Official 12V Freezer-Fridges - Do they bring the heat?

[Hickey]

My igloo is the 40 quart thermo electric. Between that and my microwave I save about $90 a week on food.

The thermo electric units draw a ton of power. It will drain all 4 of my batteries in about 30 hours. I had to hardwire the cord to the truck because I kept melting the cig lighter end of it.

Do these ARB fridges have a thermostat on them? It would be nice to be able to keep a constant temp. In the winter I sometimes have to unplug mine so my drinks won't freeze.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

My igloo is the 40 quart thermo electric. Between that and my microwave I save about $90 a week on food.

The thermo electric units draw a ton of power. It will drain all 4 of my batteries in about 30 hours. I had to hardwire the cord to the truck because I kept melting the cig lighter end of it.

Do these ARB fridges have a thermostat on them? It would be nice to be able to keep a constant temp. In the winter I sometimes have to unplug mine so my drinks won't freeze.

Your selling yourself the fridge.

Yes sir, the have a fully adjustable thermostat that allows you to select your target temp, the fridge does the rest. It will literally only run 10 minutes or so each hour, turning itself on and off as needed... Just like your home fridge.

Additionally they have a really low amp draw, 3-4 amps when they are running. I tell customers to play conservatively on around 3 amps per hour depending on the model and size.

 

[Hickey]

Oh I definitely want one. Just gotta come up with the coin. My tax return will probably go for it.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Cool, keep me posted. I have a half dozen different models here so if you to drive over your big rig we could find the best fit.

 

[neagtea]

Your inbox is full,
Thread steal time, Do you have a couple Chairs in stock?
Jeff

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Your inbox is full,
Thread steal time, Do you have a couple Chairs in stock?
Jeff

Yessir, I've got a dozen or so here, LMK.

PM box cleaned up

 

[MOODY]

I love having a fridge. I am strongly considering getting a second one instead of swapping between the two trucks...perhaps a bigger version as I have the room.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I love having a fridge. I am strongly considering getting a second one instead of swapping between the two trucks...perhaps a bigger version as I have the room.

Would you be putting it in the bed of the Tundra? Does it have a tonneau or shell of any kind? With the depth of the Tundra I bet even the big boy ARB would fit in there. Engel has side by side units too, i.e. a freezer on one side and a fridge on the other

 

[MOODY]

Yes, in the Tundra. It has a Tonneau cover that is really nice, but I want a normal shell until I find a FWC or ATC (and if the wife approves).
I'd probably just go with a 60 liter. I need to get the dual batteries going before too long here. I plan on running the battery in the bed of the truck and getting the gargantuan Diehard Platinum Marine battery. You ever do a dual battery system in the bed of a truck?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...You ever do a dual battery system in the bed of a truck?

Yessir. There are a handful of ways to do it, one of my favorite and imo the cleanest would be to use the National Luna Power Pack as its easy to mount and provides a clean shell that keeps your battery out of harms way. Its literally designed for that exact install scenario. Its a bit pricier than the other components but by the time you build a dual tray, wiring, etc you'd likely be 6's with the Power Pack option. LMK

 

[MOODY]

What is the benefit of using the power pack vs. just a standard run of the mill black battery box? (forgive my ignorance)

I envision having the solenoid under the hood, the controller in the cab, and then the wires run to the second battery in the bed.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Nothing really, its just nicely self contained with the Intelligent Soilenoid, two 12V outlets, fuses, etc all built into the box so if you mounted it in the front corner you could plug your fridge directly to it. Makes it really nice if you want to pull it out at camp or switch vehicles. The black battery boxes are a great option too, again its likely 6's, just depends on how you want things setup. You can still run the in-cab controller with the Power-Pack, it runs the same Nat Luna dual battery system all built into their box with the addition of the fused outlets.

 

[MOODY]

Great information, thank you. Perhaps Santa will bring me one...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Great information, thank you. Perhaps Santa will bring me one...

He knows who to call

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I've updated some of the details on the site to reflect our experience with renting this past fall. I'm excited to have 5+ rental units available for this next Spring. Ready to purchase? I have the full line of ARB units (all 4 models) in stock and several of the popular Engels in stock at any given time too. We'll start taking reservations for popular dates in 2012 on Jan 1st.

Of course if you need one for the Lucin "Freeze Your Tail Off 3" Overnighter to keep your food from freezing I have a fridge available for you

Forgot to update this. The rental program has been working out nicely. I've always said I don't intend to make money renting fridges (and I don't) but if I can use the rental option as an opportunity to teach you about the fridges, from function and use to packing and maintenance, then its a success in terms of a future sale. I've got 4 different fridges in the rental fleet as well as some other goodies. You can see them all here on the rental page:
http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/rental_gear.html

 

[solidfrontaxle]

Does anyone have any experience with front opening AC/DC fridge/freezers like from Norcold or Engel? They seem a little cheaper for the volume and would fit better for my application (office/bunk in a small trailer). Are they built to hold up as well as the top opening units do under tons of rough roads? Are the freezer trays any good for keeping stuff frozen?

Kurt, can you get the front opening Engel units?

 

[trackhead]

Glad you are renting refrigerators! Seems like a solid business plan, and I'll take advantage of it soon enough.

Do you rent locking diffs?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Does anyone have any experience with front opening AC/DC fridge/freezers like from Norcold or Engel? They seem a little cheaper for the volume and would fit better for my application (office/bunk in a small trailer). Are they built to hold up as well as the top opening units do under tons of rough roads? Are the freezer trays any good for keeping stuff frozen?

Kurt, can you get the front opening Engel units?

I am direct with Engel so I can get anything you want. That said I don't have experience with their front load options. From the specifications they are very similar. I actually met with the Engel folks this morning at the ORS but discussed other new items they have coming out.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Glad you are renting refrigerators! Seems like a solid business plan, and I'll take advantage of it soon enough.

Do you rent locking diffs?

Everything is for rent for the right price

 

[neagtea]

Can my arb be calibrated? What I am saying is the display says 27* but with a lab thermometer and a heat gun I open after a day plugged in in the garage and it is 39-40*.
It is a unique garage fridge.
I like it.