Halloween Flatbed Trailer Float Electrical Question

[Theo911]

Last year for Halloween I dressed up my 18ft flatbed with Halloween decorations and threw some hay bales on it and we towed the kids around the neighborhood. HUGE hit. I'd like to add some things like a strobe light and maybe a fog machine if possible but I don't know how to power it all.

Last year I ran an extension cord from inside the truck 110 outlet back to the LED lights I had strung around the rails I built for safety. That worked fine but I think I'm reaching the limit of that plug-in since I read its really only meant for phone charging and computer laptops.

Any suggestions on what I can do to increase my power to the trailer easily?

 

[shoot summ]

Several options.

1) Try to find and use 12V items(difficult for smoke machine, etc).
2) Get a larger power inverter, still limited in some instances to the total wattage draw, smoke machines have heating elements, so their wattage can be large depending on the machine.
3) generator, biggest issue is sound, the small hondas are really quiet.

I've helped build homecoming floats for many years, we ended up with a generator in the back of the truck, it was loud, but we had enough music to cover it up.

One thing I discovered, find a local rental company that rents AV equipment. We rented an amp and 2 speakers that were unreal from a sound output perspective. That coupled with a "real" smoke machine and our production was over the top.

A real smoke machine will generate enough to literally smoke up your neighborhood...

 

[thdewey]

Smoke machines use a lot of juice. I kept tripping a circuit last year when it would kick on. You might be better off using somekind of dry ice fogg for that.

They do now make an LED strobe now. I'd use all LED because you really can just about use as many as you like and not overload a circuit, JUST ABOUT. Lots of Halloween things are 12VDC too.

Have fun and how about posting a pic of this awesome float when u are done?

 

[djdavelong]

You can rent a Honda Eu2000 generator around here for about $25.00.
Puts out almost 20A and is VERY quiet..... I own 2 of them.