2020 Ram 3500 inverter upgrade?

[PinCo]

For such a heavy duty truck, my one complaint is the lack of a decent inverter.
400 watts can’t even power up my tiny truck vacuum.

has anyone come up with a way to upgrade the inverter and still use the same outlets/ wiring harness?

if not, workarounds?

thanks!

 

[Aseras]

use a 1500VA UPS or buy a 2000w inverter. a Vacuum is a high inrush current motor load. It probably needs 1000w and 12 amps to start, but only a few hundred to keep running.

Its the same reason I need a 20Kw generator to start my AC but only 7Kw to sustain it.

 

[PinCo]

The vacuum is 350 watts, but draws 550 at start up. I have 3 large generators. I was just hoping to easily upgrade the inverter to 750 or 1000 watts. 400 watts is shy of operating almost anything useful. I’m looking for convenience for small items like the car vac. I’ve got big vacs too, but they’re not “on the go” items. A small compressor for dually tires fir the road would be nice

 

[PinCo]

I may just get a dewalt power station. Already have tons of batteries flex and 20v up to 9AH

 

[Aseras]

I can run a 3 gallon sausage air compressor off the power in my rambox. I sometimes have to click the power button twice to get it to kick on.

A typical vacuum is a much more powerful motor with much more demanding power requirements.

 

[PinCo]

It’s a tiny hand held vacuum. About the size of a large shoe

 

[Melkryger]

I have been scouring the net to find details on replacing the factory inverter and can't find any good answers.
Of course I could install an extra inverter: connect it to the battery and ground to chasis, mount it somewhere like maybe under rear seat of cab or bed, place an online fuse on the power from the battery, add a remote/toggle to power on and off, use proper Guage wire, make sure the inverter doesn'texceed my alternator, only use while truck is running...etc... but in doing all that, I basically just took the easy route and abandoned the outlets I already have.

What I would prefer to do is REPLACE the factory inverter located under my passenger seat with a bigger inverter and make the outlets I already have, usable! The questions that come to mind=
Can the existing wiring handle a bigger inverter?
Where are the 150w breakers?- at the outlets? -inline between outlets and inverter somewhere? Built into oem inverter ?

Has anyone successfully "upgraded/replaced" the factory inverter and gotten more watage from the built in outlets?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Richard320]

@Melkryger,
Have you checked https;//hdrams.com ?

The inverter for the 1500s is behind the dash, not underseat. From manual:

Power Inverter Module (PIM)

Component Index
The PIM is located in the instrument panel behind the Radio. This is a device that converts 12 volt Direct Current (DC) to
115 volt Alternating Current (AC). The AC current can be used to supply small appliances. The PIM receives a 50a fuse
protected power feed from the interior PDC. The PIM output voltage for North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
vehicles is 115 volt is a modified sine wave. The PIM can supply up to 400 watts of continuous output power if the input 12
volt side has sufficient capacity. The 400 watt PIM has two separate outputs:
1. One output drives both of the interior outlets simultaneously
2. One output drives the exterior RAM BOX outlet independently
These two outputs operate independently of each other. The interior outlet output powers up both interior outlets when one
outlet is use.
The BCM activates an internal 12 volt inverter control line relay when the ignition state is ACC or RUN. This control line is
also active during accessory delay. The inverter senses the presence of a plugged in device by closing an internal
mechanical switch. This now causes the inverter to activate its inverter enabled signal and send this signal to the BCM.
The BCM receives this signal and then sends a bus message to the IPC for indication display.
The inverter can be disabled by the BCM if the battery is at a critical state, if the vehicle is in load shedding state, or if the
vehicle has entered shipping mode.
Inputs
Inverter enable status from cabin and cargo outlets
Outputs
AC voltage to the appropriate outlet

I really doubt the wiring will let you just switch inverters. Watts is watts. Upgrading to something useful like 1500 watts is going to draw 125A at 12v nominal. That’s beyond wires and into cables. Better to mount it underhood close to the battery and then run the smaller, higher voltage wires to the plugs.

 

[Melkryger]

Sorry I guess I didn't mention I have a 21 ram 3500 big horn dually. The thread started with a 20 3500.
Still helpful to know loc for 1500 owners checking this thread. Ty, all input is appreciated!

So, perhaps wires may need replaced with cables. 10-4. Ty

 

[fishmoss]

I have seen mods on Pinterist that put a second inverter behind the passenger seats, mounted to the back wall. Cables run to the battery, and out to separate outlets in the truck bed. I'm looking to upgrade as well. Why would Ram put such a small inverter in the truck, when the competitors have one that push over 1500watts. A bit short sited I think. For what I paid fr my limited, I would think this upgrade would be nominal.