I still can't believe how game changing this is (Off Grid Camping)

[saluki1969]

Looking for insight into an issue that I discovered today. I have PB with 7.2 pro power generator. Have not officially used since I purchased vehicle in July. Have plugged in a light and my garage vacuum to make sure it works. It does.
Today early prep for trip to my Alma Mater next Saturday and a little tailgating. Tried plugging in my electric grill. Immediately "ground fault error" pops up. I removed plug and it goes away. It is a 3 prong plug and works in house plug. Any thoughts, knowledge or sources?

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[Snakebitten]

Have you tried it more than once?
It's been reported that a draw can trigger the protection mode initially, then the same load works fine afterwards.

 

[saluki1969]

Have you tried it more than once?
It's been reported that a draw can trigger the protection mode initially, then the same load works fine afterwards.

Yes, tried it at least 10 times. Believe the issue is in the control unit and the way it grounds. Will test a new one arriving today. If it to kicks the same ground fault error, I will know that type of controller and propower are not compatible. Will them go to another option, maybe a large air fryer.

 

[Notallthosewhowanderarelo]

Hmm yeah that's an interesting one. Let us know how the new part goes.

If you go the air fryer route, I know our air fryer works in the RV just fine, but I haven't tried it on the 20A outlet yet.

 

[bosro]

Quieter, integrated into truck, less expensive are all nice features to have.

I do a fair bit of off the grid camping.
I can do minimal power but the wife is starting to get picky.
Solar panels and a gen already but I was very tempted to order a PB.
I also do a fair bit of hunting and fishing....and tend to abuse the truck.
In the end issues someone at dealership had with the PB(electrical issues from rough driving) swayed me back to the Ecoboost.
Oh and I guess you cant get a Supercab with a PB.....sadly

 

[WRS]

Until something breaks from all the running hours . I will take my Honda generator any day before buying one of these options.

Running hours from 2-3 minutes engine run time an hour to recharge the battery?

 

[Snakebitten]

I knew I wanted a Powerboost the moment I was first aware of exactly what it was compared to what I had assumed.
(I thought of it as just a Hybrid F150)

This was really driven home during The Texas Freeze while my RV was without power for 3 days and I was sleeping in 12F.

Coastal Texas isn't really where folks are prepared for such.

So I'm OK with folks coming to this "gamechanger" thread and posting how they are happy they DON'T have a Powerboost. But those of us that do and especially those that have already put its GameChanging functionality to use see through the naysaying. Lol

And the fact that it makes for a really nice and wickedly powerful truck as well, is just icing on the cake.

 

[jeffcrum]

Running hours from 2-3 minutes engine run time an hour to recharge the battery?

Agree. I have high idle on for faster charging.

Used it to ruin my house after hurricane Ida. It ran for 30 seconds 3 or 4 times an hour.

At three days and four times an hour, that is like 2.4 hours.

Not worried about it!

 

[Snakebitten]

I have a rather long and distinguished extended Ford ESP warranty. ? At least enough years and miles to cover my expected ownership of this First Version Powerboost.

So what the longterm outcome of actually using the truck for ALL the applications Ford claims it is capable of, is not really my concern. But just as mentioned above, the clever engineering of leveraging that little battery and motor to provide electricity with a 30 gallon fuel tank still seems to require the ICE to run for just a fraction of the time.

 

[saluki1969]

And Yes, I received the New George Foreman electric grill this afternoon (Thank You Amazon Prime). My expectations were not enthusiastic that the results would be any different than my other electric grill and fully expected the ground fault error again. The control looked the same as the other unit and plugs into the grill element the same way. I plugged it and and was stunned to see it worked correctly. Heated up and did not kick a ground fault error. Why this new one works and the old one does not isn't evident to me. Have the chinese updated the control unit, I do not know. So I will relish, I hope for at least the entire tailgating episode, the use of this electric grill instead of having to setup a charcoal grill in the parking lot. Fingers crossed.

 

[veloverland]

And Yes, I received the New George Foreman electric grill this afternoon (Thank You Amazon Prime). My expectations were not enthusiastic that the results would be any different than my other electric grill and fully expected the ground fault error again. The control looked the same as the other unit and plugs into the grill element the same way. I plugged it and and was stunned to see it worked correctly. Heated up and did not kick a ground fault error. Why this new one works and the old one does not isn't evident to me. Have the chinese updated the control unit, I do not know. So I will relish, I hope for at least the entire tailgating episode, the use of this electric grill instead of having to setup a charcoal grill in the parking lot. Fingers crossed.

I'm dealing with a similar issue trying to charge a portable battery with the 2kw pro power. My guess, based on reading some forums, is that the F150 will throw a GFI and shut off whenever it's plugged into something else that also is designed to detect ground faults and shut off (e.g. some home panels, RV's, perhaps your last grill). I'm trying to charge my portable battery (ecoflow river pro) from the bed when I don't have sun, or time to wait for my 100w panels to juice the thing.

I put a question out to the dealer and to the battery manufacturer to see if they can recommend anything that can intermediate between the battery and the outlets. Otherwise, I have to try and configure a DIY system with an inverter that can take a large input load and won't trip the truck.

FWIW and for others who do off-rid camping, you can add 2kw pro power to any ecoboost truck. I have it on a Supercab XL. 1 120v outlet in the cab and 2 in the bed. I've tested toasters, blenders, hot water kettles, and fridges - all work fine off the pro power. For those interested in it's efficiency, my initial tests show that it burns about 0.0014 gallons / watt-hour.

cc: @bosro

 

[matrix311]

I agree, this is 100% game changer for sure. I was completely happy with my 2018 F150 but once I saw you could get the 7.2kw onboard genny with the new Powerboost, I was sold. We dry camp all the time here in Arizona and having to bring the generators (two honda 2,000w generators in parallele) and always fill them up with gas and also how loud they are were annoying. I even had a 100ft 30amp extension cord so i could get the genny's as far away from camp as possible so we didnt have to listen to them.

With the new Powerboost, we have all the power we need with 30 gallons of fuel and virtually silent generator. I got my new Powerboost labor day weekend and took it camping the same day I bought it. We were able to run the AC all night long since it was still 110 outside during the day and 80's at night. So nice to be able to do that and it felt like we were connected to shore power. Everyone else around us was blown away and highly impressed.

So many things we can do now that we have a rolling power grid with us 24/7. The possibliites are endless not just for camping but for tailgating and many other things.

 

[EricR]

The RV is 29' on paper but 34' in reality. I haven't taken it to the scales but I would guess it is about 8,000 lbs. The ProPride hitch makes it way safer to tow.

The ProPride seems like an excellent product and I had set my mind on one until I realized it's weight. Per the ProPride website:

"The total weight of the 3P hitch is 195 lbs." ?​

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Payload can easily be an issue when towing with the F150 PB. This lead me to forgo the ProPride and choose the Blue Ox SwayPro (at 80 Lbs.).

I'm happy to report the SwayPro is a solid performer!

-Eric

 

[Notallthosewhowanderarelo]

Yes you do need to take into account the extra hitch weight on your payload. However some of the weight will be redistributed to the RV from the weight distribution.

 

[JohnnyBoy]

The ProPride seems like an excellent product and I had set my mind on one until I realized it's weight. Per the ProPride website:

"The total weight of the 3P hitch is 195 lbs." ?​

​

Payload can easily be an issue when towing with the F150 PB. This lead me to forgo the ProPride and choose the Blue Ox SwayPro (at 80 Lbs.).

I'm happy to report the SwayPro is a solid performer!

-Eric

I just went from a round bar system (heavy!) to the Anderson. I can't believe how much easier it is to set up and remove, and has much better weight distribution, ride, and sway control. As a senior who lives full time in a travel trailer, the Anderson is fantastic.

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