Inverter for truck

ultrarunner · Jan 28, 2016

Soundguy said:
agreed, all would depend on condition of the chuck, the motor and the bearings, and would depend on if i had other drills too

I was given a brand new, in the box craftsman cordless a while back. never opened, but years old. must have been when they first came out.. someone bought one and shelved it box still factory sealed. I got it after a yardsale, helping someone clean up, free.

The nicad pack was deader than a doornail. a new pack was as much money as a cheap 18v drill and battery.

I almost opted to rebattery it, but instead had another idea. At the same time in the shop was a 25' extension cord with bad ends. I cut them ends off and stuck spades on one side and gator clips on the other as a test.

I made the internal connections to the drill handle and strain relieved the cord, then hooked up to my truck battery.

Drill worked GREAT. I tested with the same type of spade bits I use on the farm to drill fence posts for hinges. Those tend to depleat my battery powered drills faster than I'd like.

So now I have a 'truck drill' that pretty much never has a dead battery.

Great idea... never would have occurred to me.

I used my 7.2 Makita for all the sheet in a small cottage... I thought this thing is great... still have it 35 years later... it was packaged as a father's day promo with drill, charger and flashlight and two batteries... guessing $120 =/- from Ace Hardware... that store the size of a city block is long gone... they had everything in that place!

rodnok · Oct 26, 2016

Here is another solution to your needs. Convert a a/c compressor over to an air compressor and install it on your truck motor and put a tank in the bed of the truck. Service trucks have used this method for years and it works very well.

Robert_in_NY · Nov 16, 2016

rodnok said:
Here is another solution to your needs. Convert a a/c compressor over to an air compressor and install it on your truck motor and put a tank in the bed of the truck. Service trucks have used this method for years and it works very well.

I ended up buying an inverter generator and just keep it along with my air compressor in the truck

davedj1 · Dec 23, 2019

Regular Sanden air compressor pump found on most vehicles make great on board air compressors. Google "on board air" for Jeeps, they are capable of building 3-400 psi so fast it isn't funny. I plumb in a 2-5 gal tank depending on what I have "acquired" for that particular Jeep. I have hooked two Jeep's air systems together in tandem also. On my last Jeep I had a small tank off of a Makita air compressor plumbed in as that is what I had. You can also make a tank out of 3-4" PVC pipe and end caps. These systems are very handy to air our tires back up to street pressure after a day on the trails or to run an air gun to change tires or fix broken axles. I once used mine to replace the ball joints on the trail with an air hammer and impact gun. Look for scrap/broken portable compressors at tag sales and at your local dump for all the parts needed. You want a pressure switch, check valve and a pop of valve. You can plumb in an oiler to keep the compressor lubed and then plumb in a filter to remove the oil from the air line so it doesn't get into your tires. There is a mod where you can pack one side of the compressor with grease and not worry about the oil although I have never done it. Good luck.