Stupid question if your wanting to hook up to power for the switches I would assume you have to run a ground wire somewhere as well? Where is everyone grounding there wires? I have a 350w power inventer that I use to power my laptop and printer. Could I hard wire it to the upfitter switches? Has any one done this?

Also has anyone added more 12v outlets? I have an 08 F-250 XLT Diesel Crewcab. It only has 2 12v outlets and thats not enough for what I need.

Is there anyone I can hook up my garmin GPS to the upfitter switches as well?

Sorry for being a noob and thanks for all the help in advance.

 

The upfitters are grounded, you just put power wire to where you want it and ground the device. Switch 1 and 2 are 30 amp, 3 and 4 are 15 amp, so for an inverter 1 or 2 advised. 350w/12 volt = 29.1 Amps. If you want dedicated power plugs, I would use dedicated 8 gauge wire from the batteries to your plugs and run a solid ground of same gauge. Your second upfitter (#2) could run 1 more plug, but I would not advise running more than one off of it.

 

I am very novice when it comes to automotive electrical wiring. I have a new 2011 F250 with the upfitter switches. For example if I wanted to add backup lights I guess my thought I would ground the lights where I put them, run the power lead to lead for the upfitter switch. Part I am lost isnt there like a ground type wire also or is that only in house wiring. Any help or pictures would be appreciated.

 

wiring 101

as far as electricity is concerned, a wire is a wire is a wire.
you would ideally make your grounds black and your +12v red, but this varies.
the key is to label everything so you or someone else can trace it out in the future.
if you label the ends of the wires with tape on both ends, it makes it infinitely easier to diagnose any problems.

butt connectors are satisfactory if done correctly, but a true professional job involves soldering the wires together and then shrink wrapping the joint.

if your upfitter switch supplies +12v, all you have to to is run a wire from the terminal on the switch to the device you want to power. then run a ground wire from the device to some clean metallic surface on the frame or body. make sure your grounds are on bare metal. you can repaint the area afterwards if you want.

to hardwire your garmin gps, there are a few basic steps, but it is a simple process.
1. buy an extra car charger for the unit.

2. cut the 12v plug where it meets the wiring. you should be left with the part that connects to the garmin, with a length of wire attached, and something that looks like this
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com.../mar-12vpg.jpg

3. save the plug for future use. if you were smart, you'd have left about 3" or so of wire at the plug for future splicing.

4. having not seen the back of an upfitter switch, i cannot be 100% sure, but most likely you will need a connector that looks like this
Female crimp connectors image by fusionchickenleg on Photobucket

crimp your wire to the connector and run a wire to the location you want the garmin to be located.

then use your extra wire from the plug on your garmin and splice the positive side of the wire to the 12v wire you just ran.

use another terminal connection like this
8-Gauge Solderless Ring Terminals (2-Pack) - RadioShack.com

to connect to an existing ground, or if you must, drill a new hole and screw the ring terminal to the chassis.

the terminals you use may change, but the process is basically the same for any type of wiring you may do.

if you want the garmin to come on with the ignition, you can instead wire it to the ignition switch instead of an upfitter switch.

another option if you think you may run low on switches, you can use something like this
6-Position Dual-Row Barrier Strips - RadioShack.com
wire one of the screws on the end to the +12v of the upfitter switch. the side opposite to it will recieve +12v.
to use the one next to it, simply cut a 2" strip of wire and jump from one screw to the next on the side connected to the upfitter switch.

just be aware of two things.
1. dont exceed your current rating of 15 amps
2. all devices connected will come on with the switch at the same time

 

i didnt want to keep writing on that same post... some forums have a word limit lol.

if you want to wire a AC power inverter, and it exceeds your 30A limit, a simple solution is to use a relay wired to the switch.

first, you have to understand how a relay works.
here is an example
12VDC/40A SPST Automotive Relay : Relays & transformers | RadioShack.com

this relay is labeled 12v40a spst.
12v means its a 12v relay
it has a capacity of 40 amps
spst means that it is a Single Pole, Single Throw.
this means that it has two positions, on or off.
you can get relays in Double pole ect. a double pole relay will be a switch that switches between two sources.
ie, if you wanted a motor to be able to switch directions, you would feed +12v to one side and -12v to the other side.


radio shack products are usually pretty good about coming with wiring diagrams, so if you arent sure, i would tend to buy at radio shack.

how a relay works:
a relay acts like an electrical switch.
the benifit is that you dont have to run all the current through your upfitter switch, so it adds safety as well.

say you have a 40A inverter
wire from the battery to one lead of the relay.
in the radio shack example, it would go to what looks like an 86. then go from what looks like 85 to the inverter. then from the inverter, go to ground.
that takes care of your power to the inverter, now you need to power the relay.
go from your upfitter switch to what looks like 87 on the relay. then from lead 30 on the relay, go to ground.
now when you throw the switch in the cab, you only have 1.6W going through the cab wiring. the relay, which you can locate wherever you want (even under the hood if its waterproof, most are) is doing the hard work.

one more safety precaution.
ALWAYS USE FUSES!

put your fuse as close to the power source as possible, and always on the "hot" lead.
it still works technically if you fuse the ground, but it isnt as safe because if the device has an internal short, you have all that length of wiring that can overheat and catch fire.


was that enough writing lol?

 

Mr. "O",

Very good basic info write-up. Thanks for the info.

The upfitter switches have leads to blunt end wires with a black shrink wrap tar type material, so I just used side connectors and a clip like you showed in the pic. Also, in the same area you find the upfitter wire leads (under steering wheel on drivers left side kick pannle area) there are wires for firewall passthrough. I have not looked for them yet, but they are there, to help get you through to the engine bay, without major difficulty.

AL

 

Thanks for all the good information. Typically what common items would you run off 15 amp and what would you run off 30 amp. I am thinking extra backup lights and maybe some bed lights, possible interior accent lighting.

 

all of those things would be wired to your existing circuits.
bed lighting would be best wired to your interior lights (IMO) or the circuit that powers the high reverse light so that it comes on when you pull the key out.

extra reverse lights would be best wired in parallel with your existing reverse lights.

interior lighting again should be wired in parallel with existing lighting circuits.


upfitter switches would be best reserved (IMO) for things like auxiliary cooling fans, power inverters, electronics for a winch or plow, that kind of thing.

 

Just thought I would add this diagram to this old thread.

It shows how to wire a Solid State Relay.