Thread: Removable fridge slide setup

Originally Posted by l00kin4

After gathering a lot of great ideas here on the forum but not quite finding exactly what I wanted, I've built my own slider setup for my D4
I wanted to install the fridge slider:
1. without drilling any new holes in the car;
2. leaving access to drop the spare wheel, preferably by allowing the other third row seat to be set up;
3. without drawers taking up unnecessary space;
4. in a way that allowed me to completely remove it relatively easily when back in town.
I made it a bit more of a challenge for myself by choosing a larger fridge in the Waeco CFX-65 (which incidentally has exactly the same footprint as the CFX-50 and is just a bit taller).



After the initial construction I also decided to try and make / source a cage to allow me to pack around and on top of the fridge whilst still being able to use it - nothing new about that idea.
The end result you can see in the photo above. All of my objectives have been met-
* no new holes in the car;
* seat can be raised and spare wheel winder is accessible;
* all the space not taken up by the slide is still clear to store 'freeform'- no drawer shape / capacity constraints; and
* the whole assembly can be removed by undoing the 2 straps and removing 2 bolts.

There is also still about 250mm of storage space between the cage and the middle row seats.

The base is anchored to the tie down holes on the outboard side and the inboard side to the seat anchor plates between the seats.


Unfortunately the Waeco slide width for the larger fridge meant that if I wanted the bolts through the baseboard into the tie down holes to be accessible (they were under the slide) I had to make a couple of offset brackets to screw into the tiedowns with another threaded hole to fix to through the baseboard.



At a high level, the steps were as follows:
Determine required depth (thickness) of base - which is just under 40mm (37mm) as stated above. Note: as the slider itself provides some extra clearance you could get away with a bit less.
Cardboard template for shape and hole placement
Cut 18mm plywood to shape and drill mount holes
Screw and glue 22mm decking to underside to increase height for clearance (I'd originally planned to leave the inboard edge clear to allow me to slide a couple of tarps under the base board but abandoned this later as I wanted the extra 'meat' underneath to fix the cage screws into.
Position slide on base and drill 8mm holes through
Use ~22mm speedbore to create a rebated hole for t-nuts ( I used these rather than just screws to provide more resistance to lifting out. They also provide the advantage that you dont need access to them (like a nut) to fix machine screws into them.
From underside drill 10mm holes about 10mm depth to fit t-nuts
Tap in t-nuts with hammer
Fix slide to base - I used 40mm m8 button head socket machine screws
I then made my offset plates to allow me to fix the base to the tie down holes with an offset of about 14mm
Fix base in car and check slide clearances etc.
For the inboard fixing between the seats I used a strap anchor at the front seat base to secure the 25mm strap and at the rear the strap was threaded under the seat base mount plate.
These are secured with slide buckles, leaving a single strap above the seats in the cargo area to secure to the cam buckle strap fixed similarly to the cage as per pic.
Then, just for aesthetics I removed the slide from the base and carpeted it. Carpet from Bunnings
I toyed with the idea of making a cage from mesh myself but after pondering all the bending etc. I took the easy way out and bought one off ebay. Nice that it was exactly the right size.
Because of the layout in the cargo area - the plastic moulding protruding into the space- I had to omit the outboard side of the cage and so just made up a bit of carpeted plywood to screw to the cage mounting tabs.

The whole thing was a case of measure 4 times, cut once as it is very tight with only a few mm of tolerance in a few spots.

I tried to limit the photo postings but I'm more than happy to provide more details or photos if anyone is interested.

Will give it some more time in the car once I've installed my Traxide DBS this weekend.

I like it.

Would you have a link to where you got the cage from on eBay.

Thanks ................ BM

For sure. Here it is: Steel Fridge Slide Barrier Cage 810mm L X 560mm W X 625mm H 4x4 4WD | eBay

Note that this has the height for the Waeco CFX65 - the CFX50 is I think 9cm shorter...

Thanks for that. I've got a 40 litre Engel - should fit nicely. I have a set of drawers and fridge slide that I will be putting in soon. Was thinking of building a "box" over the fridge so that stuff doesn't fall down behind it when I slide it out, and so that I can pack light gear on top. Your solution is much better than what I had in mind.

No worries. I was thinking along the box lines initially too but the cage (although not really a cheap option) is a bit easier I think and also allows attachment of other gear straps, baskets, whatever really easily. Those guys seem to have a range of sizes too so with luck you can get one in a smaller size.

The next thing I'm going to do is set up a winder for the spare underneath using an old hook I got from a wrecker with a 3/8" drive socket welded to the top. It is just thin enough to leave protruding through the gap between the seats beside the cage. Will save a major unloading exercise if I need to drop the spare.

Fortunately I no longer have any issues with getting access to my spare wheel.



There's an extra hundred litres of fuel where that used to be.

Originally Posted by l00kin4

Hi, looking for inspiration here!

Considering setting up my D4 (7 seat SE) with a fridge slide for a trip we're planning to Fraser Island but would like to be able to remove the setup when back driving around town.

Was thinking a plywood base (covered in Frontrunner) with an access hole for the spare, maybe using the tie down loops with longer bolts to hold it in place (negating the need to fix with any new holes), with the fridge slide attached.

Anybody done something similar?

Thanks in advance...

David

I have a fantastic set up atm. I ordered a custom size draw from Drifta, which is held down with one strap, this stays in my car all the time, the size is (1000 X 450 X 300HIGH) , this still allows for 6 people to sit in the car, if you need 7, undo the strap and pull it out (2 people). On the other side is where the fridge lives and a got a FSL008 460 x 800 ORS fridge slide, which fits in perfectly. I have fabricated a cage to go around the fridge so I can pile **** ontop and I also use the cage to strap it down to the hooks in the rear. Most times I just chuck the fridge in without the slide and just access it through the tailgate top half. (ARB 78ltr) this way I can lift the lid without sliding it out. I can show pics if you like, my draw is in the car and the fridge in the shed, where it serves its duties as a beer froster!

Thanks Wheelan - I'd be interested to see some pics of that - sounds good. I put my Traxide DBS in over the weekend so now I've put the whole setup in to check for rattles etc.

Originally Posted by l00kin4

Thanks Wheelan - I'd be interested to see some pics of that - sounds good. I put my Traxide DBS in over the weekend so now I've put the whole setup in to check for rattles etc.

Your fridge setup is similar to mine, a bit neater if you will. I will take a pic tomorrow for you of mine. One thing I did do was install a socket and extension to the spare low/raise nut so I can get access all the time.
The other thing I did, with the drawer that I have, it enabled me to fit a 100 AH batt and a Ctek 250s dc dc charger in the foot well of the rear seat not being used, ie under the drawer. It fits in so perfectly that with a couple of bit of thin foam it locks the battery in place. From this battery, I run everything that I have added. What I am doing with this car is every modification I perform must be able to be reversed easily and without trace.