Mounting an Engel
Submitted: Sunday, Apr 21, 2002 at 00:00
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Rob P
Hi Guys,
Just a purchased a 40L Engel fridge now considering mounting options. It seems Engel have two mounting products, one a fixed plastic tray the other the sliding tray. Would be interested to hear how others have mounted their Engel's ?
As a quick cheap alternative, I'm considering just strapping it down with some tie downs, not sure if they will hold under rough 4wding.
Thanks
Reply By: Wayne - Sunday, Apr 21, 2002 at 00:00
Sunday, Apr 21, 2002 at 00:00
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
AnswerID:
2978
Reply By: DougTT - Monday, Apr 22, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Apr 22, 2002 at 00:00
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)
AnswerID:
2985
Follow Up By: Rob P - Monday, Apr 22, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Apr 22, 2002 at 00:00
Doug,
I've also been considering mounting the fridge on top on a rubber base as you have done. I'll stick with the tie downs for the moment, and looking into
storage systems later.
cheers
FollowupID:
1167
Reply By: Gordon - Monday, Apr 22, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Apr 22, 2002 at 00:00
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.
AnswerID:
2990