General Technical & Electrical General technical and electrical discussion for the Ford Ranger that does not fit in any other sub-forum.

How to put a 12 Volt connection in the bed...

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Old 07-23-2009
2001fordranger's Avatar
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How to put a 12 Volt connection in the bed...

this thread in the How Tos thread should be reintroduced. I want to do this mod but the pics are all gone. do somebody have the pics.
 
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Old 07-23-2009
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pics arnt really needed.

Basically go to walmart and buy a outdoor/marine 12v outlet. The one with the little door. Also get yourself a inline fuse holder.

The long red wire goes to the battery with the inline fuse holder as close to the battery as possible (battery or underhood fuse box terminals, either will work). The short black one goes to ground. Modify the plug to fit in the hole on the side of the stake hole pocket.

This is the first mod I did to my truck. It is also the only mod I have never used.
 
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Old 07-23-2009
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haha that last part made me laugh.
 
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Old 07-23-2009
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Honestly - once you have the right gear and the right situation, you woudl use it all the time!

12v =
* Air compressors for blowing up mattresses, rubber rafts, tires, etc..
* Magnetic lights, working lamps..
* AC/DC Transformer for plugging in a laptop or something while sitting in the bed of your truck.



Lots of little uses that once you find, youll always use!

I'm going to be ordering up a good chunk of stuff from Del-City this summer perhaps, getting a large fuse block for the engine bay, and planning on wiring up 2 12v outlets with on/off rubber weather switches for them. Right at the stake pocket holes =)


EDIT:

Just ordered up 2 of these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._ya_oh_product


and a few inline fuses for them.. pretty cheap :-)
 

Last edited by WowMike2001; 07-23-2009 at 05:33 AM.
  #5  
Old 07-23-2009
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I just got one out of a sports trac. wire to the battery with inline fuse and a ground wire and you are good to go.

 
  #6  
Old 07-23-2009
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you people and your stake pockets...i'd have to hide mine up under the rail.

Steppie FTL unfortunately...
 
  #7  
Old 07-23-2009
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[QUOTE=WowMike2001;1411085]Honestly - once you have the right gear and the right situation, you woudl use it all the time!



yea well sicne retiring from the work force i do alot of kayaking/raft and outdoors period. i also have a ranger besides my sons ranger and would like to have this. the directions are still a little fuzzy to me though.
 
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Old 07-24-2009
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From: Stevenson, WA
[QUOTE=2001fordranger;1411770]
Originally Posted by WowMike2001
Honestly - once you have the right gear and the right situation, you woudl use it all the time!



yea well sicne retiring from the work force i do alot of kayaking/raft and outdoors period. i also have a ranger besides my sons ranger and would like to have this. the directions are still a little fuzzy to me though.
Its as easy as taking some 12 gauge wire, connect one end to the positive on your battery, the other end to a good ground.. to the frame or battery or somewhere.. then run the wires to the 12v outlet - as simple as that! :-) Oh, you need a fuse too, little 12 inch length of wire with a fuse holder you can buy at nappa or wherever
 
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Old 08-08-2009
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well if i am running it to the back of the bed. than I assume I will run the wire under the truck so that I could place the 12v inside the bed. damn thats alot of wire.
 
  #10  
Old 08-08-2009
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Dude seriously!!! Can you please spell correctly and use correct punctuation?! Reading your posts is hurting my head....
 
  #11  
Old 08-09-2009
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Originally Posted by nate_g_2003
you people and your stake pockets...i'd have to hide mine up under the rail.

Steppie FTL unfortunately...
Actually...Steppie FTW! You've got those AWESOME bolt-on bedsides....simply unbolt a side, see if you've got the clearence between the steel bed side and the glass side, and BAM! DO IT!!
 
  #12  
Old 08-11-2009
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Originally Posted by 2001fordranger
well if i am running it to the back of the bed. than I assume I will run the wire under the truck so that I could place the 12v inside the bed. damn thats alot of wire.
Not much wire really and the 16-ga is OK for the 3 amp draw of the receptacle.
Here are two more ideas to add...

1) Make sure to add a fuse close to the battery on the power wire.
2) Add a relay in-line and you can control the power to the receptacle.

Now if you could find a 20 amp receptacle, then we are talking a heavier wire for the power.
 
  #13  
Old 08-15-2009
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Originally Posted by malydeen
pics arnt really needed.

This is the first mod I did to my truck. It is also the only mod I have never used.
X2

Seemed awesome to have, but never used it. The few times I use an air pump, I plug it into the dash 12V plug.

LOL
 
  #14  
Old 08-16-2009
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From: California
I like my 12V outlet in the bed. I use it to pump up my tires, inflate my camping mattress and use it with an inverter to rock some tunes on a portable radio/cd player. I put a water resistant outlet in the bed stake hole. Nice versatile mod.
 
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