Has anyone installed a power inverter in their rodeo? If so where did you mount it? there isnt much room under the front seats with the vents for the rear, no way to mount it under the rear seats. There is a perfect spot under the hood on the driver side, but apparently thats a bad idea. Would think by now they would start making sealed ones that can be mounted there. Dont know how hard it would be to waterproof one, then have to worry about engine heat killing it.

Since my whole family now lives in apartments it is really hard to find places to plug stuff in. Running an extension cord out my bedroom window is ok as long as my neighbors arent parked there. There also isnt any shade there for using my buffer to wax with. I wont be running big loads, the buffer is less then an amp. Could also run my little dirt devil vacuum, occasional various power tools (drill, mini grinder, etc.). I'm thinking of maybe a 700w inverter though max I would use is probably 500w.

Have you checked behind the panels in the cargo area. Seems like there is space there that you might be able to use to mount one. Just a suggestion as to a location to use. Not sure how technical or creative you are with working with wood an metal and plastic to fab something.

Good luck

Hard. don't worry about engine heat, but the inverter itself generates heat. Its got to be able to breath, which makes waterproofing tough at best. I'd forget about mounting this outside in the elements.

As far as interior mounting, just get creative. grab the inverter you are going to use and start roaming around your truck with it to see where it will fit. physical space is really your only limitation, so it shouldn't be hard to come up with several options.

-Rob

I am getting ready to mount a large invertor~3500watt nominal and 6000+ surge.
700watt isn't much,divide it by 120v and you'll see about how many amps you can pull~ 5 amps.You might want to look bigger.

Behind the driverside plastic there isn't much room for ventilation.The passengerside is alittle better since there isn't a filler neck,but still not enough room.

But still trying to hide it might be a bad thing since you need access to the plug-in,unless you run a couple different 120 outlets around the vehicle.

I will be removing bottom half of plastic and making a few shelves etc. for various things.

Larger than 700 you'll have to run large wire to the battery.At that point having an extra battery in the back might be an option.......it can get really crazy depending on how insane you start to think.

Under the passenger seat is probable enough room for a 1500watt unit with enough air flow to keep it cool.
It's about the size of a stereo amp.
You would mount it behind the front hump and have the plug-in facing the door.Pluging it in though will be rough with the seat slide in the way.
A 3 foot homemade extension cord would work perfect and allow you to tuck it under the seat from the rearof the seat.

Goodluck and post pics.

Bansil

Here is the closest thing you can get to waterproof. J.C. Whitney has them.



1500-WATT MAXX« SST MARINE POWER INVERTER
Lets you operate your 120-volt equipment/appliances anywhere 12-volt power is available
Converts 12-volt DC power to 120-volt AC power
Corrosion/vibration-resistant constructionùperfect for "wet" environments (dockside, your boat, etc.)
Provides power even under the worst conditions! Handy in your car, pickup, SUV, van or RV. High surge capacity to start heavy-power-load appliances. Filtered modified sine wave output provides consistent AC power for sensitive equipment. Short-circuit and over/under-voltage protection. Thermal shutdown with auto reset. Compact design and lightweight for easy portability. Internal and external circuit protection (circuit board is coated to resist corrosion). Durable, weather-resistant aluminum housing with heat-dissipating fins. Overload protection. Electronic circuit protection. Low-battery shutdown. High-speed cooling fan with high-volume, vented housing. Ammeter. Battery voltmeter. Shock-resistant, UL-listed, GFCI-protected outlets. Wires to battery. Power: 1500 Watts Continuous/3000 Watts Peak. 120-volt Outlets: Two. 8"W x 3-1/2"H x 13"L. Weighs: 14 lbs.

Thanks for all the replies. I havent been online for a couple days, sorry about the late reply.

I had thought of mounting behind the panels in back. If I did that I would just take the front panel apart and extend everything to mount on the outside of the plastic for easy access. I cant do much with fabrication. I personally have the ability but I live in apartment which makes it difficult to own the proper tools for the job, though its amazing what you can do with a dremil tool <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

After I posted this I had the idea of looking for marine grade inverters and saw the Maxx ones (made by Vector). Figured anything made for boats would have to be able to handle some water. Still comes down to heat though. Even though they produce heat its much like your computer, needs cool air to cool it. Hot air wont allow it to cool properly and will burn up. Everyone I have been able to look at specs says 60 deg C. case temp max, and starts cutting power output after 40 deg C.

What I'm thinking now is just buying it and using the jumper cable type clamps it comes with and just hook it to the battery when I want to use it, since I dont think I would be using it much anyhow. If I end up using it more then I will look harder at where to mount it. For now it would just be kept in my storage box I keep in back. I picked 700w because the highest amperage thing I plan to use with it is my little vacuum which is 4 amps (480 watts) and harbor freight has one on sale for $50 <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />