Getting 240v from a Vehicle!

kazbanz, Feb 17, 8:22pm
hey folks I'm kinda getting the racing bug back.Traditionally though getting 240v power to run tyre warmers,compressors etc has relied on either finding a poewer point- (good luck) or having a gen set hammering away.
So i wondered if maybee I could build a genset of some sort into my next transport nvehicle.I'm thinking of a diesel truck.I kinda wondered about maybee an aircon type electric clutch running off the motor to a generator. Then it'll only run when you push the button.
Any suggestions/ideas.

intrade, Feb 17, 8:59pm
you wont run much on a v belt of a truck id say1kw max befor belt melts with slippage. plus keep in mind you need to run the trucks engine when you need and myght need power making it not so cheap to run. plus as above to govern the engine to its 50hz rpm under load is not easy . I would get a lpg-generator and run it off bbq gas bottle

mechnificent, Feb 17, 10:24pm
Run an inverter off the battery.

elect70, Feb 18, 2:53am
Used to be an option on landrovers S11under floordriven off the PTO . Some army landys had them , seen 1 with it & capstan winch& the full waterproof enginerare as .

lugee, Feb 18, 3:13am
Good for small loads, might not be so good for what the OP wants the 240v for.

mechnificent, Feb 18, 3:40am
They come in different sizes. just like generators.

twaymouth, Feb 18, 4:16am
Inverters are great for smaller loads like cell phone chargers, laptops and even the occasional power tool however once you start dealing with higher power levels you run into problems. Assuming a 1500W inverter running from a 12v battery you will be drawing 125Amps from the battery which may be ok in short bursts but the cars electrical system will never handle that continuously.

mechnificent, Feb 18, 4:33am
Yeah but this is going in a truck, which should have a reasonable battery and they can fit a bigger alternator. still the neatest, quietest, simplist in my opinion.

twaymouth, Feb 18, 4:38am
If the truck is 24v then it will probably be ok to run a larger inverter for extended periods of time provided no compressors are connected to it.

ralphdog1, Feb 18, 7:24am
Kaz, whilst the invertor idea has it's merits even with 24v the availalbe energy is never great before you run into battery problems. And I can understand why you would not want a generator hammering away. However have you ever seen a Honda EU2000 geberator, running in "Eco-throttle" (I think that is the term) mode when you have a small or no load situation they run down to idle and only rev up to full noise when you load them up. They have an inverter in them that deals with keeping the output @ 50Hz. Go find one and see it in action, they are not cheap, but hold their value and are truely very low noise.

sallyjoy, Feb 18, 7:28am
what about fitting a compressor of some sort to your motor, via the a/c type clutch. Cut the generator out of the equation. Then use the invertor for the smaller loads. How do big trucks air compressors work!

ralphdog1, Feb 18, 7:29am
How big a load are tyre warmers!

pdc1, Feb 18, 7:35am
If your truck has air brakes, then you don't need a compressor.
I don't know the power requirements of the tyre warmers, but maybe you can make them 12 / 24 volts!
Maybe add some solar panels. The price of them has come down alot. It's not hard to add extra batteries to a truck to increase your capacity for an invertor, however a backup generator would probably be good.
It may not do your truck engine much good light running just to run a generator

kazbanz, Feb 18, 7:48am
To give you an idea -a set when firing at full blast will JUST work with one of the little two stroke type gensets. If stuck with that usually I'll fire up the back warmer for 15 minutes then switch to the front warmer THEN run both. That I can Just get away with but no extra load