Engel Fridge durability

I hav an engel 60l and i personally don't think they will handle the elements. One thing i noticed is that the fridge sweats in the transit bag, especially the lid and the trasit bag becomes moist and I think that will invite rust if your fridge is not the stainless steal one

Mine has a small amount of rust in the lid and has never been exposed to the whether

Ray
I don't think you would need to worry how robust the Engel is left in the tray of your Hilux with no cannopy as I can assure you some low-life will be gone with it in very short time.

Ray,
A lot of people have their Engel in the tray at the back and they seem to fare ok however it would be exposed to sun and inclement weather plus thieves.
Get a tournea cover to put it under and make sure there is room around it for better operation. The back seat is always the best answer. Maybe invest in a canopy would be ideal. Remember to always tie the fridge down as bumps & jumps can dislodge them very easily.
As far as reliability is concerned they are the best. Mine has been round OZ 3 times and been on many 4wd tracks, for 6yrs in the back of dual cabs and the last 4yrs in the back of a patrol,always tied down and it's never missed a beat keeping the throat lubricants ice cold. Gotta be happy with that.

Ray my last 39lt lasted 22 years and was in the rear of f100 's graders trucks loaders all in a bush envioment .It was protected in a ply box and had 25mm hose on the bottom to help with the bumps but as the others have said some low life will relieve you of it unless bolted and locked inside .Also my fridge lived in the desert away from the salt.

I am in Broken Hill and on a daily basis I see engels bolted into the back of utes of all descritpions. None are covered by canopies and they share the bed of the ute with all kinds of gear. Not all of it tied down and very little of it soft.

They are owned by property owners and station hands and spend their entire lives bouncing along roads, bush and station tracks, and where there are no tracks. None of these guys is renowned for being gentle but the fridge works all the time. Summer 45C+ Winter 0C sunshine or, on the odd occasion, rain. The fridge can take whatever you are going to dish out.

We are fortunate out here not many of the engels grow legs. However, depending on where you are and where you hope to go this could be a problem.

Duncs

Re thieves, some will suggest I'm sure that its not even safe on the back seat of the Hilux..... some contributors here have lost them from car seats.

Thieves aside................I have a 18 year old plastic body 15lt Engel. I originally bought it to fit in the Suzuki. It has now retired to the Xtrail but still works when needed. The plastic body has broken in places as the little fridge has bounced around for years in various 4bies but it still freezes if you want it to. It has never been serviced. My newer 32 lt Engel lives in the back of the GQ and is tied down inside its transit bag. I don't have an issue with it sweating. It too works very well and I have no complaints with Engel products. You have made a good choice.

Mates Engel went to the cape and back in the back of the ute tied down. Was in a transit bag but didn't notice it sweating. Got quite dusty but not too hard to blow a bit of compressed air in. I had mine in the back seat of a dual cab rodeo. I pulled the seat out and cut out a board that I bolted in its place with eyelets that went through the board that I fixed down my fridge too.

Leroy

Thanks for all the replies. As I've done a number of trips, I'm aware of the security issues with stuff in the tray. Luckily I've yet to lose anything although having said that now......

I'm thinking of using the tray as a last option if required until I can get a canopy made up. Just wondering how the fridge would fair. From what I've heard though, it seems to be fairly robust.

I wonder if it's possible to have the catch replaced with one that could take a padlock? I haven't had the chance to look at it properly yet. Just wondering if anyone has had it done?

Cheers,
Ray

My Engel is about 5 years old and has performed faultlessly, but I've always been concerned about getting it wet (worried about getting the electrics wet).

Are you all saying it will continue to perform if left in the rain? That would really be impressive.

Cheers,

Jim.

these are designed to operate out in the elements!

Our SS80 combo has been in the rain while being used (back of a ute) and we have had no issues with it. Has some dents from unrestrained toolboxs including a few dents from unrestrained 200L drums full of diesel. Dents are quite small though even considering what it was hit with.