Auxiliary Power System
When I head out on the dirt trail with a group of friends from my local off-roading club, I want to have my mobile phone and my navigational tablets plugged in and charging, I want my mobile GMRS radio turned on and pointed to the group channel. When we stop along the trail to check out a site, I want to be able reach into my dc refrigerator and pull out a cool drink, and when the sun sets and darkness comes upon us, I want to be able to light up the night with a variety of off-road driving lights. When the ride on dirt is over, I want to be able to power up my air compressor and air up my tires. All this take power, and I don't want to risk draining my starter battery, that is why I built an auxiliary power system.
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To accomplish this, I removed the rear seat and replaced it with a carpeted platform. On the driver's side of the platform, I built a box which holds a dc refrigerator on a slider. On the other half of the platform, I built the auxiliary power system. This power system includes two Renogy Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries charged by the truck's alternator through a Renogy DC to DC Charger.
Also connected directly to the batteries is a Renogy 2000W inverter, a six-position fuse block to which I've connected the SetPower DC refrigerator, a two-slot dc socket (in the rear), and a three-slot dc socket with HDMI (in the dash), a Midland MXT275 Mobile GMRS radio. And lastly, I have a two 4g cables connected to an Anderson plug for connecting power to my portable air compressor.
As an option to help charge up the batteries, I have a wire attached to the DC-to-Dc Charger to which I can connect a solar panel when I am parked for an extended period of time.
My future plans include installing a slide-in pop-up camper. For this I want power for interior lighting, a DC refrigerator / freezer, a ceiling Fan, a water pump, and again auxiliary DC sockets for powering and charging various devices and accessories. Most campers come with a battery to power items inside the camper. However, I will most likely power a fuse block inside the camper from the auxiliary power system already installed in the truck's cab.
Think about putting together your own auxiliary power system to power all the accessories you will want to enhance your off-roading adventures.
Continue Reading
To accomplish this, I removed the rear seat and replaced it with a carpeted platform. On the driver's side of the platform, I built a box which holds a dc refrigerator on a slider. On the other half of the platform, I built the auxiliary power system. This power system includes two Renogy Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries charged by the truck's alternator through a Renogy DC to DC Charger.
Also connected directly to the batteries is a Renogy 2000W inverter, a six-position fuse block to which I've connected the SetPower DC refrigerator, a two-slot dc socket (in the rear), and a three-slot dc socket with HDMI (in the dash), a Midland MXT275 Mobile GMRS radio. And lastly, I have a two 4g cables connected to an Anderson plug for connecting power to my portable air compressor.
As an option to help charge up the batteries, I have a wire attached to the DC-to-Dc Charger to which I can connect a solar panel when I am parked for an extended period of time.
My future plans include installing a slide-in pop-up camper. For this I want power for interior lighting, a DC refrigerator / freezer, a ceiling Fan, a water pump, and again auxiliary DC sockets for powering and charging various devices and accessories. Most campers come with a battery to power items inside the camper. However, I will most likely power a fuse block inside the camper from the auxiliary power system already installed in the truck's cab.
Think about putting together your own auxiliary power system to power all the accessories you will want to enhance your off-roading adventures.