Mounting an Engel

Rob, as I built a box and drawers for the back of my truck, I fitted a pirhana slide, to allow for extra storage in the cargo area. I am sure just tying it down would be OK, however, it will restrict how you load your truck and how easy it is to access the fridge. Happy trails, Mike.

Rob,
I also have made some shelving in mine which increases the height the fridge sit's, and is a real pain to find small items in the bottom of the fridge. I am updating my 4wd and installing an outback draw system with a fridge slide in the new one. i believe this is money well spent if you do a bit of camping. But to answer your question strapping your fridge down would be fine i currently strap mine down although it has bounced once or twice the engels seem to be able to handle it. i would consider the slide if you were plaing the fridge on shelving for easier access.
Hope this made sence
Wayne

Rob, an answer from another Wayne

I have had my 39 litre engel strapped in the back of a 100 series landcruiser for nearly two years with good quality tie downs.

Not had a problem even though we have done some rough tracks - in fact makes it very easy to get it out and clean when require. Althoug will eventually put it on a proper drawer slide when I find a drawer system that suits me

Rgds

Another

Rob, what vehicle do you have ?

Our 40 Litre Engel we fitted in our Hi-Lux Dual Cab. If yours is a similar vehicle I can elaborate, but basically, we:
(1) Take the back Seat out when on an extended holiday,
(2) Fit a (flat) metal frame (about 3-5 mm x 25 mm)into the area where the back-seat usually is. We had it made (from our own design) by a small welding shop out of Melbourne. It is secured with bolts into the seat belt anchorage points - under this we have a rubber mat - (stuff we got at Clark Rubber - about 3mm thick),
(3) Secure the (Engel-Supplied)(Plastic-looking) mounting plate to the metal frame,
(4) Sit the 40 Litre on the Mounting Plate.
Ours is fitted cross-ways from the passenger door and we are able to open the lid right upright - it clears the roof lining of our vehicle by about 10mm. We can also get a (full) basket out of the fridge while locked in.
We also tie with webbing straps through the metal fram/Engel handles.
It works well for us. If we can be any further help don't hesitate to ask for more information.
Regards, DougTT (Toyota Truck)(Tough Toyota)

Rob,

I have the Engel plastic lock down plate in the back of my Troopy. The fridge lives in the car and does some fairly rugged work. No probs.

Rob, I mounted my 40L Engel on a shelf behind the centre of the back seat of our 80 Series GXL with access from the back seat. The shelf is bolted to the floor and the Engel tied down with non-stretch nylon cord to four eye-hooks bolted to the shelf. (I have found that two is sufficient.) This set-up lets the vehicle suspension do the cushioning work so that the ride the fridge gets is as good as the ride you get. (It is important not to use any kind of stretch tie-down e.g. "shock cord" or "bungy straps" and not to use a spring mounting plate because these can allow the fridge to lift clear of the vehicle over rough terain and, if it does lift, it will come down hard.) Our shelf is about 250mm off the floor and is high enough to slide large plastic tubs underneath. Access to the fridge is somewhat limited in this location but is not a problem for us because we use our Engel as a freezer and only access it once each day. In the morning we transfer 2 large freezer blocks into our 40L esky and replace them with the spent freezer blocks from the previous day. This enables us to run a "dry" esky. We also remove meat for that night so that it thaws in time for dinner. Access is by knealing on the back seat and because the fridge is centrally located there is equal access from both sides. In this position the Engel lid opens sufficiently to comfortably remove the top baskets and to see/reach to the very bottom. The only minor drawback has been that it takes one hand to keep the lid open but I will be fixing that before our next trip with a simple latching mechanism. I am not a fan of "drawer systems" which might (I'm not convinced) offer very good fridge access but in achieving that you 1) add alot of extra weight 2) lose flexibility in how you use your cargo space when not 4WDing and 3) have to part with big $s. The freezer / esky combination means we can leave home with at least 3 weeks worth of meals and never have to major shopping. What you end up doing will obviously depend on your own priorities. PS I have also tired removing the back seat to gain space but found that, yes, you get more space but all of the new space and even some of the old space becomes much more difficult to access. Hope this helps.

Rob,
I have made a drawer system up for my 100 Series and on the top I have an Engel fixed plastic tray which the Engel slides into. Have been over some pretty rough stuff and have not had any problems. If required the fridge can also slide on the plastic tray to a more convenient opening position.
Dave

Rob, As a stop gap it would be ok to tie it down ,I did the same when I first got my Engel
and travelled thru the Simpson Desert with no problems. I now have it mounted on a the
sliding tray, and to me it's the only way to go.

Tony

Rob
I use the Engel plastic mounting plate. It is screwed to the rear floor with self tappers through the carpet into the deck. It seems to work very well but I wonder what would happen the fridge in a collision. Cost about $110 I think.