep the rust down.

By the way, depending on how high up you drill the holes, it gets pretty difficult to get your hands up inside the taillight "hole". I had to drill both holes first, install the switch next so I could install the nut on the back of it through the hole I made for the outlet, then just pushed the outlet in its hole until it locked in place.

Good Luck!

 

That is an excellent mod. I have been thinking about doing this for a while and it is good to see that other people have sucessfully completed the same project!! I have a waterproof 12v socket, wire, and silicone ready... Now all I need is a sunny day and some free time. Thanks for the info.

 

Robdude,

I found a good looking waterproof 12V outlet at Walmart. $12 with leads. The problem I see with it, and you noted, is that I'm haveing a hard time figuring out how to get it high enough on the bed. It's pretty tight through the tailight openings. Did your outlet secure from the front or rear? The outlet I found has a nice ring that screws on from the rear. I haven't figured out how I'm going to get my hand up in there to screw it down. Do you know if you can you remove the plastic rail caps to get at it?

I used the 12V lead on the trailer harness for power to my aux backup lights. Will try to use here also.

Thx again!

 

My outlet secured itself with plastic "wings" on the back. It was just a push in and lock type of thing. If you have a kid with small hands they might be able to put it on for you!

I'm not sure about removing the rail caps. I think they are put on with sticky tape and probably wouldn't try to take mine off.

Rob

 

I'll post photos as soon as I figure out how to make it do what I want. Might try to put the kids to work on this one....hands are a llittle smaller than mine. Really like the unit at WalMart. Just gotta get that nut screwed down on the back....

 

tfratzke,
I installed one in my bed this past summer. I'm including a picture of it. I installed it at the very back just inside the drivers side of the tailgate. Because I had the truck up running power for my backup lights I ran an addition fused line for the power outlet. It was easy to get to with the taillight removed. However, I still needed a small hand to tighten the mounting nut.

 

I'm planning the same mod, only with higher current rated wire and connectors. Probably at least 60 amp. I'm also going to put a 600 watt or better inverter along side to give me 5 or 6 amps at 120 ac.

 

That looks good too MN-Trap. It's a little confusing as to where/how your outlet is mounted. Did you drill into the bed? It almost looks like you attached a bracket to mount it. Looks good either way, just curious!

Thanks,

Tony

 

Here is mine

 

tfratzke, If you notice it's mounted in what would be the stake pockets on the regular F150. I drilled a hole in it and it fits almost flush. I don't have to worry about it getting bent by sliding stuff. I picked the outlet up at BIG WHEEL-ROSSI.
Ron