Through Truck Bed Electrical Route Possibilities? grommets, etc;

[Truefire]

Hey guys,

I have a slide-in custom camper build that I am presently engulfed in constructing. I am attempting to figure out some means/methods whereby I can route some heavy gauge (2AWG) conductors through both the side wall of my camper and perhaps my truck bed. There will be a disconnection point towards the front of the bed provided by utilizing the unisex connectors, (Forklift connectors) made by Anderson for the disconnection means.

My area of concern and what I am presently searching for are the following:

I have been toying with the idea of whether or not I should use a hole-saw and cut a hole through my truck's bed and grommet the hole to route cables through. Remember, these cables will have those high amperage cables fitted with the larger style Anderson connectors. So the hole must be at least large enough to allow passage. I really do not want to cut a hole in my truck bed so I may just end up running cables between cab and bed, draping the cables over the bed.

But I was wondering in the event I should need to run cables through the bed if there are specially designed grommets for this type of application? I am familiar with the typical plastic type and such, not the type I am looking for. I would desire a very rigid, very resilient type that encases the area from both sides. Basically sandwiching that area, if you will.

Also, are there any wire management options for storage of unused cables under truck bed such as metal boxes, trays, troughs, etc; when the camper is not in the truck bed? I could certainly craft something along these lines, just was not sure if there was already something on the market that would fit the bill? Plus, time is a precious, precious commodity around here so to locate something that might already be floating around, would be ideal.

My other item I need to get my hand on, is a grommet with a built in rubber dust cover made for cable passage. This would work great for the passage of the cables through my 1.21" side wall to prevent all the unwanteds from entering. I am not sure what such an apparatus would even be called or labeled so that I can execute a decent search regarding same.

Thanks, Chris

[low277]

I would try Waytek Inc ( www.waytekwire.com ) I have ordered a lot of misc wiring devices from them for campers, boats etc. They have "Battery Feeder Studs" for passing dc power through a solid partition, also they have "Battery Jumper Terminals" for adding a remote connection to your battery system for charging/boosting.

[Stan@FourWheel]

I have seen some customers run the wires up in-between the cab of the truck and the truck bed.

Then bring the wiring over the front of the truck bed, and then down into the truck bed.

Simple.

Mostly out of sight.

No drilling of holes needed.

Just a thought.


.

[Wyowanderer]

Is This what you're looking for? http://bluesea.com/category/82/productline/overview/11
Blue Sea has a lots of nice stuff, and it's widely available.

[Truefire]

Is This what you're looking for? http://bluesea.com/category/82/productline/overview/11
Blue Sea has a lots of nice stuff, and it's widely available.

sweet...that would create a nice clean install. Great find and suggest. Thanks, Chris

[downhill]

The best way that I have found to route wires through the bed or other difficult places is to use rubber hose. I drill a hole that creates a tight fit for the hose, then force the hose into the hole. The wires then route through the hose. Mainly I have used automotive hose like fuel line and heater hose. The hose provides much more protection than a standard grommet. I have used this technique for fuel lines and air lines as well. If you want it sealed you can shoot in some caulk after the wires are run. Cheap, easy, and rugged

[Truefire]

Yeah, thanks Downhill... i have run wires through the firewall and cab flooring by doing this although i did not utilize fuel line, neat idea...by the way. The wires were so small i simply used the silicone caulk as the added cushion to prevent the bored hole from eating away at the wire's insulation. I was however attempting to come up with some way in which i could run some #4 guage wires or the power from such through my 1.25" wall of my camper. Basically what i was attempting to do was to originally use a large rubber, cone shaped dust cover to use to prevent unwanteds from entering as well as to keep out water, dust, etc;

However just not as durable of an enclosure encasing a hole as I would like, thus the reasoning behind the post.

Chris