I was thinking that one of those DC to AC power converters would be a handy thing to have on my truck. Occasionally I need some power and don't have 300 feet of extension cord. Any body have a brand they like enough to reccomend? Probably need it for a hand drill or circular saw max. TIA

if you are going to use those tools, i would go with something of 1000 watts or greater. Myself, the bigger the better. i was at one truck stop, TA i believe, and they had a 6000 watt one for sale as well.

read on them for what they will power. You wouldn't want to burn up brushes or anything with under powering the tools.

otherwise, get a small genearator. 1000 watt hondas are pretty good and good on gas. they are small and hold maybe 2 gal of gas. will probably run 8 hours on that gas depending on the load.

Try this site. Expensive, but lots of power.

http://www.realacpower.com/

Checked out the Realacpower and they are high end looking. They come in 8000 or 12000 watt units run off your PTO. There were no prices listed and they are looking for dealer/installers. I have requested pricing but they look pretty bad---.

We have a simple one from Radio Shack. It plugs into the cig plug and will power the laptop. We plan on getting a bigger one hardmounted soon, but for now it works. I think it's a 300watt one.

You really have to decide what your uses are going to be. For small handtools I wouldn't buy a real good one. If you are going to run PC's or TV's you need to get a good one. The good ones cost a few bucks. They usually aren't bought at Radio Shack.

The small Honda 1000 watt "Inverter" models generators are cool. They hardly make any noise and are very tiny. This would be a good option for the bed of a truck. I have seen Toolbox/generator combos somewhere.

It might be hard to believe, but Wally world sells some pretty durable Inverters as well as Farm and Fleet. A 6-700 watt is around $60 I think, and a 1000 watt is just under $100 now. They're slowly dropping. The 1000 watt will run most of what you want to throw at it. A 600 one runs a concrete mixer, but it needs a little hand turning to get it started, then it's fine. Look for the inverters that have the option to hardwire into the system, or have clamps for directly to the battery. Running it through the cig outlet won't cut it for what it sounds like you want to do.
Additionally, be careful for the no-name brands, they are really crap. VECTOR is the brand from Farm & Fleet, Wally world, and a few other places. Most of their line of things are really good, especially their spotlights, super bright.

In this case I have a 400 watt. I got on special for $20 Vector brand, Farm and Fleet. It won't run hand tools, but will charge up my cordless drills. This is one of those things where it's better to buy an overkill up front rather than buying something a little weaker and realizing it won't do what you need.

They're getting cheaper but the stronger ones are still a bit pricey.

Checked out the Realacpower and they are high end looking. They come in 8000 or 12000 watt units run off your PTO. There were no prices listed and they are looking for dealer/installers. I have requested pricing but they look pretty bad---.
Got a quote of $5400+ for one of them, can't remember which one. Out of my price range.

A good quality brand of inverter is Xantrex. The produce a range of units some with pure sine wave outputs as well.

http://www.xantrex.com/

Some companies make actual AC generators (as opposed to inverters and a dedicated alternator). Raventech is one. They are geared toward the fire and rescue industry and will not be less than $5K.

My company offers hydraulic AC generators at a similar price. I am unsure if our largest belt-drive system is 6K or 8K.

By the sounds of it, you want a decent sized (1,500) watt inverter mounted to your fender well. Some automotive welders have built in AC power, too.

I talked to two folks from Realpower very informative and helpful. I am also looking for my employer. As we install/maintian hundreds for inverters and protable generators. This unit could be very cost effective.
But here's the part that really pisses me off!
my 05 does not have the PTO gear in the tranny. According to Realpower the F----ing bean counters at GM decided they could save $11.00 by not installing the gear. Then Realpower tells me forget about taking apart my tranny and installing the gear because the All Mighty GM has not only removed the gear but rerouted the fuel lines across the PTO cover on the tranny. So guess what from 3/2004 on no one has PTO capabilities.
That really sucks! I wonder if they passed that $11 onto to me. The sure didn't bother to tell me that the PTO cover is fake and even though it looks like it has PTO ........False advertising????:mad: Just (another) one of those things sends doubts and stretches my loyalty to GM.

I have a 1000w(2000w peak) in my boat it runs the blender great:beerchug: Be sure to run a big enough power & ground wire though. I dident at first and it was weak.

I got a Xantrex 1500 Watt from Costco for $85.00....Works great. I have a mobile RV repair business and I use it all the time.

Auragen

http://www.aurasystems.com/

Very happy with my ProSine 3.0 which we use in our RV ... runs everything including A/C or Microwave (but generally not both). This one is pure sine wave and is probably considerably bigger than what you might typically use but a smaller version would probably be to your liking.

Great unit!

Try this site, http://www.techbuys.net/techbuys2003/tia-3000.html
I have a 3000 watt (6000 watt surge) inverter to run my tools "$309.00. Modified Sine-Wave is less expensive but it will not run tools with digital control circuitry e.g.(variable speed control) or battery chargers that do not have a step-down transformer, and fluorescent lights, but shuld run everythig else, even computers.
Pure Sine-Wave inverters duplicate the sine-wave that you would have in your home outlet, but cost two to three times as much, and will run anything as long as it has the capacity.
Just remember for every thousand watts of inverter output you will need approx. 100 amps of 12 volt DC from your battery. I have four golf cart 6 volt batteries hooked-up with AWG 3/0 wire (about the thickness of your index finger) to handle the current. They are also isolated from the starting batteries when the engine is not running, or it will drain them in just a few minutes.:)

Electrical Contractor

2003 2500HD, CC, LB, DMAX/Allison