2 part post..elec power point and tailgate accessories

[Scout]

Does anybody know of an electrical connector that allows the use of the trailer harness connector in the rear bumper to charge a secondary battery in the bed or to hook up an inverter? When I used to drag race, my friend used to use his bumper connector {the 4 flat connector}to charge a second battery in his enclosed trailer to power it for lights and outlets..But I'm not sure how and he's since moved and sold all his racing items..

And, does anyone know of a company that makes/sells items that would bolt to the inside of truck tailgate? I'm referring to the removable panel that gives access to the hand mechanisms. remove that cover and install a new panel altogether..

 

[Boort]

@Scout

Does anybody know of an electrical connector that allows the use of the trailer harness connector in the rear bumper to charge a secondary battery in the bed or to hook up an inverter? When I used to drag race, my friend used to use his bumper connector {the 4 flat connector}to charge a second battery in his enclosed trailer to power it for lights and outlets..But I'm not sure how and he's since moved and sold all his racing items..

And, does anyone know of a company that makes/sells items that would bolt to the inside of truck tailgate? I'm referring to the removable panel that gives access to the hand mechanisms. remove that cover and install a new panel altogether..

I'm not aware of any way to charge off of a flat 4 trailer connection as they only have pins for tail/break lights, L/R Turn signals, and Ground. But when I wired my Tacoma for a break controller the 7-way RV-style tow plug includes a pin to charge the batteries on the camp trailer. IIRC It is a 40 Amp connection over a 10 gauge wire. As she sits this line is run straight to the + side of the battery with a corresponding line & pin for Ground. Had I known then what I know now, I would have put a solenoid inline with a switch on the dash so I could turn it off when not in use. I don't see why you could not use this plug for similar charging of on board battery. I did this install myself with some help from the folks at etrailer.com. (fantastic customer service for a discount online shop, Great before and after the sale support. Lots of free install videos on Youtube to boot!) You could use one of these (https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Bargman/WG54006-043.html) to wire up a small "power strip" to charge your accessories. Might be easier to use just the plug and your own 10Ga wires since you are only looking to use a couple of pins (https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Optronics/A7WCB.html).
This Aux line should be acceptable for charging or running a lot of accessories. I think you would be pushing it to try a fridge or winch but just about anything else I can think of should be fair game. If you were looking for either of these I'd look for something specific to the application. Just make sure your truck is running when in use or you will drain the battery very quickly!

Not sure if you were looking to put the plug in the tailgate or for other accessories. I would shy away from putting the electrical plug in the tailgate as opening and closing the tailgate will take it's toll on the thick wires. I'd opt for in the bed right behind the break lights. Most trucks / vans/ SUVs I've seen have a gap back there to run the stock lights and you can usually fish a wire from just under the bedrail down that chase to the bottom of the vehicle. This is how I got power for my 3rd brake light in my topper.

As for non-electrical tailgate accessories I've seen a bunch of DIY stuff over the years. Coolest I recall was a full size truck where the guy had fabbed a steel molle panel to replace his cover and took the time to get a vacuum formed plastic panel for behind it to keep the dirt and water out of the release mechanism. The commercial the ones I can think of are:
https://adventure-ready.com/store/tailgate-cutting-board-toyota-landcruiser/
https://www.smittybilt.com/product/index/86.htm

Boort

 

[Scout]

Awesome and Thank you..You've answered quite a bit..I can check into the etrailer site and see what they have.. I don't plan on a fridge or winch to run back there. I have thought of charging a secondary battery and run small items off an inverter possibly..Its just something I thought of the other day and figured I'd ask about here..

With the tailgate panel part, I sorta figured if there are panels made for Jeeps then why not trucks??

 

[Hafaday]

There are two ways to go about this.. A 7-pin as stated (best choice for battery charge on said trailer). or a 5 pin connector. Both will require a rewire (vehicle and trailer). The said 5th wire will allow you to charge a battery. Granted this is a smaller gauge wire, it will be good for topping off the battery not a charging a dead one (amp draw). This is assuming you are grounding to the trailer frame, and the rest of the path is running thru the hitch, receiver and vehicle grounds...

My opinion is to go with the 7-pin that also has the 4-pin option included. https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=7+Pin+4+Pin+Connector

Next question??? IMO again, the reason an outlet has never been put into the the actual tailgate, is because most tailgates can be removed. This alone would require another connection (possible fail point). Plus, the tail gate takes a lot of abuse when laying down.

My $.02

 

[Boort]

@Scout

Awesome and Thank you... With the tailgate panel part, I sorta figured if there are panels made for Jeeps then why not trucks??

You're welcome. I think that most of the reason for not having tailgate accessories for the inner face of most Trucks is that the tailgate swings down for trucks. So anything that sticks up from the face of the tailgate will be in the way when loading and unloading the bed. So depending on design of a given truck's tailgate you could use the cavity as a pocket to store maybe a tool roll, some light recovery gear etc, Problem is it would be different for every tailgate so not likely to be a commercially viable product.

So DIY something awesome for your truck tailgate and post the details here for others to envy :D

Boort

 

[Craig M]

On the tailgate storage, I haven't seen a bolt on option for what you are looking for, but @Michael installed a semi-custom option in his rig fairly recently. More of inspiration but who knows, it may be able to fit in other tailgates too. This should start at 2:52, if not and you don't want to sit through the intro, you can skip to it:

 

[Scout]

THAT is exactly what I'm talking about..I'd have to figure out a way to make it a pocket.. Not only a frame with a door..

 

[Boort]

THAT is exactly what I'm talking about..I'd have to figure out a way to make it a pocket.. Not only a frame with a door..

Check out this post from @donuteater (part of his build thread)

So now for some of the fun stuff. Like all my vehicles the first thing I did was tint all the windows and strip off the running boards.
...
A few other small things I have done so far are a LED full kit-dome and door lights and Trail Tailor Tailgate Storage lid

I will get some better pictures of the tailgate but I am very impressed with how the product came and was an ease to install.

Looks like they still make it. http://trail-tailor.com/store/p28/80_Series_Tailgate_Storage_Lid.html and some storage toys for the 60 series
http://trail-tailor.com/store/p27/60_Series_Tailgate_Storage_Lid.html

http://trail-tailor.com/store/p46/60_Series_Storage_and_Blank_Quarter_Panels.html

Boort

 

[Road]

Looks like you may have the 1st part of your post taken care of, though I'd wire a fused 10ga wire directly from the front battery to an Andersen plug end in the truck bed, so you could plug/unplug your bed battery whenever you want.

For the 2nd part of your post, they make truck tailgate caps: http://wagongear.com/shop/100-series-tailgate-lids/
but at that cost I'd make one up myself, even out of thin hardwood ply. If you recess an edge for the cover that opens, so it's all flush when closed, and have all hardware flush as well and take reasonable care when loading stuff in and out of the truck bed, should do just fine for quite a long time.

 

[Boort]

Awesome and Thank you..You've answered quite a bit..I can check into the etrailer site and see what they have.. I don't plan on a fridge or winch to run back there. I have thought of charging a secondary battery and run small items off an inverter possibly..Its just something I thought of the other day and figured I'd ask about here.

@Scout
This came up in My youtube list the other day. Long video with lots of great info. Looks like just what you want to do:

If you want to cut to the install he has a TOC in the (SHOW MORE) of the description: Vehicle Wiring Installation | 0:21:40

Anyone know of a US source for a prewired battery box like this? Or better details on how to DIY one?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9c1hVXBggk&t=1300s

Boort