Camping Fridges in D3/D4

[DiscoWeb]

Good Afternoon,

Just starting to look into fridges and wanted to get so info so a question for those running fridges in the back of their D3/D4/RRS.

What would you suggest, size wise is a good options for a 2 adult 2 kid family looking for say a maximum trip length of 3 -4 nights between civilisation.

Assuming I was to want to run this fridge on the odd occasion (2 -3 times a year) I might go away for a couple of days, noting most of my camping would involve moving about and not being stationary for days on end would I need a dedicated 2nd battery, or could I simply hook it up to the 12 v socket at the rear of the D3 without too many issues.

Does the wiring need to be upgraded etc or can I simply plug it in a go on my merry way ?

Thanks,

George

[DB4]

40-50L should do the Job. You will definitely need a second battery. D3

[DB4]

40-50L should do the Job. You will definitely need a second battery. There are numerous post on dual battery systems.

[Ashes]

George,
we are 2 adults and 3 kids (one teenager)

We have a 40 litre and find that a good size. We had enough room for meat, veggies, drinks, butter etc. for a 5 day trip recently.

The larger the fridge the more room it takes up and heavier to get in and out of the car.

I do run mine off an 2nd battery but you could get away with running it off a single battery provided it cuts out above the minimum cranking charge. There is some risk with this in that you may drain your main battery too much or have your food spoil. The better fridges do draw less power.

You will need to check if your rear socket is ignition switched. Most turn off when the car is turned off. It isn't too difficult to run a extra cable to the rear.

[rmp]

Fridge sizes are very personal. My view is that a 40L is fine for a family of four and that is what we ran for years, before changing to a 47L. There are others who would swear that such a family needs 60L at a minimum.

There are also those would say no fridge is needed at all. But they tend to be people without families or who have never tried a fridge.

Each to their own.

Anyway I'd start off with a 40L, and work within it. If you become desperate, trade up. A quality fridge, cared for, always has a decent resale value.

As for the rest - as Ashes said.

By the way an excellent place for the fridge is in the second row middle seat, folded down. Doesn't work with 3 kids, but is excellent for two and it also acts as something of a firewall between warring siblings.

[DiscoWeb]

Thanks for the responses and keep them coming,

Anyone know if the 12v sockets in the rear cargo area and in the 2nd row seats are ignition switched ? or how do I check ?

I like the idea of the fridge sitting on the middle seat and being a bit of a barrier between kids. On longer trips it would be unusually to have any more than 4 so this would work and I could secure it to the legs of the seat is assume.

Happy for any other advise, particularly anyone running a fridge without a dual or additional batter set up.

Thanks,

George

[101RRS]

I have a 55l cheap ebay fridge/freezer that I use in the back of my RRS with no issues. The wiring to the rear 12v socket looks too light BUT it runs my fridge OK - it is switched, so the ignition needs to be on accessory for power to be supplied.

Garry

[DanW]

I have an Engel MT45 (which is a 40L fridge) and that does my 2kids 2 adult family well. I installed the Traxide duel battery kit myself in the D3, and I'm not a handy person at all.

I sometimes put the fridge in the centre second row (seat folded down), and secure it to the child restraint anchor to stop it sliding around, but we mostly put it in the very back and tie it down to the floor anchor bolts.
I love the Engel because it plugs in to 240v as well, so at home I always have a stash of beer down in the garage!

I suspect any plug that was in the car when you bought it would be linked to the ignition - unless you got it second hand and the previous owner rigged up a full time powered socket, but that would be a risky installation that could easily end in a dead battery.

[~Rich~]

I agree with DanW, I actually have an old 29ltr Engel with a lid extension.
Makes it the same size as a 39ltr Engel. It is really easier to access than the 39 and has the same motor and workings. But they are History!
Buy yourself this months 4WD Monthly they have a Fridge comparison.
ARB wins.
Get yourself a Traxside dual battery system too. ;)

[PaulGOz]

Hello,

I have just come back from a road trip over a week. We are 2 adulkts 2 young kids. We have a Waeco dual Zone 50L and find it adequate as long as you do not need to carry 20L of soft drinks and 20L of beer it shoudl suffice.

I am not sure about the need for a second battery. I have found that with the standard 90ah starting battery and several hours driving each day that the car is able to run the fridge overnight. We made sure we didn't add anything to the fridge at the end of the driving day and only added at the beginning of the day so that the fridge only needed to maintain a temperature and not actually bring items down to temperature. I also ran the fridge a little colder during the driving day say 1 deg c and then let it run up 5 deg overnight. The fridge is also set on the medium setting which i think cuts out at 11.8v suffice to say this was never reached the lowest I have recorded is 12.25v.

In conclusion IMHO you can get away without a dual battery setup. Even more so if you take precautions as i outline above. Keep in mind though you are asking the starting battery to do somethign it is not designed to do i.e deeper cycling. I also carry a 240v battery charger and jumper leads and an extension lead (if at a powered camp site) and jumper leads as a last resort. None of this would help though if you are alone in the middle of nowhere and get it wrong.

Good luck.

[Graeme]

The rear socket can easily be changed to full-time by fitting a jumper in place of the appropriate relay in the passenger compartment fuse box. My D4's is jumpered for use with low power devices but the fridge is powered from a 2nd battery.

[rmp]

WAECO mobile solutions (http://www.waeco.com.au/products.asp?id=259&subCatId2=-1&subCatId=78&catId=77)

or similar can be used in place of a wired-in dual battery.

[~Rich~]

It also depends on whether you are free camping at night and need to power lights as well as the fridge. I don't like chancing on draining the main battery as the D3/4 is so critical on voltage level.

But you could always get yourself a AVC
The 12 Volt Shop (http://www.12volt.com.au/)
I've used them for years on other 4wd's but are unsure if 11.8V is enough to start a D3/4 with.

[rmp]

Just use LED camping lanterns and head torches, no need to power lights from the car batteries.

[Ashes]

Lots of good info here and it is easy to shell out for a lot of kit you may not need.

I went the 2nd battery option so I could use unpowered sites and still have reasonable lighting options. As we have to camp most times during school holidays, unpowered sites are often the only options left for us. I also run a few accessories when travelling, up to 2 x DVD players, UHF, fridge and inverter at the same time. I wanted to keep these isolated from the main battery and also run these off a separate fuse box. I'll shortly add a Ranga GPS as well:)

We did 5 days over easter unpowered and ran a 12v light for 4-5 hours each night to our site, ran a 25w 240v globe from an inverter to the tent for around 1-2 hours each night and the fridge for the best part of 2 nights without moving the car. The inverter did eventually give a low voltage beep after 2 days but the fridge and lights still kept going. Without lights, I'm sure the fridge would have run 4-5 days on battery no probs.

You will have absolutely no problems with a single battery. If you make sure you are at a powered site for extended stays and run it when you can off A/C to save your starter battery. At about $5 per night dearer for a powered site, its going to be long time before a 2nd battery and isolator kit saves you money.

I like my 2nd battery for the convenience and additional power options it provides me and I know the car will start no matter what power I've used.

If you also use your fridge as a fridge set at about 3 to 4 degrees and not a freezer at -18, it uses a lot less power. It's nice to have ice cream but frozen veggies and milk doesn't impress SWMBO...

[ADMIRAL]

Hello,

I have just come back from a road trip over a week. We are 2 adulkts 2 young kids. We have a Waeco dual Zone 50L and find it adequate as long as you do not need to carry 20L of soft drinks and 20L of beer it shoudl suffice.

I am not sure about the need for a second battery. I have found that with the standard 90ah starting battery and several hours driving each day that the car is able to run the fridge overnight. We made sure we didn't add anything to the fridge at the end of the driving day and only added at the beginning of the day so that the fridge only needed to maintain a temperature and not actually bring items down to temperature. I also ran the fridge a little colder during the driving day say 1 deg c and then let it run up 5 deg overnight. The fridge is also set on the medium setting which i think cuts out at 11.8v suffice to say this was never reached the lowest I have recorded is 12.25v.

In conclusion IMHO you can get away without a dual battery setup. Even more so if you take precautions as i outline above. Keep in mind though you are asking the starting battery to do somethign it is not designed to do i.e deeper cycling. I also carry a 240v battery charger and jumper leads and an extension lead (if at a powered camp site) and jumper leads as a last resort. None of this would help though if you are alone in the middle of nowhere and get it wrong.

Good luck.
Only a matter of time ( or another year to run the main battery life down a tad ) and you would get caught out. Day trips or expeditions where help is available ok, but IMO a risky exercise to push the envelope for more remote trips. I have found it remarkably ( disturbingly ) easy to run the main battery down to the level where it won't start the vehicle.

[TerryO]

Check out the Evakool specials on now just click on the Home link below, for the price of a 60 litre Evakool fridge freezer compared to some of the more fancied brands you can also buy a Traxide second battery kit and a yellow top battery and then you will never have to worry about being stranded some where with a flat battery and warm beer. :o

Also check out how little power they use. I have one of these units and I reckon it is great value for the money. :)

Home (http://www.evakoolstore.com/)

cheers,
Terry

[Wilbur]

The Australian made Evakool fridges are brilliant because they have extremely good insulation. As TerryO says, they use very little power. I have tried several fridges, and the Evakool wins hands down. Mine is now 10 years old and still fine, if a bit battered.

Does anyone know if their cheaper range have equal quality insulation, and do they use the Danfoss compressor or a Chinese one? Seems there must be a reason why they are so much cheaper.

Cheers,

Paul

[Don 130]

Pretty good deals for evakool and accesories here. And free frieght

EvaKool 60 Litre 12v Portable Fridge Freezer Camping | eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/EvaKool-60-Litre-12v-Portable-Fridge-Freezer-Camping-/250667787389?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3a5cf6e47d)

Don

[Tote]

We have two kids and use a 50 litre fridge and find it adequate. What consumes most fridge space I find is cans of drink. (drinking port can help here):eek:
I use a seperate yellow top battery and the only time we have run it down was 24 hour use over a hot period but it isnt a biggie to start up the vehicle to charge it.

Over easter I had the Coleman shower unit on charge for two hours using the socket in the back and that was enough to flatten the charging battery to the point where it would not start the next morning so beware....

Regards,
Tote

[DiscoWeb]

Thanks for the many and varied responses.

Looks like something around the 40l mark would do the job and until I am convinced or can convince the family to do multiple day remote area trips then I will probably hold off going for a second battery set up.

I generally run rechargeable led lamps and a gas lantern together with head torches around camp so other than the fridge do not plan on any other electronic devices drawing power when stopped.

Not yet got to the stage or length of trip that would require a hot shower but might be necessary to get my wife and daughter motivated for a longer trip.

Have no particular allegiance to brands so will do my research on them shortly once I have pinned down what I want or need.

Again thanks for the feedback so far, I hope otehr are finding this interesting as well.

I must say I am very surprised at the cost of these, when you can walk into Hardly Normal and purchase a 400 -600 lt fridge with all the bells and whistles for about 30% of the cost of a portable 40lt one ?

With the strong $aud are there any O/S sites you can purchase from and ship in, like tires ?


George

[unseenone]

I do not know why these are so expensive. Most off road gear is quite high, supply and demand I guess. I have heard the Bushman brand is as good or better than Engel. I do not know how their reputation is in Aus but, it seems like it would be a great place to start.

The other thing to strongly consider is a super high end cooler. Engel claims their "deepblue coolers" as they call them in the US keep ice for 8-10 days, which might be adequate for your needs. This alternative could get you some savings. In the much lower price range. I've read some accounts from users, who say they really work. I will provide you that review link as well.

Here is the web site so you can look it over, these would be my two main choices if it was possible.

a. Engel Australia - Portable Fridge-Freezers (http://www.engelaustralia.com.au/)
b. THE BUSHMAN 12 VOLT FRIDGE FREEZER FOR CAMPING & FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (http://www.bushman.com.au/)

c. reviews
Engel User Testimonials (http://www.engel-usa.com/testimonials.html)

[TerryO]

Sorry I didn't highlight that I had put in a link straight to the Evakool website specials board in my previous post. I have now done that.

The Travelmate series, which is the one I have has a Danfoss pump and is pretty well insulated, the model specific page shows that it only uses around 1.5 amps per hour if set between 2+ to -2 degrees with an ambient temp of 30 degrees.

They also offer a insulation bag for about $130 which should help. I have the bag as when I brought mine it was a part of the package. These 60 litre fridges are less then $800 that is why I'm saying they are good value. They also have a special on a 40 litre but they reckon it uses the same power as a 60 litre...

Check out my previous post for the website address if your interested.

As I said if you add up the price of one of these fridges and then add in a Traxide dual battery set up and a Yellow top battery it is often cheaper then buying one of the more favoured brands that often use more power than the same size Evakool.

A fancy fridge brand name just means extra expence as far as I'm concerned when it comes to fridges, as long as the beer comes out cold and the steak comes out fresh I'm happy.

cheers,
Terry

[ADMIRAL]

Thanks for the many and varied responses.

Looks like something around the 40l mark would do the job and until I am convinced or can convince the family to do multiple day remote area trips then I will probably hold off going for a second battery set up.

I generally run rechargeable led lamps and a gas lantern together with head torches around camp so other than the fridge do not plan on any other electronic devices drawing power when stopped.

Not yet got to the stage or length of trip that would require a hot shower but might be necessary to get my wife and daughter motivated for a longer trip.

Have no particular allegiance to brands so will do my research on them shortly once I have pinned down what I want or need.

Again thanks for the feedback so far, I hope otehr are finding this interesting as well.

I must say I am very surprised at the cost of these, when you can walk into Hardly Normal and purchase a 400 -600 lt fridge with all the bells and whistles for about 30% of the cost of a portable 40lt one ?

With the strong $aud are there any O/S sites you can purchase from and ship in, like tires ?


George

Yes, but try strapping one into the back of a ute, and driving down the Gibb River road, and see how long it will hold together. I would guess the volume of the domestic stuff also keeps the price down, as would the competition amongst the dozens of brands available.

[jonesy63]

The other thing to strongly consider is a super high end cooler. Engel claims their "deepblue coolers" as they call them in the US keep ice for 8-10 days, which might be adequate for your needs. ...Hi George,
My wife and I just got back from a 8 day 3000km trek from Sydney to Griffith, Mungo NP, Broken Hill/Silverton, Menindee/Kinchega NP, then back to Griffith via Ivanhoe/Mossgiel/Hillston and finally back to Sydney.

On the morning we left, I filled the bottom of my 78L Coleman Ultimate Extreme cooler with 24x 500ml Heinekins, 20x 375ml cokes, 2L milk, then a bag of ice over the top. Then frozen food in zip-lock backs in two-person meal sized portions. Finally, 2x 3.5kg plastic ice bricks over the top. I had to put another bag of ice in at Griffith - the day before arriving home and drain some water out.

Yes - the cooler was opened/closed a lot. The beer wouldn't drink itself in there! :D Not to mention meals. We bought home enough meat from leftover semi-frozen food to have a BBQ for 16 people. Yes, I over-catered for the two of us! :angel:

All this proves, is that it is hard to really justify spending the $800+ on a car fridge freezer. It is pretty hard nowadays to go 5-7 days past somewhere that sells ice or has a big supermarket!

My cooler: Coleman - 82 Quart Xtreme 6 Cooler - (http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=6296A721&categoryid=8581&brand=)
As the racers say - there's no substitute for cubes! :cool:

[rmp]

Good to see another point of view, but:

- 2 people
- 78L

the OP was asking about a family of four, which means every cubic centimetre is precious. Out of that 78L capacity you'd lose a fair bit to ice. Therefore a 40L electric fridge would be a better size/capacity tradeoff, and that's really important with camping families. *

So from that perspective it's easy to justify the $800.

Please, do not even mention Hardly Normal's products in relation to offroad touring and camping.



* can't wait to be a grey nomad and have 2 people in a Disco 7 with a big trailer and never worry about space again!

[roamer]

I know the ice idea wouldn't work up The Kimberley on a 40c outside temp day, even with a block of dry ice in there. Once you get a fridge you wonder how you did it with out one, 40lt fridge and another battery only way to go.

Cheers Ken

[DiscoWeb]

Yes, but try strapping one into the back of a ute, and driving down the Gibb River road, and see how long it will hold together. I would guess the volume of the domestic stuff also keeps the price down, as would the competition amongst the dozens of brands available.

Noted,

And obviously having a fridge built to cater for the battering of off road travel etc would add to the cost but the point was more that the differential does seem excessive.

Beer would probably bounce around a bit more in a 400lt fridge in the back of a ute anyway !!!

George

[TerryO]

Noted,
Beer would probably bounce around a bit more in a 400lt fridge in the back of a ute anyway !!!

George


I don't know ...some would say a 400 ltr camp fridge is just about the right size for keeping beer in while camping. ;)

cheers,
Terry

[Fluids]

Hi George.

If you're going the fridge route without a second battery, an easy way to take a load of your single battery, is to turn the fridge down to like -5degC during the day whilst your are driving (and the alternator is running the fridge/charging the battery). When you stop for the evening, immediatley turn the fridge back up to 3-4-5degC. It will takes ages for the internal fridge temp to climb back up from -5degC to +5degC ... maybe 6-8-12Hrs or more. Means your starting battery doesn't have to supply much power overnight (maybe 6Hrs or so), leaving you a healthy battery for the morning.

I do have a second battery, but still do as outlined above. I find that the -5degC setting is just low enough to stop things from freezing .... more than a 12Hr day though will freeze stuff (so keep your frozen stuff in the bottom of the fridge). My aux' battery will really only run the fridge for 24-36Hrs, but doing this I can just squeeze 2 days out of the battery.

Hope that helps.

[juddo]

We have a family of 2+2 and use a bushman fridge - THE BUSHMAN 12 VOLT FRIDGE FREEZER FOR CAMPING & FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (http://www.bushman.com.au/default.htm)

The fridge can be used in 3 configurations: 35L, 42L, or 52L. We invariably use it in the 52L configuration. Could easily get away with smaller, however that would probably mean sacrificing some of the beer.

For the last 3 years, we have run it without a second battery in the D3. We used the sort of methods mentioned above (temp lower while traveling and higher overnight, etc...) It does work, but I have never been comfortable. Recently I installed the traxide DBS with yellow top battery. I reckon the system is fantastic, and if you can afford to do it, then it is a far better solution. Especially when you are spending more than 1 night somewhere!!!

On the subject of the bushman fridge, I do not know if it is better or worse than an engel or other brands, but we have been very happy with it. We have it running permanently in the house when not in the D3, and apart from the on/off switch being a little dodgy (I bridged it out because it is not needed anyway) it has not missed a beat in about 5 years.

umm. and once you have a fridge, there is no way you can go back to an esky.

Cheers,
Matt.

[streaky]

The rear socket can easily be changed to full-time by fitting a jumper in place of the appropriate relay in the passenger compartment fuse box. My D4's is jumpered for use with low power devices but the fridge is powered from a 2nd battery.

Here's a picture to illustrate the issue.

[Graeme]

Thanks Streaky. Is that for the D3 or D4? ISTR that the D4's is a small relay but could easily be wrong.

[Bushwanderer]

Hi Juddo,
While I don't have a Bushman fridge, I find your post the most objective in this thread.

I hope to hear more from you. :BigThumb:

Best Wishes,
Peter

[juddo]

Hi Juddo,
While I don't have a Bushman fridge, I find your post the most objective in this thread.

I hope to hear more from you. :BigThumb:

Best Wishes,
Peter

Thanks for the complement Peter. I have been around for quite a while, but only seem to post when I have something to say. I have definitely got more out of AULRO than I have given, but am always ready to make a post if I feel there is something meaningful that I can add.

Cheers, Matt. :)

[NomadicD3]

HI All,
I have had a long history using in 12v fridges {over 20yrs now} and after all that time I've come to a few conclusion.
National luna- hell expensive but are probably the best fridge i've ever used.Long draw down time from ambient though when on 12v supply.
ARB fridge- excellent fridge, sadly no freezer component but brilliant on the power supply very economical.
Waeco- also excellent and reasonably economical but does seem to use a little more than the previous 2 mentioned NB. I didn't have a long time with the waeco
Engel- Not sure about the new ones but my old one {from 20 yrs ago} really used up the juice, however!!!! i'm not sure to many fridges these days would take what the old engel went through ie. fell out the ute on fraser Is. whilst on an inland track, used as a stand to keep a trailer off the ground whilst we changed the tire and numerous lift offs whilst in the back of the vehicle bouncing along way too fast for the conditions {ahh to be that young and dumb again :p}
I was told that most fridges use the same motor/compressor set up these days so power consumption comes down to solid or hollow wall construction, not sure that's true though.
Like so many others I too set the fridge temp at 0 or less, depending on the make of the fridge, whilst driving or on genset/240 and turn it up when on battery alone. I also have set up 3x 60 amp/hr auxillary batteries using a traxide system and have yet to drain them enough for the fridge to switch itself off.
Cheers to cold drinks and warm sunset all :D

[Desert Traveller]

Having Engels and Waecos. I can only comment on these.
Engel everyday. I have the MT45, about 10 years old and it has not had an easy life. I had a Engel 29 litre before that and it was also indestructable, just too small in the end.

[drivesafe]

OK, correct me here if I have this wrong.

If you forget and leave your fridge running, will this not flatten the battery if the fridge does not have a low voltage cut out?

PLEASE NOTE, I am not posting a bit of scare mongering, I would like to know if there is or is not some form of low voltage protection when you remove the relay.

The reason I ask, I may have a small device that will add low voltage protection if there is none.

[Redback]

OK, correct me here if I have this wrong.

If you forget and leave your fridge running, will this not flatten the battery if the fridge does not have a low voltage cut out?

PLEASE NOTE, I am not posting a bit of scare mongering, I would like to know if there is or is not some form of low voltage protection when you remove the relay.

The reason I ask, I may have a small device that will add low voltage protection if there is none.

Hi Tim, I can only comment on Waecos, I have the CF40AC, it has 3 settings for battery protection;

LOW 10.7v

MEDIUM 11.4v

HIGH 12.0v

You can set it to any of these and the fridge will cut out, I would imagine the high setting is for those that don't have an auxillary battery and are running the fridge from the main cranking battery.

Baz.

[Graeme]

OK, correct me here if I have this wrong.

If you forget and leave your fridge running, will this not flatten the battery if the fridge does not have a low voltage cut out?
Yes.

[ADMIRAL]

Correct me if I am wrong ! ( surely will ) If it doesn't have a cut out, my understanding is, that as the current level falls the amps will increase. Probably be a dead heat between the battery or the fridge, which one goes west first.

[Graeme]

as the current level falls the amps will increase
Current is amps, but you probably meant voltage falls...

However the battery will just go flat - been there with my D2.

[series2110]

gday i have had 2 engels and been in Land rover clubs for about 16 years friges are like talking tyres. i have seen most brands fail on extended trips for 1 reason or another - generally something to do with the power connection - the lead chaffs or gets jammed -

my 1 st engel worked really well but i bought the anniversary model several years ago with the thermometer on top. its great - i also have fitted a jayco 11.5 volt cut out switch witch also works quite well.
i have a second thermometer mounted on the front of the frig so i can tell in the morning if the frig has had a good night or not - so far so good

my defender is well travelled with many corrugations under is fridge slide

currently my frig slide is in the back seat - we remanufactured the door hinges to open to 90 degress - works a treat

basically its about how long you want it to run without driving the car
if you drive the car every day even while on a trip - even just for 20 to 30 mins its unlikely you will have an issue - i am expecting that you will have a second battery installed.

defenderly

Peter

[Preacher]

AGREE

I use both these fridges - depends on location in the vehicle - the Bushman is longer, the Engel is higher. I have triple batteries - 2 yellow tops and new Trakside kit , which allows me to use the 2 yellow tops and a proportion of the LR start battery to keep the orange juice cool

dj



I do not know why these are so expensive. Most off road gear is quite high, supply and demand I guess. I have heard the Bushman brand is as good or better than Engel. I do not know how their reputation is in Aus but, it seems like it would be a great place to start.


Here is the web site so you can look it over, these would be my two main choices if it was possible.

a. Engel Australia - Portable Fridge-Freezers (http://www.engelaustralia.com.au/)
b. THE BUSHMAN 12 VOLT FRIDGE FREEZER FOR CAMPING & FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (http://www.bushman.com.au/)

c. reviews
Engel User Testimonials (http://www.engel-usa.com/testimonials.html)

[weeds]

OK, correct me here if I have this wrong.

If you forget and leave your fridge running, will this not flatten the battery if the fridge does not have a low voltage cut out?

PLEASE NOTE, I am not posting a bit of scare mongering, I would like to know if there is or is not some form of low voltage protection when you remove the relay.

The reason I ask, I may have a small device that will add low voltage protection if there is none.


i can confirm engels do not have low voltage cutout..........

i have always thought about fitting something to my two engels, i would hate to think what voltage my batteries have been down to

would be interested to see what you have

[LE69_LR4x4R]

Here's a picture to illustrate the issue.

Hi - An older post of yours but please could you tell which Relay you have taken out and replaced with the jumper. What else did it affect?
Thanks
Chris ( UK 2011 D4 )

[BrianElloy]

Can’t beat this fridge for the money... Secop compressor (which you want)


60L Camping Fridge/Freezer | 88 Can Capacity | Secop Compressor | 12v/240v | Adventure Kings - 4WD Supacentre (https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/60l-camping-fridge-88-can-capacity-secop-compressor-12v-240v.html)

[josh.huber]

I've got a similar fridge, really cheap that I bought so I could see how much I used it before I bought an Engel. That was 6 years ago. Occasionally it won't turn off and will run the battery dead if I don't notice it. If I unplug it regularly it doesn't happen. I'm going to use the reverse light relay I installed in the rear to turn it's power off when reverse is selected. If you get a Kings. You can just buy spare parts for them if you get a silly problem

[glenn20869]

I have no doubt that I went overkill (my wife definitely thinks so!) but I can advise that it's just possible to fit a 75L WAECO CFX in the back of a 2014 D4 on a fridge slide within a set of drawers with a half height cargo barrier installed. I made the drawers myself with inspiration from others in this forum. It's such a tight fit that the carpet has a crush line from the tail gate trim along the top drawer and along the back of the box from the cargo barrier!! I make use of the sloped gap behind the second row seats and the box to fit a 50L water bladder (not shown in the pictures). Power comes from a second 12V sock installed on the drivers side as part of a traxide dual battery setup which has the new and existing rear 12V sockets connected to the auxiliary deep cycle battery.

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Cheers,
Glenn

[theelms66]

I wonder how hot the fridge would get enclosed in the draws .

[Dagilmo]

I have no doubt that I went overkill (my wife definitely thinks so!) but I can advise that it's just possible to fit a 75L WAECO CFX in the back of a 2014 D4 on a fridge slide within a set of drawers with a half height cargo barrier installed. I made the drawers myself with inspiration from others in this forum. It's such a tight fit that the carpet has a crush line from the tail gate trim along the top drawer and along the back of the box from the cargo barrier!! I make use of the sloped gap behind the second row seats and the box to fit a 50L water bladder (not shown in the pictures). Power comes from a second 12V sock installed on the drivers side as part of a traxide dual battery setup which has the new and existing rear 12V sockets connected to the auxiliary deep cycle battery.

Cheers,
Glenn

That looks like a great job, well done.

Seeing the difference between the raw and the covered wood has inspired me to finish off (currently fitted and working but not covered) my set up.

[glenn20869]

I wonder how hot the fridge would get enclosed in the draws .The fridge cooling fan vent is oriented towards the tail gate where the box is open. Although the tail gate closes pretty close, there is still plenty of space for the hot air to get away from the fridge. Obviously no issue with the tail gate open :)

[Turtle60]

This fridge build accommodates an EvaKool KM80. 80 lt single zone. Had It 161907 few years now and never failed us. This was the early build stage. Dedicated wiring to new sockets in the back and wired this thru a dedicated merit plug from aux battery as it seems firmer and another socket that run led lights under awning. So yes overkill but it perfectly fits a 30 pack of tins in the deeper section. Fridge costs $649 now. Heavy at 28 kg but a lot of fridge for your money. Made my own fridge slide with heavy duty runners and angled to clear the tail gate.
if I need to access the spare wheel I just take the whole lot out slide and all and access the winder thru a hole but you’ll need the tuffant adapter to use a socket extension. Haven’t had to yet! Obviously I ditched the third row seats.
So just another custom option if you want a big fridge. They do a 55lt one too.
cheers
Turtle