Easy DIY 12 Volt Truck Bed Power - Under $150 - Add Power For Lights, Fridge and Accessories

[@allenh7835]

FINALLY !, the RIGHT way to do it, "Just put a bigger fuse in it" is beyond stupid advice and a good way to start a fire. Thank you for taking the time to video this.

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks for watching!

[@Sport-ns5lk]

I’m a non mechanic guy so I’m planning on doing this to my 2020 gmc Sierra ~ this is going to be my reference, thank u!

[@pnwxplore]

Welcome!

[@antonioranieri297]

You deserve way more subscribers - you do things in a clean but accessible manner. People, if you’re reading this, show him some support.

[@pnwxplore]

Haha thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoy, cheers!

[@antonioranieri297]

Most definitely, if you’re in the Portland area let me know!

[@BottomLineBassin2]

Best install breakdown on YT. Thank you PNWE!

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you!

[@Jasonoid]

Excellent video, the only thing I did different in my 4Runner was I just grounded the negative in the back so I didn't have to run two large 8 awg cables the entire vehicle. Saved some money in the long run.

[@coccoborg]

I second that, it's also the recommended way to do it.

[@BrianDoherty-e8s]

Nice and simple installation. Just what I was looking for. On my 2019 base Colorado the factory installed a coil of wires that was zip-tied to the rear frame for future trailer electrical plug. Nice of GM! Anyway, one of those wires is an always-hot for, I think, trailer electrical brakes. So that wire can serve as my hot feed for copying your installation. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@pnwxplore]

That’s pretty slick of GM! Thanks for watching!

[@dwnickerson]

Great video, this is exactly what I was looking for to install in my Tacoma camper build. Grassyass!

[@OverlandPNW]

Very nice done. It looks so clean. One of the best DIY 12 volt projects I've seen. I actually bookmarked this video for a 12 volt project I want to do.

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you! I think it turned out really well! Hopefully it’s helpful for you and your project!

[@miken7629]

Nice work. The only thing, is that since vehicles are negative ground, you didn't need to route the negative wire all the way to the battery. You could have connected a short negative lead anywhere on the frame, close to the DC plugs. Only the positive wire needed to go into the engine compartment.

[@n2cycles]

On most vehicles this is true but this generation of Toyota didn't always have the body grounded which I found out wiring for a trailer.

[@Mikecglass]

Looks like I got a future project for my taco thank your for the awesome detail and information you provided in this video

[@pnwxplore]

Awesome! Glad this was helpful for you!

[@donbryson7536]

About to put the amazon order in shortly for the fuse panel, breaker, probably more wire to do this. How is the breaker doing. Mixed, in away, reviews on it. Not enough to steal me away though. Nice, straight to the put stuff you do with your videos, clear easy to understand. Thank You! Was just lookin at the solar vid, nice. You do clean work man. ✌️

[@pnwxplore]

Breaker is great. It’s all been flawless so far for running the fridge, lights and charging a phone and camera. Super happy with it. Thanks man, I appreciate it! Hopefully you find my video’s helpful!

[@Mikp-zw3cs]

Nice install, you took the time to make it look professional and did a great job explaining the details on how to..

[@pnwxplore]

Hey man, I appreciate it!

[@donbryson7536]

Nice. Back again, great videos, simple, to the point. Thanks for doing this

[@Kadenventures]

Thanks for watching!

[@R1scorpio]

I've ordered every piece of you showed, minus the 10g wire. I'm planning on stealing your set up lol, thank you for the great vid! Think only thing I'll change is the placement of panel so I can use connectors. I think if I put panel on diagonal portion of aluminum and put longer pieces away from bed liner I might ne able to avoid clearance issues... hopefully. Thank you again.

[@pnwxplore]

Hahah, glad I could help! Good luck!

[@built4xploration253]

Nice Job! I did the same a while back. I frenched in a aux battery as well. Tons of room in the dead space between the inner and outer panels of the bed. I used the spade connectors and silicone caulk to water proof them. My switch recently started to fail so will replace. This would a pia if soldered so I hope yours holds up.

[@pnwxplore]

Yeah the solder portion isn’t great, but literally no room for standard connectors. Hopefully it lasts a while

[@Paul-pw4ms]

Could you bend the tabs that were soldered? Another option would be right angle connectors.​@pnwxplore

[@paulanderson388]

Very clean job and well thought out.

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you! I appreciate it.

[@PaulSchortemeyer]

Awesome attention to detail 😀. In case you weren't aware, this kind of set-up works best with an accessory battery - a deep cycle / marine battery - that handles charge/discharge much better than a regular car battery. You can hook it up to the same alternator with a battery isolater so your car battery doesn't get run down. There's tons of stuff on the web about it...just hate to see you get stuck anywhere 👍. A 12V fridge will probably kill your regular battery in a couple hours (with the engine off) 😕. OR, get yourself a Jackery, and run everything off that - easiest way IMHO.

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks for the info. I did my research prior and actually have an X2 Power deep cycle/starter AGM battery that I upgraded to prior to doing this. A fridge doesn’t draw that much power and you can run one on a single battery like this (lots do). I have calculated out the hours of run time with the fridge and will be able to safely get over 24 hours of run time with the truck off (plenty of time as we usually are on the road the next day). The fridge has a low voltage shutoff as well. I keep a jump box in my truck too. Dual battery will come in the future as I am looking to add a diesel heater.

[@PaulSchortemeyer]

@@pnwxplore Right on 👍 Sounds like you are in good shape. I like the idea of a low power shut-off on the fridge!

[@pnwxplore]

@@PaulSchortemeyer should be! One night so far with fridge and lights. But it was cold so I’m not even sure if the fridge turned on. Need some warmer weather! Yeah the low voltage cutoff is key! Adjustable too.

[@eloymontoya9200]

Nice set up, only thing I would've done differently is put the fuse box under the hood but yea definitely taking ideas from this for my 2nd gen 4runner

[@pnwxplore]

Fuse box in the bed was intentional. Otherwise anything else you want to wire into the bed has to be ran all the way from under the hood to the back of the truck, which costs more and is more of a hassle and you’d need to use higher gauge wiring due to the length of the run. It allowed me to have a fuse box location back there for the eventual house battery, lighting and powering a diesel heater.

[@LillyCocoBean]

Super cool install! 🤙 I’ve imagined making something similar and I’m super glad that you posted this video as a good baseline guide. Nice work! 🙏🏼

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks man, I am happy you found it helpful!

[@S595Husky]

This, right here, is pretty rad. Clean, neat and looks super custom.

[@dscott7815]

Very good instructions, question, I'm thinking of doing this in my F 150 and putting a switch in the cab of the truck, don't need the power in the back all the time

[@pnwxplore]

Not a bad idea in the switch in the truck!

[@duanewing3008]

It is not necessary to run a negative wire from the battery to the remote outlet. You can use the vehicle frame as a common ground and double the positive wire size to the remote outlet. I've done it and it is safe!

[@pnwxplore]

Nice, good to know

[@maz1ng3rz]

What do u mean by "double the positve wire size to the remote outtlet".

[@duanewing3008]

@@maz1ng3rz wire gauge

[@Kadenventures]

I’ve been thinking about doing this for my truck as well to get some power back in the bed, good info! Thanks 👌🏽

[@travelingwithbrutus2681]

Nice clean install.

[@katherinestiletto]

This is fantastic! I live in KY and am a disabled veteran and hope to find someone to help me do this for my tundra!

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks for watching!

[@kwuneko]

Been thinking about doing this for my Taco as well for camping in the back. Nice and clean, good job.

[@pnwxplore]

You should! So much added utility. Thanks!

[@fromlove111]

Really nice setup! Keeping things simple, clean, and efficient. Thanks for sharing!

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you, thanks for watching!

[@kabzak]

Nicely done! Look forward to future videos. Thank you for sharing.

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks!

[@frankoris3861]

Nice video. Can I tap to the red 8 gauge wire with a 14 gauge and use it as a bed light power source? or should I just run another wire from the battery? Thank you

[@pnwxplore]

Yeah you could tap that wire for that

[@robertkareroa7106]

That's tidy clean...

[@farmermike9262]

Awesome vid. Nicely done and easily replicated.

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you!

[@superjvt71]

Really on point and good a/v too.

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks man!

[@jimouellette1308]

Thanks very much for this!

[@blakeberlin6295]

Very nice installation and detailed instructions. Your selected location won't work for me because my haphazard approach to throwing things in the bed will likely damage the fuse block. Regardless, I'm using your approach but mounting the fuse block and breaker in under the hood. I will then cut a hole (gasp) in the bed to flush mount the outlets.

[@starsandstripes3]

Clean as hell. I quite like 👍

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you!

[@darrellcoy]

Tip, tie the additional cable so it cant wobble around causing chaffing, especially around sharper areas like sheet metal edges or bolt heads or threads. There is a reason your stock harness is secured so well in most areas, even flat runs against smooth metal. Great guide though.

[@pnwxplore]

Great tip!

[@Porroquio]

Nice setup!!!!!!! Definitely going to do this in my truck! Question: are you sure the switch of the panel is rated for the amperage that all the sockets will pull from it when running at the same time? I think a safer way could be to have wired the switch to a relay that cuts power from the sockets when you switch it off

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks! I am not sure. But I believe the panel itself is 10amp capacity. The switch on the panel cuts power to it.

[@davidramirez6570]

Awesome job man! I was wondering how you split the negative up front to ground? I couldn’t see it that well. I wanna do the exact same thing but don’t understand wiring that well. Thanks!

[@pnwxplore]

I just ran the negative straight to the battery. No split needed there. Thanks man!

[@n2cycles]

Good information and well thought out.

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks!

[@themekanic069]

Looks great

[@Dutch1951x]

Sweet setup!

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you!

[@TheGreatPursuit]

Killer job man! Gave me a pretty good idea of how to do mine.

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks man! Lots of ways to slice it for sure!

[@vbecker1]

good video. Is there any way to run electric heat specifically 1500w,120v in a work van? keep in mind it would only be on when the van is running.Thank you

[@pnwxplore]

You could if you sized it up appropriately to handle the inverter size.

[@vbecker1]

@@pnwxplore Thank you for your response

[@genoory5090]

I love it man! I'm gonna do this for my overland 2011 ford ranger fx4 off road. But my question to you is? Is it waterproof and can you use it with the vehicle off or better running?

[@pnwxplore]

I haven’t tested if it’s really waterproof or anything. But you can def use it with the truck on or off.

[@genoory5090]

@@pnwxplore oh okay. Awesome

[@ParzivalHB]

Great DIY video w links!

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you!

[@asd67lkj]

Looking at doing something very similar with my 2010 Toyota Hilux (Australia). Good video on how the wire was run from the battery to the tub.... How much clearance did you have from the ground to the chassis rail?

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you! The clearance is about 17.5 inches

[@danhohman]

Most excellent my friend! I feel like you nailed it. Great attention to detail. I’m so glad I found this since I’m at this stage in my build. Lots of good information here. Thank you!

[@pnwxplore]

Thank you! Hopefully it is helpful to you during your build!

[@Yettee0201]

They make right angle spades those would have been nice on there

[@pnwxplore]

Good to know! Def would have been better

[@enriquecasablanca5983]

Thank you

[@landondavid5773]

Love how glossy the bed liner is. Do anything special to it or is that how the finish looks right after spray?

[@pnwxplore]

That’s how it is out of the can. I def like it!

[@jameswoodard5735]

Nice job

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks!

[@mo-reesespieces9066]

I was wondering did your Toyota not have enough room to mount the panel directly to the inside wall? I was wanting to do the same thing in the back of my Dodge Ram 2500. It looks though that there is enough room in my Dodge to just mount it directly to the inside wall of the bed. Clean looking install. Thanks for taking the time to share your idea. Peace

[@pnwxplore]

Nope there wasn’t enough room as there is wiring on the back side of the 12v plug and switch. Thanks for watching!

[@MrGaborseres]

Cool 😎 👌 👍.... Very helpful 👏👏 Thanks

[@OverlandEngineer]

Awesome video! Why do you need oxygen free copper? Also is the 40 Amp cutoff switch a little small for potential amperage from the battery ( I saw below you talked about future proofing with the 8 gauge)? Maybe it's not because 40 Amp would be the continuous draw and not the surge amperage? I'm just curious because I'm trying to pick a similar switch for a DIY project I'm working on!

[@pnwxplore]

OFC is going to be more efficient, which means less electricity lost to heat and resistance. This is more important for the wires that will feed a distribution point. Minimal voltage drop. It becomes more important with long runs like this which is like 15ft. 40 amps will never be the continuous draw, just enough room for any spikes from more than one item kicking on. That amperage is also likely the max you could run on 8awg at this length. You can use Blue Sea Systems circuit calculator to sort this out too. They recommended 10awg for the length of run I had if I just wanted to draw 15 amps continuously, so I would probably be fine with that. But also who knows what I might power back there in the future.

[@OverlandEngineer]

@@pnwxplore Awesome, that makes sense. I sense an Electrical Engineering background? You're speaking my language when I hear voltage drops, current loss, and line impedance.

[@pnwxplore]

Haha definitely no electrical background, but I have slept at a Holiday Inn Express before. I just did some digging on the web and this was the direction I was pointed and I didn’t even know about OFC until this project. But when battery capacity is limited, you don’t really want to lose any to impedance and heat.

[@danhohman]

Most excellent my friend! I feel like you nailed it. Great attention to detail. I’m so glad I found this since I’m at this stage in my build. Lots of good information here. Thank you!

[@biologistjim4905]

Outstanding video, exactly what I was planning to do, plus the LED lights‼️ thanks

[@pnwxplore]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching

[@daedalus9042]

Nice job, isn’t 8 gauge super overkill for that though? I imagine even 14 would be more than enough.

[@pnwxplore]

It’s also about length and voltage drop and 8 gauge allows future proofing for diesel heater and anything else I add. Figure if I was gonna take the time to wire it up, might as well future proof it.

[@built4xploration253]

Very interested in the LED’s!

[@pnwxplore]

Will have that video in two weeks probably!

[@phattysnow]

Question, could you run a 500w inverter off that instead of the fridge while the truck was running? Looking to charge a couple ebikes while driving

[@pnwxplore]

Yeah you sure could. You’d have to look at how many amps that would pull and make sure you have properly sized wires.

[@phattysnow]

@@pnwxplore so I think ebikes chargers pull roughly 200w so if I did 2 that puts me at 400w which on 12v is roughly 34 amps. That should be fine with 8 gauge wire and 40mm circuit breaker I think?

[@biologistjim4905]

Hello Again, I am using this video to install your exact set up into mu F-250 (thanks for doing this video). the only thing I am unsure about it the wiring sequence on the back of the 12v socket and USB port piece. Could you kindly tell me the proper sequence? I really appreciate it......Jim

[@pnwxplore]

Hello Jim, I do not recall the proper wiring sequence. It should however be in the listing images (if you bought from Amazon) or the instructions

[@biologistjim4905]

@@pnwxplore thanks for responding, I’m like 🙄, if in doubt read the directions😝😝😝😝😝. Thanks for the video, that set up is just what I need.

[@pnw_element9822]

Damn awesome I need to do this to my element

[@pnwxplore]

Do it! 12v power is so nice!

[@tempusfugit3635]

I just installed something similar with close to the same kit, however mine sockets came with pre-cut cable that’s much higher gauge, so I’m worried they’ll overheat under higher loads from eg a fridge or other 12v stuff. What gauge is your wire on the sockets?

[@joelguidry8313]

Any problems with the 40 amp breaker ? Awesome video by the way

[@pnwxplore]

So far so good. Fridge on max compressor speed with things charging and lights on hasn’t caused any problems

[@matthewstanley893]

Where do you find that thin aluminum? Thanks!

[@pnwxplore]

Home Depot or Lowe’s is where I got mine

[@ericl5973]

Disappointed in the hot glue to protect the terminals. You can just bend terminal on the socket so they lay flat. I would mount the fuse box with an undermount on a second layer (inset but facing out for servicing) so the wires can stay under the main mount and be more protected. Mounting panel looks nice overall.

[@SugarFiveZero]

What gauge wire did you run from the fuse block to the dc 12v panel?

[@pnwxplore]

Either 8 or 10, size up or down depending on length and amps you plan to pull

[@SugarFiveZero]

@@pnwxplore Thanks for the reply. I was referring to the wires you soldered at 10:00 that go from the 12v socket/USB port switch to the fuse block, but on second look it looks like those are probably 14 or 16 gauge.

[@aaliyahbrown1643]

Awesome

[@jasonsodyssey]

Nice video

[@pnwxplore]

Thanks!

[@702Heli]

Very Nice

[@frankoris3861]

Do you need a relay for this? If not why? Thank you

[@pnwxplore]

You need a breaker. No need for a relay as anything you would wire up to it would have it’s own on/off controls.

[@1BigIlliniFan]

where did you ground the neg from the usb\lighter\switch gang?

[@pnwxplore]

I ran a negative all the way from the battery with the power. But you can ground to the frame too. I did full power and neg from battery for future solar add

[@t.d9253]

How much amperage is the little switch rated for?

[@pnwxplore]

20 amps according to the listing

[@biologistjim4905]

8 gauge is not available, would 10 gauge work satisfactorily? The most I plan on using it for is a 12 volt ice chest.

[@pnwxplore]

Yeah that should be fine

[@burntman0331]

you look like Luke Skywalker from "A New Hope"

[@pnwxplore]

I’ll take that as a compliment 😂

[@dru24334]

why not just go to chassis ground instead of running full length back to battery?

[@tunafish3216]

I don’t understand why you need fuses when you have a good breaker.

[@pnwxplore]

Breaker is there to control the overall power being transmitted to the back of the truck. Fuses are there for protecting and isolating individual circuits. I don’t want a problem with my fridge or diesel heater interrupting all the power to the back of the truck, which would happen if you only used one fuse/breaker

[@WD-ti5cn]

Good vid but should have used a battery isolator!

[@pnwxplore]

Can always be added later if needed. I always disconnect the breaker when nothing is in use, plus the fridge has its own low voltage cutoff which I keep at the highest setting.

[@anthonymarino4260]

use flag connector

[@fastfoodvwFL]

^^^ this guy knows what going on. Those soldered connections will eventually break off from vibration. Just how it is in a vehicle. Great looking install otherwise.

[@seymourwrasse3321]

you needed some 90 degree connectors

[@pnwxplore]

Yup. Didn’t have any at the time though and needed it finished for an upcoming trip

[@Watson1]

I know it’s 3 years old, but those two wires (white and red) on the bracket in the back, top left corner. Need to be insulated. Over time they will rub and short out. I hope you don’t do this type of work professionally.

[@pnwxplore]

Man you had a good thing going for you in the first part until you decided to be a condescending ass with your last sentence. Hopefully you speak nicer to other strangers you don’t know. Unless you just like to make yourself feel better than others? Oh and over 3 years, no issues. In the off chance it did short that’s why there is a fuse and that specific wiring only powered the LEDs. Thanks for the concern.