There ain't no perfect place. Pros and cons for all. More plusses down here than the occasional annoying negatives so for me this place works. And very well.

 

I don't know where this is going? But it doesn't smell good!!

 

I don't mean to pry, but what do you need 2000W of power for???

I run a 250w in my work truck for soldering irons, trouble lites computers etc, and use air for drills. But I can charge my Makita on the 250W. Sounds like alot of juice.

J-eh

 

[quote author=Lil Dog link=board=13;threadid=22265;start=15#msg208355 date=1068527783]
I don't mean to pry, but what do you need 2000W of power for???

I run a 250w in my work truck for soldering irons, trouble lites computers etc, and use air for drills. But I can charge my Makita on the 250W. Sounds like alot of juice.
[/quote]Oh lotsa things, many at the same time. Refrigerators, electric impact wrenches, air compressers, wet vacs, large fans, coffee makers, microwave ovens, a bunch of lights, things like that. The only thing around here I haven't tried is my furnace, but there's a large jenny for that. I've got a little 300W that is great for onboard laptops and tv's, and other little things running down the road.

Its not that you need 2KW all the time, but the time(s) you need it, it comes in real handy. The cost delta isn't that hard to justify. The 4KW surge capacity ain't bad either.

Back on thread, I originally wanted to mount the Inverter in the bed of the truck (couldn't find enough room under the hood, and didn't think it prudent under the seats), and found that its easier (and safer) to keep the 12V cables as short as possible; and for moving electrical power any appreciable distance to use the extension cords on the 110V side. I purchased some 4-guage 4' wiring harness's with SY175 quick disconnects to connect my Inverter to the truck and built a little "stand" for my Inverter at the front of the truck. I've also got some jumper cables with the aforementioned SY175 connectors to use with the harness if needed. I would have preferred the 2-guage versions but they came with even bigger connectors, and I already had other eqpt that I use with existing SY175's. Plus, since my set-up is portable, I can take it with me on the boat if needed.

My portable set-up doesn't include any fuzes, maybe it should.

 

So this is more for emergency power or for very remote locations? I get it..

What you guys need is what they offer on the Duramax and that is 2 highoutput alternators. It would be nice to have to 120Amp alternators, then you guys could run that power all day without burning out your one alternator...

How about a PTO Generator??? Just a thought..

J-eh

 

[quote author=Lil Dog link=board=13;threadid=22265;start=15#msg208475 date=1068572004]
So this is more for emergency power or for very remote locations? I get it..

What you guys need is what they offer on the Duramax and that is 2 highoutput alternators. It would be nice to have to 120Amp alternators, then you guys could run that power all day without burning out your one alternator...

How about a PTO Generator??? Just a thought..

J-eh
[/quote]Mine is for infrequent use, perfect for my needs. If two alt's were available and I could order a truck like that, I'd do it. A pto gen sounds great but cost prohibitive - plus, how do you idle it up a 3G without "the stick"? Thats the $65K question.

 

Lil Dog, to answer your question. Yes,this is a lot of juice, but the primary use is for emergency work. I have a 5000 watt generator but that is a pain to load and offload. Can't do it by myself. Most of my 'emergency' work is restricted to power drills and such like, so the unit will loafing along for most of it's life. I will be using it in a few weeks on a fairly regular basis to power a 1.5 HP motor driving a water pump at a remote location. For this I will probably need to run the truck for a bit. Made a stick to increase the idle rpm's.
I also help out some of the local missionaries and some of their work is off the beaten track up in the mountains. If I go with them and they want power when the power goes out frequently, they have it.
Not only is this a fair bit of juice but the inverter itself is big. 14.76L X 10.27W X 3.46H. It weighs 11.5 lbs. A real pain to mount. I removed the switch and the LED from the inverter and that is now mounted in my instrument panel. There is a small piece in the LH side of the panel where the cigarette lighter is mounted. Well, on the RH side is the same piece with nothing on it. Just a blank plug behind it with four wires. (Anybody know what this is for?) That is where the inverter switch and LED now reside. It does not look like an add on. Ran telephone wire from the inverter for the on/off switch and the LED.
I made an interim fuse this morning. Went out and bought a 100 amp fuse. Could not find a 200 amp that was not physicaly mega sized. This fuse has spade connections at each end and has the replaceable link inside. Bought extra replacement links and just doubled up the links which in theory (I think) provides a fuse of 200 amps. With the spade type connections it was easy to drill a hole and bolt a cable to each end of it. So this fuse is now about 5 inches from the positive terminal of the battery. Covered the whole shebang with a piece of 1.25" ABS water pipe. Feel happier now that I don't have a potential arc welder.

 

Mexstan........"Show us some pics"!!!!!!!

 

Sorry, too late for that with everything installed. The only thing that would show properly is the switch and the LED, but who wants to see that? The fuse is tucked in next to the RH battery and a pic would not show much. Should have taken a picture before it was installed but with the cables connected. The inverter is now mounted inside a box I made that is painted black. All that would show in a picture is a mounted black box. Sorry guys, next time I start a project will take progress pictures.

 

If I remember correctly the grid heaters draw about 200 amps and more than likely they are fused. If that is the case then that same type fuse would be just right for the converter

 

Good thinking. I'll take a look at this. Thanks.